Page 33 - 2009 DT 7 issues

In This Issue !

Featured Articles
U.S. Roads.......................................1

Departments
News & Notes.................................2
Programs & Hikes...........................4
Ma y 2009 Desk Schedule...............................6
Bulletin Board................................8

United States during the early de- alternative to building a new highway
U.S. ROADS . . . from
cades of the 1900’s. It spawned a lay in the apparent simpler task of
muddy adventure to super highways.
new and enormous scope for travel linking existing roads. By 1913, the
by Chuck Kleber and tourism, gave birth to motels Lincoln Highway Association was
and routes that have both attracted formed to come up with a real plan.
and fascinated Americans, brought They followed three common-sense
t is 1924. You and your spouse have trailers and motor homes into being, guidelines: the directness of the route,
just set off for a 400 mile trip to
Ivisit friends in your beautiful new roadside restaurants, service stations links to population centers and scenic
Hupmobile Touring. It should be a great along the way with an attendant need interest. It would start in New York
City and end in San Francisco.
for oil . . . and more. All these things
vacation. More likely it will end up be-
You really needed to plan ahead in
ing a great adventure in dealing with a were, and are, inextricably linked those early days, including the 1920’s
to roads. “Chaos” might be a good
flat tire, staying at a primitive camp-
ground during a rainstorm and coping word to describe the early days. Al- and 1930’s. Gas pumps were often
though by 1910, there were 180,000
found in front of the country store,
with a road that could double for an In-
vehicles on the road, there was no and good advice of the time was to
dian trail. And this is when things have system for common standards in fill up at every stop. It was right out
clearly improved since the first of Norman Rockwell America,
cars ventured beyond the edge
of town. You need to phone your with glass cylinders at the top
of the pump emptying and fill-
friends that you’ll be late, but
there is no phone at the camp- ing up again with gasoline that
might be colored. That might
ground. Someone says there is a
keep you going, but what if that
gas station a few miles down the Hudson of yours breaks down?
road. You hope so; the gauge is Roadside garages with repair
creeping toward “Empty.” Well, facilities sprang up. And where
the pioneers managed to do it in
covered wagons; you can cope do you stay at night on that long
with this. And you did. Beth trip? It wasn’t long before near-
O’Shea provides a glimpse of primitive campgrounds began to
camping experiences in A Long Depression era tourist cabin give way to tourist cabins, offer-
Way From Boston: “They figure ing beds, hot water and even the
they give you a place where you convenience of a radio. Since
can pitch your tent and you’ll buy food anything. Carl G. Fisher was one people needed to eat, roadside diners
and stuff at their stores.” With luck, you man who looked ahead. He envi- began to appear. A whole new host
might find a home with a sign reading sioned a coast-to-coast highway and of businesses had been created. One
“Rooms for Tourists,” but it costs more. pursued the idea. His enthusiasm was was the vacation trailer; your “motel”
It was hit-and-miss all the way. enough for the president of Packard
The coming of the automobile Motor Cars, Henry Joy, to give him
changed nearly everything in the $150,000 in 1912. It was a start. One U.S. Roads, continued on page 6