Wyoming Veteran's Memorial Museum

Dates: Tuesday, August 5th OR Thursday, August 7th

Location:  See your e-mail for the Zoom link!

Website: https://www.wyomilitary.wyo.gov/resources/veteran/museums/wy-veterans-memorial-museum/

For those of us that live in Southern California, the highway system, with interstates and freeways, is an integral part of life. So much so that Southern Californians, unlike anywhere else in the country, refer to highways and freeways as ‘THE freeway name/number’. So while people from San Francisco might take 101, a San Diegan takes The 101. Why do we Southern Californians do this? It has a lot to do with our long stretches of freeway, many of which existed prior to the Interstate Highway system. Many locals described their routes based on destination, so they took ‘the Ventura Freeway’ or ‘the Pacific Coast Highway’. Even after freeway numbers were simplified, the practice of saying ‘the’ stuck around. 

So, how did THE freeways, routes, and interstates come about? Let’s take a very quick drive through the history:

• Before there was a system

In 1910, there were less than half a million registered automobiles in America. There was little need for smooth, car based transportation across the country, so the first highways were poorly maintained patchworks of routes. They were often called ‘trails’ that could be difficult to navigate or even find.

In 1919, a military convoy of 81 vehicles traveled across the country from Washington D.C. to San Francisco to test the vehicles’ abilities over rough and rugged terrain. After 2 months, the battered and often broken down group reached the west coast. Many of the group, including young Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower, realized the importance of building a highway system that functioned well and made sense. 

This is the trek we’ll be talking about this week with the Wyoming Veteran’s Memorial Museum, focusing specifically on their movement through, gasp, Wyoming! 

Read on to see what happened AFTER the Army limped across the country!

• Laying the groundwork

The 1921 Federal Aid Highway Act set the state for government oversight and funding for a system of numbered highways. In order to travel across the country efficiently, roads needed to be consistent across state lines. As roads became easier to navigate, more Americans were able to purchase cars and venture outside their home states. (By 1945, there were more than 15 million registered automobiles in America. Today, there is roughly 1 car for every person living in the United States!)

By the 1930s, the automobile industry realized that a national transportation system would be advantageous to the industry as a whole. Many cities had removed their privately owned streetcar systems, as they weren’t making a profit. Automobile manufacturers worried that the same thing would happen to roadways, so they pushed the idea that roads needed to be a public responsibility, funded by taxpayers. Though some privately owned toll roads already existed in the East, the auto groups pushed the funding of public roads, paid for by gasoline taxes. They called them ‘free roads’, which was eventually changed to ‘freeways’. 

• The Highway System

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 was a pivotal moment for the Interstate system in America. Signed by President Eisenhower, the Act helped to fund the Interstate System. It established a nationwide standard for the design of interstate highways and proposed 41,000 miles of road. State highway agencies had input, through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), helping to establish speeds (50-70 mph, depending on terrain), a minimum number of lanes in each direction (at least 2), and standard shoulder widths. 

• Changing the landscape

Of course, as highways spread across America, not every change was necessarily for the better. While freeways and interstates helped build the suburbs, they also reshaped and remade cities.

Many urban and inner cities were demolished and separated to make way for a new road system. Even though President Eisenhower had said highways shouldn’t run through cities, he was unable to closely manage the actual planning and building. Many cities were eager for the money and jobs, so they invited highway development. But often, poorer areas were sacrificed to the building. An estimated 12% of the Interstate System runs through downtown and urban areas. 

Many small towns also suffered as the highway system passed them by. A similar phenomenon occurred when railroads crisscrossed the nation as well - small towns not connected to the transportation system withered and died out. For a cartoon version of the story, see the Disney movie Cars!

Speaking of railways, they also declined as highways became more popular. While trains had moved goods across the nation throughout the 19th century, cars became a more flexible mode of transportation. But shopping malls and fast food restaurants took root to serve a nation of drivers and those moving quickly across the landscape. 

Buckle up for a fun week! Before you zoom off, try your hand at a little car knowledge! Cruise on down for a little fast fun!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Get_Your_Kicks_on)_Route_66

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71459/why-southern-californians-say-freeway-numbers

https://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8605917/highways-interstate-cities-history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Scenic_Byway