There is barely a town or a city in the United States that is not served by Greyhound bus lines, which began operating in 1914 and became a romantic emblem of America, its wide open spaces and its freedom to travel cheaply and explore the horizons of the country. Swedish immigrant Carl Eric Wickman began the enterprise in Hibbing, Minnesota, shuttling miners to and from work in a seven-passenger Hupmobile. He quickly expanded his operation and began buying out competitors; by 1935 the Greyhound Corporation owned 1,726 buses running over 46,000 route miles. Although their surrounding neighborhoods may have come to seem dilapidated, bus stations often served as the focal point of many a downtown district. Even in this age of the frequent flyer, Greyhound transports more than 45 million passengers annually. The well-known slogan "Go Greyhound … and leave the driving to us" rests within our collective consciousness, and the familiar red, white, and blue bus with its painted profile of an outstretched racing dog has become as much a part of popular culture as any single icon of the road.

The Greyhound "Highway Traveler," 1948.

Further Reading:

Jackson, Carlton. Hounds of the Road: A History of the Greyhound Bus Company. Dubuque, Iowa, Kendal/Hunt Publishing Co., 1984.

Schisgall, Oscar. The Greyhound Story: From Hibbing to Everywhere. Chicago, J. G. Ferguson, 1985.