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Brian Butko's Talk In Pittsburgh


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Mike Seates's column in the March 22nd Pittsburgh Tribune Review reviewed a presentation given by Brian Butko at the Frick Art and Historical Center this past Sunday. Brian's topic was, "The Last Frontier: Driving Across America in the 1910s." Mike titled his column, "100 years ago, road rage was rampant."

 

Mike Seate said that people today often complain about traffic and road construction, but this pales when compared to what early motorists had to put up with back then. Road travel was essentially horrible. "Roads had plenty of deep gullies filled with water and mud troughs."

 

People in towns would sometimes gather and pelt unwary motorists with bricks and stones. OUCH!!! Farmers would put nails and tacks out in roads. Usually, the only place you could get gas was at blacksmith shops. Wonder if they had clean bathrooms?

 

There is a collection of early autos and motorcycles at the Frick Car and Carriage Museum.

 

Of course, I've heard stories about towns that would change their speed limits on a daily basis, and the famous "You can't get there from here" quote. Somehow our predecessor motorists endured. I wonder how they would have reacted to our current gas prices?

 

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

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Mike Seates's column in the March 22nd Pittsburgh Tribune Review reviewed a presentation given by Brian Butko at the Frick Art and Historical Center this past Sunday. Brian's topic was, "The Last Frontier: Driving Across America in the 1910s." Mike titled his column, "100 years ago, road rage was rampant."

 

Mike Seate said that people today often complain about traffic and road construction, but this pales when compared to what early motorists had to put up with back then. Road travel was essentially horrible. "Roads had plenty of deep gullies filled with water and mud troughs."

 

People in towns would sometimes gather and pelt unwary motorists with bricks and stones. OUCH!!! Farmers would put nails and tacks out in roads. Usually, the only place you could get gas was at blacksmith shops. Wonder if they had clean bathrooms?.............

 

Right! The stories of ranchers creating mud holes so they could hire out themselves and their horse teams to pull motorists out of the mud are legend.

 

There was a spot on the Lincoln Highway in western Utah that was so bad that the county sheriff had to go out to inspect. There is an often quoted excerpt from the Lincoln Highway Guide for western Utah to the effect that if you need help on the road, build a fire of sage brush and Mr. Thomas will come out with his team to rescue you.

 

In researching the excellent old newspaper archives Utah has on the web, I found stories of how some ranchers in Mr. Thomas’s area were turning their irrigation ditches into the roadbed! I have wondered if Mr. Thomas was less Good Samaritan than businessman!

 

Motoring in the teens and before, especially in rural areas, was done at your own risk, and considerable risk it was. Have you ever looked at the list of equipment recommended for any car and driver. Extra springs, tires, intertubes, spark plugs, valves, shovels, chains, and so on.

 

The wonderful University of Michigan Lincoln Highway photo collection is a must view. One of the enjoyable things you can see is the equipment carried by the early traveler. Count the extra tires in the picture!

 

Tippetscropped.jpg

 

This photograph is taken between Tippett’s Ranch, NV and Ipabah, UT. I have sat in almost exactly the same spot in my air conditioned vehicle and pondered whether I would have been up to the demands of travel when this picture was taken around 1915, give or take a couple of years. By the way, Tippett’s (or Tippet’s) and this area of eastern Nevada and western Utah are almost unchanged from when this picture was taken. The road is better drained, but the powdery surface turns to slippery mud at the slightest bit of rain. I know! We almost ended up "slip slide-en away."

 

Once you got past the physical obstacles, you had the sheer meanness or stupidity of some people to deal with.

 

I recall a story from Florence Trinkle who made a transcontinental trip with her husband in a Brush Runabout in 1908. A man in Lucin, Utah deliberately gave them false directions which led them into a trackless desert, and save that they ran into some prospectors, their trip could have ended in death for both of them. Keeping in mind where Lucin itself is, it is amazing they made it!

 

As always, thanks for the update, and great insights, and let’s Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

Edited by Keep the Show on the Road!
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In researching the excellent old newspaper archives Utah has on the web, I found stories of how some ranchers in Mr. Thomas’s area were turning their irrigation ditches into the roadbed! I have wondered if Mr. Thomas was less Good Samaritan than businessman!

 

True American entrepreneurial spirit.

 

In the 70s or early 80s, there was a great artcile in the American Heritage magazine about the problems facing early motorists. It was a great read.

 

Does anyone have an idea of the title and author?

 

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

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