Water bags. Long before the development of sophisticated formulae for engine coolants when straight water was the norm, engine overheating was a common malady, particularly in hot weather and on steep grades. Regardless whether these difficulties arose on account of the particular coolant, an undersized system, overloading, or something else, it was fairly common in pre-war (that's pre-WWII) days to see autos with a canvas/flax water bag attached to the front grill of the car. The cooling effect of the evaporating water on the air before it passed through the radiator afforded the driver an extra edge in avoiding the dreaded "boil over". For some reason, my father thought the practice a good idea even with the cutting-edge technology of the mid-60's, so off we went on summer vacations--just when I suffered the fragile ego of a pimpled teenager--with the only water bag within a 5-state/province area brazenly hanging out front for the entire world to see what rubes my folks were. Now there's a couple of years of therapy!

Burma Shave Signs. It was 1925 when Clinton Odell was convinced by his son, Allan, to erect small, wooden roadside signs to pitch their product, Burma-Shave (a brushless shaving cream). From the small beginning of a $200 budget, sales soared and Burma-Shave signs soon appeared all across America. Early signs were limited to product pitches, but later editions dispensed safety tips, witticisms and old-fashioned down home wisdom.
At peak popularity some 7,000 white on red Burma-Shave signs graced the landscape, placed in a series of four, five or six, and became a passing family road trip highlight for a couple of generations of kids. You'd read first one, then another, anticipating the punch line on the last, followed by one more with "Burma-Shave." Time marched on, however, and the little signs couldn't compete with the high-speed superhighways, federal and state highway beautification acts (banning most unofficial signs), and television advertising. Alas, no new Burma-Shave signs were erected after 1963, and by 1966 virtually all had disappeared from America's roadways. Here's the entire collection.

Wall Drug.The Burma-Shave approach caught on with others, too. First to come to mind is Wall Drug of Wall, South Dakota. Ted & Dorothy Hustead's struggling drug store (this was the depression era) caught onto a business whirlwind that continues to this day when in 1936 it started advertising free ice water to travelers using verse signs much like those of Burma-Shave. Things really took off when they began to give free signs to customers and, soon, Wall Drug signs were found on every continent (usually with a reference to the mileage to Wall)--now you can even order their signs (with mileage) online! Under the influence of the Husteads, interstate routes in South Dakota remain among the few in the nation lined by billboards ... and most of those are for Wall Drug.

Roadside Picnic/Rest Areas. Before the 1956 advent of the interstate highway system weary travelers were afforded oases of rest (outhouse/restrooms, picnic tables, water fountain, shade), provided and maintained not by WSDOT, but by cities, service clubs (Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, etc.), and churches (wayside chapels). Most have faded into oblivion or been absorbed into the adjoining landscape, particularly if a nearby interstate redirected traffic elsewhere. While the modern interstate rest areas have almost completely supplanted these treasures of the past, a common theme seems to have been consistent throughout history: No overnight parking was permitted.