Behind John Wayne’s tough guy image: seven years of Iowa poverty and failure

The Brooklyn Fire That Drove the Morrisons West

Before he was John Wayne, six-year-old Marion Morrison stood in the cold Iowa winter of 1914, watching flames eat his family home.

The fire at 717 Jackson Street in Brooklyn marked the end of his father’s long string of fails. Clyde Morrison, a kind but unlucky pharmacist, had moved his family through five Iowa towns in seven years.

After going broke in Earlham, working odd jobs in Keokuk, and trying once more in Brooklyn, the pot-bellied stove sealed their fate.

Sparks hit their packed boxes and lit up their last night in Iowa. The Morrison family took it as a sign and left for California that May.

The John Wayne Birthplace Museum now tells the full story of the boy who left Iowa in ashes and came back a legend.

A Hefty Baby Born in Small-Town Iowa

Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. The local newspaper noted the baby weighed a whopping 13 pounds.

His dad Clyde worked as a clerk at Smith’s Drug Store, while his mom Molly took care of their newborn at their home on South Second Street.

The family went to the Presbyterian church, with Clyde bringing his Irish and Scottish roots to their small-town life.

The Family Packed Up for Brooklyn

In 1909, when Marion was just over 2 years old, his dad quit his job at the Winterset drug store. The Morrisons moved to Brooklyn, Iowa, where they rented a house on Jackson Street.

They stayed only five months before Clyde found what he thought was a better job. The town got its name from sitting between two brooks.

Clyde wanted to save money to buy his own pharmacy someday.

Clyde Finally Got His Own Drug Store

The family moved to Earlham in 1910 when Clyde heard a pharmacy was for sale.

He scraped together enough money for a down payment and took over the Rexall drugstore. People liked Clyde, and women shoppers found him handsome.

But being friendly wasn’t enough to run a good business. Clyde hated asking customers to pay their bills, and fewer people lived in the area.

Money Troubles Caught Up With the Morrisons

By December 1911, Clyde couldn’t keep the store going any longer.

He went bankrupt, and C.C. Couch, who held the loan, took over the business. Bill collectors showed up at both the store and their house, which upset Molly deeply.

The local newspaper reported that the family stored their belongings and left for a “temporary home in Des Moines.”

They had no money left to start over.

Living Under His In-Laws’ Roof

The Morrisons moved in with Molly’s parents on Locust Street in Des Moines. Molly’s father Robert worked as a printer for the local newspaper.

Her mother Margret ran a sewing shop from their home. Throughout 1913, Clyde took whatever odd jobs he could find while hoping for something better.

The family lived completely on the Browns’ kindness during this tough time.

Young Marion Started School in Keokuk

Clyde got a job at a drug store in Keokuk in 1912 and took five-year-old Marion with him.

They lived in a small apartment above the store while Molly, five months pregnant, stayed in Des Moines. Marion started first grade at George Washington Elementary School in September 1912.

The job turned out to be another letdown for Clyde, who worked as a clerk rather than a druggist, earning less money than expected.

Back to Brooklyn With a Growing Family

Robert Emmett Morrison joined the family on December 18, 1912, born in Earlham and named after Molly’s father.

By late 1913, the Morrisons returned to Brooklyn and moved back into their old house on Jackson Street. Marion went to first grade at the Brooklyn schoolhouse in 1914.

Meanwhile, Clyde’s father Marion Morrison got ready for the family to join him in California, setting up a homestead for them.

One Last Iowa Winter Before California

In early 1914, the family packed their things for a final move to California.

Clyde’s father owned an 80-acre homestead in Palmdale, where they hoped the dry weather would help Clyde’s worsening asthma.

The plan was for Clyde to grow wheat and corn on the desert land.

After years of moving from town to town across Iowa with nothing but failure, this California move was their last chance to start fresh.

Sparks Flew From the Stove

While the family packed in winter 1914, sparks from their pot-bellied stove jumped onto the packing materials.

Six-year-old Marion watched as flames spread through their Brooklyn home. The fire badly damaged their house on Jackson Street.

Many years later, in a 1962 letter, John Wayne wrote that he “vividly remembered the fire” from his childhood.

The blaze burned much of what little the family still owned.

The Flames Pushed Them West

The fire damage pushed the family to speed up their California plans.

The blaze marked the end of the Morrisons’ seven-year struggle across Iowa, where they had moved between Winterset, Brooklyn, Earlham, Des Moines, Keokuk, and back to Brooklyn.

Their house on Jackson Street changed owners at least 15 times after they sold it. For young Marion, the fire meant his final goodbye to his Midwestern roots.

The Boy Who Left Iowa Behind

The Morrison family left Brooklyn in May 1914, heading for Palmdale, California. Six-year-old Marion never lived in Iowa again.

They joined Clyde’s father at his 80-acre homestead in the Mojave Desert. The family hoped farming would provide better opportunities and improve Clyde’s health problems.

This move set the stage for Marion Morrison’s eventual transformation into John Wayne, the iconic American actor whose Iowa beginnings were sealed by that fateful house fire.

Visiting John Wayne Birthplace Museum, Iowa

The John Wayne Birthplace Museum at 205 S. John Wayne Drive in Winterset shows you where the famous actor was born and how a 1914 fire changed his life.

Admission costs $20 for adults, with discounts for seniors and veterans. You get a home tour, museum exhibits, and a documentary screening.

The theater has original seats from Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. They’re open daily 10am-5pm, with shorter winter hours.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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