This section contains 182 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
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As the Depression wore on, Americans took to the roads by the thousands. Many relocated in an effort to find better luck in California. Others hit the road to camp and tour the country. The government levied new gasoline taxes to finance major road construction in an effort to keep up with traveler demand and to stimulate the economy. Campgrounds and motor courts sprung up from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Miami Beach, Florida, to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. With so many tourists on the road, America witnessed the birth of a uniquely homegrown style of architecture: roadside Americana. Familiar roadside institutions such as Howard Johnson's and Big Boy restaurants had their starts in the 1930s. Stranger manifestations also sprouted up in such forms as giant ducks, milk pails, and tepees selling gasoline, hot dogs, ice cream, or just a place to pull over and sleep. Many...
This section contains 182 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
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