Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 12, 1925 The world’s first hotel especially built for motorists made its debut in San Luis Obispo, California. The Milestone Mo-Tel was introduced at a time when an increasing number of people were driving automobiles and very much needing suitable overnight lodging accommodations for long-distance trips. “The opening of San Luis Obispo’s new hotel... Continue Reading →
December 11, 1975 Benton MacKaye, a forester and regional planner who earned the nickname “Father of the Appalachian Trail” for his role in creating that marked public footpath in the eastern United States, died in the town of Shirley, Massachusetts. MacKaye, who was born in Connecticut in 1879, first developed the idea of the Appalachian... Continue Reading →
December 7, 1906 The Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) and Union Pacific Railroad (UP) jointly established the Pacific Fruit Express Company (PFE). The Montana-based Weekly Missoulian reported that PFE was “chartered to construct and operate refrigerator cars, ventilator cars and other vehicles for the transportation of fruits, vegetables, meats, etc., and to build and operate refrigerating... Continue Reading →
Photo courtesy of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) In December 1991, President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) at a construction site on State Highway 360 in Euless, Texas. As Bush underscored in his remarks during the ceremony, ISTEA initiated the most sweeping and... Continue Reading →
December 4, 1830 The Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company (C&A), over a year-and-a-half after being organized with Robert L. Stevens as its president, began construction on its railroad line along the Delaware River at the borough (now city) of Bordentown, New Jersey. This railroad line was the first to operate in New... Continue Reading →
December 3, 1982 The Texas-based Pennybacker Bridge was opened to traffic five days after being officially dedicated. The through arch bridge, which is located in the Lone Star State’s capital city of Austin, carries Texas State Highway Loop 360 – popularly known as the Capital of Texas Highway – across the Colorado River and its water... Continue Reading →
Chapman Scanandoah, an inventor and decorated U.S. Navy serviceman who ultimately became chief of the Oneida people (one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy), was born in 1870 in the town of Lenox in upstate New York. The name Scanandoah means “He Moves with Fire” in the Oneida language. (This name was... Continue Reading →
November 30, 1951 While not yet completed at the time, the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) was officially dedicated with a great deal of fanfare. The New York Times reported, “A major engineering feat, the new highway is an unimpeded route, without traffic lights, no cross roads, no lefthand turns and no grades over 3 percent.”... Continue Reading →
November 29, 1882 Aviation pioneer Henri Fabre was born in the French city of Marseille. Fabre’s advanced knowledge of science early on in life helped foster his powerful interest in human flight. With unmatched intensity, he studied and developed designs for planes and propellers. The result of Fabre’s efforts was his creation of the first... Continue Reading →
Eula “Pearl” Carter Scott made aviation history in1929 when she took off in a plane for a solo flight. Pearl, who was only 13 at the time, became the youngest pilot in the United States. She had been born in the city of Marlow in Oklahoma in 1915. Her mother was an enrolled member of... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 