Imagine trying to drive your car from Los Angeles to Kansas City on a 1,900-mile-long collection of primarily unpaved roads with no detailed maps, only a handful of gas stations, and almost no directional road signs.
This was the reality for drivers across the US in the early 1900s, and those pioneering drivers needed nerves of steel, determination, and exceptional route-finding skills to complete their journeys.
In the early years of automobile development, improved roads and highways were scarce outside of major cities, and private groups of motorists formed automobile clubs and organizations to create a system of good roads.
One of the earliest and most successful clubs was the Automobile Club of Southern California, founded in 1900 by a group of Los Angeles-area businessmen and professionals.
On Aug.15, 1914, officials from the Auto Club and several local dignitaries held a small ceremony to launch an ambitious project that would install thousands of directional signs on the road between Los Angeles and Kansas City.
The group planted the project’s first sign in front of the club’s headquarters at 1344 South Figueroa St., in downtown LA.
Such a task had never been undertaken by any government entity or private group, and the project required months of planning, coordination and field work.
A specially equipped Auto Club crew would be posting the signs on the recently designated National Old Trails Road, a patchwork of roads that connected Los Angeles to New York City. The crew would also post signs on some of the road’s “feeder routes.”
RELATED: Taking a trip up the National Old Trails Road
The route for NOTR was chosen because it had existing, well-traveled roads, and was considered a “year-round” route that could be used in all seasons. The route also passed through existing towns that could provide needed services.
According to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Corporate Archivist Morgan Yates, “In 1914, people were just starting to drive across the country, and the Auto Club was also hoping to boost tourism with this project.”
A custom-built Moreland 3-ton truck was the backbone of the signposting effort, and the Auto Club could boast that all the material and equipment for the project came from the Los Angeles area.
The Moreland 3-ton signposting truck at the Stoddard-Waite Monument on National Old Trails Road in the Cajon Pass in Aug. 1914. The man standing is Carl McStay, Auto Club field secretary. (Photo courtesy of the Automobile Club of Southern California Archives)
The Moreland was built at the company’s factory in Burbank, and all the signs, posts, and hardware were sourced from local suppliers. The truck’s body had compartments specifically designed to carry the pre-built signs and posts, along with the crew’s food, camping equipment, and other supplies.
In an interesting side note, the behemoth Moreland truck was issued California license plate number 111111 to recognize its pioneering role in the state’s development of roads.
When the signposting crew left Los Angeles, an Auto Club crew had already scouted and charted the route and determined where the posts should be, and what the signs should say. The crew had instructions on how to construct the signs, and they optimistically believed they could finish their Herculean task by December 1914.
The project’s ambitious schedule was partly motivated by the need to have a usable highway that would allow motorists to drive to the 1915 International Expositions to be held in San Diego and San Francisco.
In contrast to today’s funding practices, the metal signs, poles, and materials were paid for by a collection of states, counties, private auto clubs, and “good road” groups. The signs were designed by the National Old Trails Road Association, and the Auto Club was allowed to place their name and logo on each.
Signposting from Los Angeles to the Cajon Pass summit went smoothly, and 15 NOTR signs were placed in that span. Once the crew reached the Mojave Desert, challenges began to arise in the form of soft, sandy roads, and extremely hot, dry conditions.
Crossing the Colorado River at the eastern end of San Bernardino County became a significant challenge, since there were no automobile bridges over the river at the time, and the area’s only ferry had been damaged during a recent flood.
The Auto Club came up with a plan to use the railroad bridge over the river, and they worked out an arrangement with the Santa Fe Railroad to place planks between and on the sides of the tracks.
This unique temporary solution allowed the Moreland signposting truck and other automobiles to share the bridge with trains. The first automobile bridge across the Colorado River was built in 1916, at Topock, Arizona, to carry National Old Trails Road.
Poor roads, bad weather, mechanical issues, and under-rated bridges caused the signposting project to extend well past the expected December completion timeframe.
The January 1915 issue of the Auto Club’s Touring Topics monthly magazine reported, “The signing crew had reached Pueblo, Colorado, but that the work was not proving a pleasurable occupation for the automobile club’s construction crew.”
Around June 1915, the Auto Club recalled the Moreland truck to help with other signposting projects in Southern California. According to the July 1915 issue of Touring Topics, “Only a few hundred miles remain to be posted.”
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The final eastern portion of the project would be completed by a crew in Kansas City.
Looking back, it’s fascinating that private groups and individuals like the Auto Club and their intrepid signposters had such a major role in the development of early roads and support systems for motorists.
The federal government stepped into road funding in 1916 and began an effort in 1921 to construct a national road grid system.
A numbered highway system was adopted in 1926, and much of the western portion of NOTR from Saint Louis to Los Angeles became part of Route 66.
Today, original Auto Club NOTR signs are rare, and collectors pay thousands of dollars for these unique pieces of highway history.
Mark Landis is a freelance writer. He can be reached at Historyinca@yahoo.com.