Chapter 17 Montanans on the Move

Before the automobiles Most people traveled by horse, at 3-4 miles per hour Even with carriages, it took much longer to get from one place to another

Enter the Automobile Europeans built the first commercially successful automobiles in the late 1800’s By 1900, there were many small companies making autos in the United States Ransome E. Olds was the owner of the first U.S. factory to mass-produce the gasoline automobile Owned the Oldsmobile company

The first cars Automobiles began to replace horses when cars became more affordable The first cars were very expensive, only the wealthy could afford them Businessman and inventor Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company He was the builder of the first car affordable to the middle class He built the Model-T Ford, the vehicle introduced by the Ford Motor Company This was a practical car that set off the affordable car industry

Model-t ford

Backlash Some people didn’t like cars when they were first introduced They didn’t like automobiles at first because: There were no laws about how people should drive They scared horses They were noisy and dangerous Early gas-powered cars had hand cranks to start them, they could kick back and give you a black eye or break your arm The wheels were very thin and could break off easily Early automobiles had trouble with gas flow to the carburetor

Problems with early cars Early cars had many problems including: Difficulty braking Difficulty steering No windshields How could these problems make cars dangerous? Small towns suffered from the increase in cars because people could now travel to bigger towns with cheaper goods

Wild rides Bumpy roads jiggled car parts loose People complained about drivers speeding and driving all over the roads (there was no “drivers ed” at the time)

Creating a social revolution Suddenly, people could go anywhere they wanted whenever they wanted Cars changed how people spent their money, many people got extra jobs to pay the expenses of owning a car People shopped more often, went more places and went out to eat more often Cars changed people’s views of the world because as people traveled, they exchanged ideas Gas-Powered cars changed farmers lives because they gave them the ability to work more land to produce more crops

Trucks used for mass transportation Trucks revolutionized modern business They could transfer goods to and from railroad stations faster than horse-drawn wagons They could carry heavier loads and travel farther Trucks changed the way people ate because they delivered food more quickly and safely Shipping goods by truck rather than rail was more popular because it was cheaper

Competition for railroads Railroads were still trying to expand into the west when automobiles were introduced At first, the railroad companies did not view automobiles as competition, they hoped truck deliveries and road and car-building shipments would help business Railroad companies worked to build better roads because they were convinced that better roads would increase their business But as popularity with cars increased, people used railroads less and less The cost of gasoline was cheaper than buying railroad tickets

Fast cars need good roads Heavy trucks and cars carved the dirt roads into deep ruts Automobiles needed traction to move, but this also tears up roads Roads also had to be graded so autos could climb them The homestead boom affected roads because the growing population put stress on existing roads

Road improvement Bicyclists first pushed for hard-surfaced roads in America Bicyclists began the “Good Roads Movement”, a campaign to build high-quality roads Auto drivers joined the movement in the early 1900’s and pressured Congress to provide long-distance roads Montana and the nation got many more miles of paved roads when the federal government funded programs to pay for building roads The government established the State Highway Commission: a government state agency that organizes statewide road-building projects

Automobiles and tourism Now that people could travel wherever they wanted on their own time, they wanted to get out and see everything the country had to offer People traveled to see national parks, monuments, landmarks and tourist attractions The growth of tourism brought: Motor hotels Full-service filling stations Campsites

Travel within Montana Cars and trucks will always be important in MT because of the great distances in the state

Oil in montana Oil was discovered in Montana in 1864 Through the early 1900’s, wildcatters scoured Montana’s geological formations looking for oil Wildcatters – people who were eager to find oil in Montana in the early 1900’s Easter and central Montana were dotted with derricks as people drilled for oil

Oil production Montana’s oil industry boomed in the 1920’s Production and demand increased Oil production became big business in Montana when gas-powered vehicles became increasingly popular Oil has been important to Montana’s economy because the need for oil keeps increasing