Are We There Yet?: Auto Landscapes and Tourism, 1913-1975

King, Elizabeth

Purpose of and Goals of the Survey: "Prior to 2013 the majority of SHPO study of the historic auto roads in Wyoming was limited to ground-truthing and evaluating historic roadbeds, not to examining the historic built environment within their corridors. Additionally, little or no historic inquiry into mid-twentieth century architecture had happened. Eileen Starr's Architecture in the Cowboy State, published in 1992, concludes with 1940. SHPOS's series of historic context reports covers a myriad of topics ranging from archaeological resources to nineteenth-century settlement of the West to Depression-era Federal projects in Wyoming, but an in-depth study of the importance of tourism to the state was lacking. This survey seeks to fill the gap in attention paid both to twentieth-century resources and to tourism, a major economic driver in Wyoming. As the importance of so-called heritage tourism becomes increasingly clear, there is greater recognition of a subset of travelers seeking unique experiences with local history and culture. This can be of benefit to mom-and-pop motels and cafes and other small tourism-oriented businesses in communities around the state. SHPO staff hopes that survey efforts have encouraged appreciation of the mid-twentieth century commercial landscapes of Wyoming and will inspire preservation efforts for decades to come." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, State Parks & Cultural Resources, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P18AF00009).

Are We There Yet?: Auto Landscapes and Tourism, 1913-1975

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