This summer, at least 50 million American families will climb into their vehicles and speed off on road trips. The U.S. has long been the world's pre-eminent car culture, so it's easy to forget that the amenities which make those long trips possible—smoothly paved highways, cheap motels or campgrounds, roadside cafes and gas stations—haven't always been a part of the American landscape.
Before the invention of automobiles, the average American rarely traveled more than 12 miles from home, because that was how far a horse and wagon could comfortably go in a day. Henry Ford introduced his inexpensive Model T in 1908, making car ownership possible for people of average means. But at first, drivers still weren't able to expand their range very much, because the infrastructure wasn't there: 90% of American roads were what people called “wish to God,” as in drivers wished to God they could drive on pavement rather than stones, ruts and mud.
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