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October 1st: A good day for car travelers
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Photo credit: Linda Gentile
On the first of October, 1890, Yosemite National Park opened. In 1908, the first Model T Ford went on sale. In 1940, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, America's first freeway, opened. These things are thematically, if not geographically, connected.
The American love affair with cars led to tourism. Their tourism led to a desire to visit and preserve places like Yosemite. Their impatience led to the creation of a freeway system to make the United States accessible. The first of October encapsulates the concept of "We want more."
Historical markers tell these stories. Across the Interstates can be found signs speaking of Eisenhower's slow and frustrating cross-country journey. It was so slow and frustrating, in fact, that he dreamed of crossing the country in less than two months. Now, you can do it in under a week.
Ford manufacturing plants are listed in the National Register of Historic Places across the country: in Saint Louis, MO; Richmond, CA; there's even a historic dealership in Christchurch, New Zealand. Yosemite has its own set of historic buildings and interpretive markers, the latter erected by the Friends of Yosemite.
October 1st was indeed a good day for travelers and historical marker hunters across the United States. These events shaped history for the 20th century and beyond.
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