American Decades
Roadside Architecture
Goodbye Europe, Hello America.
Many cash-poor Americans hit the road in the 1930s with a vengeance and by doing so transformed the landscape. Tourist courts, with shanty cafes and gas pumps, sprang up on highways all over the country, hoping to tempt drivers to buy ice cream, sodas, and trinkets. Since the mid 1920s the American public's celebration of the automobile had included road trips. As the Depression and oil strikes lowered gasoline prices, America's appetite for travel seemed endless. For many, road travel seemed the quickest way to escape the grinding misery of economic hard times. Some Americans traveled by car to relocate in California in hope of finding work, while others simply drove as recreation. As the federal government expanded the nation's public parks, camping mushroomed. The tourist court, a clustering of amenities including washrooms, single-room cabins, and restaurants, sprouted up to serve nomadic...
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1930's Fashion
