A series where we take a #lookback at the stories and history of our community, brought to you by Mick Pryor, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
Though the first automobiles in the United States were made in the 1890s, the first wave of American automobile owners came around 1906 when Henry Ford released his Model N. Two years later, Ford released the popular Model T, also known as the Tin Lizzie. Built on the first moving auto assembly line in 1913, the Model T became a much more affordable option for families that cost only $290 in 1924, around $5,200 in 2024. That same year, Sheehan and Fisher leased a livery stable in Lander and converted it into the first Ford agency in Fremont County. In the following years, the number of autos and garages grew. By 1920 there were already 24,000 automobiles in Wyoming, roughly 12% of the total population. This number increased by 250% over the following decade and by 1930 there were 62,000 cars in the state, 27.5% of the total population.
As cars were made accessible for the first time, new automobile owners did not know how to drive or even start their cars. During the first years of the auto, there were no drivers licenses or driver tests. Mechanics would deliver their new vehicles and teach them how to start and drive the car. While driving cars were dangerous due to their relatively primitive design, the dirt roads, non-existent traffic signs, only increased the chance of injury. Even starting a auto could be dangerous! Cars like the Ford Model T, the first widely available assembly line auto, took multiple steps in order to start the car. The Model T required the engine to be hand cranked, and failing to properly prepare the engine, or making a small mistake like using your right hand to crank the engine instead of your left could send you to the hospital of the engine kicked back and broke your arm. Even today, cars can struggle to start in cold winters. A century ago, cars like the Model T took much longer, sometimes even taking an hour.
Night time driving was even more dangerous as these new autos were sharing the road with their much slower horse-drawn carriages. A 1917 Wyoming law that required lighting on horse-drawn carriages, wagons, and cars suggests there were more than a few nighttime collisions. The same law also declared that a “rate of speed in excess of 25 mph shall be presumptive evidence of driving at a rate of speed which is not careful and prudent.” What a daring top speed.
As cars became more popular, the need to build adequate roads became more pressing. Local governments did not have the money to build or upgrade their infrastructure, and many people believed it was the duty of car manufacturers like Ford to build roads. Though that certainly would have increased the demand for autos, Ford refused, saying it was the role of the government to provide roads. Eventually the federal government began construction of a massive nationwide highway system that was completed in 1912. Known as the Lincoln Highway, the highway carried drivers from New York to California, passing through 13 different states, including Wyoming. In 1919, the then Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower, and members of the U. S. Armed Forces, traveled along the Lincoln Highway in order to survey the quality of the country’s infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, the convoy experienced many difficulties in their expedition across the country, dealing with the poor quality roads. The convoy broke, and repaired, dozens of wooden bridges along the highway, including fourteen in the state of Wyoming alone. This expedition is largely why following his presidential election, Eisenhower focused on improving the country’s infrastructure. Though roads improved over time through federal projects and local municipalities, aided further in the 1930s by the work New Deal government programs, there were still plenty of dirt roads in towns like Riverton into the 1950s.
In spite of all the reckless drivers who dared to go over 25 mph, and the poor roads, automobiles became fairly popular in Fremont County. In early 1914, the first Fremont auto club was formed in Riverton to maintain the condition of roads. Several months later, Lander also formed their own auto club. Auto drivers had a sort of mutual respect and camaraderie for each other. Because cars broke down much more frequently, and were much less common, auto drivers were much more obligated to pull over and assist their fellow driver. Autos were also kept in community garages rather than private garages, though the latter certainly became more appealing in the 1930s when the Lander community garage burned down, destroying dozens of vehicles.
Author: Kevin Scannell
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
August 13 8:30am at the Dubois Museum, “Dennison Ranch Adventure Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
Aug 14, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
August 17, 8am at the Pioneer Museum, “Borner’s Garden Cemetery Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
August 21 6pm at the Riverton Museum, “Bar Ten Trivia Night: Hosted by the Riverton Museum”
August 21, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
August 24, 10:30am at the Dubois Museum, “Kids Corner: WY Wildflowers” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
August 28, 6pm, at the Riverton Museum, “David Miller: Gas Hills Uranium District” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
August 28, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
August 28, 6pm at the Riverton Museum, “Randy Tucker: History of Riverton” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution to be used specifically for the benefit of the museum of your choosing by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.
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