Distinctly Montana Magazine

70 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 N OW THAT SUMMER IS HERE, Americans are hitting the road. Doing so has become an American tradi- tion. And it makes perfect sense. Few other countries offer as much beauty and expanse as America, and even fewer have a comparable network of roads to make such trips possible. The first vehicles to carry us on our long trips west were cov- ered wagons. Those were replaced by steam locomotives. Then in the early 1900s, the automobile arrived on the scene. By then, Americans were hooked. Long road trips into the heartland be- came a uniquely American thing, so popular it became woven into our culture. In the 1920s, the number of automobiles on American roads grew by more than fifteen times, from 500,000 to over eight mil- lion. Traveling by car, however, was far from easy—especially over great distances. Two-lane asphalt roads outside of the wealthiest cities did not exist, let alone concrete byways. Even gravel roads were considered a luxury in much of America at the time. There were fewer than two million miles of road in America in 1920, and less than 10 percent were paved. The rest? They were little more than dirt tracks, which often became impassable whenever it rained. In 1913, there were only 150 times when an automobile crossed the country. Total. Ten years later, 20,000 Americans did it in just one year. Some of them, at least part of the way, did so by driving on a Montana road that many called "The Teddy." Or "Roosevelt Highway" by others. The "road," if you want to call it that, most- Driving Driving "The Teddy" "The Teddy" Through the Through the Treasure Treasure State State article and photos by TODD KLASSY Hitting the road HAS BECOME AN AMERICAN TRADITION. AND IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE. FEW OTHER COUNTRIES OFFER AS MUCH BEAUTY AND EXPANSE AS AMERICA, AND EVEN FEWER HAVE A COMPARABLE NETWORK OF ROADS TO MAKE SUCH TRIPS POSSIBLE.

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