Here’s another series of photos with some storytelling, featuring a 1960 Oldsmobile traveling across the US. Partial storytelling that is, since there’s little information on the car’s occupants. The only clue is an elderly lady barely visible in some shots, which is probably enough to suggest it’s an older couple doing some kind of grand sightseeing tour. On the other hand, the images did contain locations and all are dated to early 1961.
It’s a bit hard to tell in the photos since the car is never up close, but I’m pretty sure that the featured vehicle is a Ninety Eight sedan. The lede image is at the Furnace Creek Inn, in Death Valley.
Hwy. 190, Death Valley.
Hwy. 395 near Walker.
Hwy. 285 in New Mexico.
Hwy. 85, New Mexico.
Hot Springs, Arkansas.
First Christian Church, Oklahoma City.
Camp Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Audubon State Park, Lousiana.
I agree it’s a 98. Long tail.
The good ole days!
It’s interesting how “unpeopled” these daytime photos are–and how the Olds is nearly the only car. In Oklahoma City is the other vehicle a Valiant?
sure looks like the back end of a Valiant with the canted taillights and the roof line.
I had never really noticed how the lower rear quarters of the 60 Olds kind of predicted the same area of the 1961 models that featured the prominent “skegs”.
That really dark gray was not a popular color on these – I am not sure I have ever seen one painted this color before.
Interesting that they stopped by the First Christian Church in Oklahoma City. That was a revolutionary church design of its day, both because of the eggshell-dome architecture, and because it was an early adopter of a “campus” type of church, with youth buildings, athletic courts, etc. (an idea that became popular decades later).
The church’s pastor (Bill Alexander) was quite a visionary and very successful at growing congregations. He had quite an unconventional streak, and saw his church design as the “church of tomorrow.” Sadly, he died in a plane crash shortly after the church was completed. The church building itself was demolished a few years ago.
Incidentally, Alexander ran for the US Senate in 1950, but was defeated by Mike Monroney, who is most famous (at least here at CC) for sponsoring the Automobile Information Disclosure Act, which required new-car window stickers.
You raised my curiosity with your notes about that church! So I Googled and found a TIME magazine article on the whole operation! Thanks! Fascinating!
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,865461,00.html
Thanks for that link – I had read that the church was written up in Time, but hadn’t read the article. Apparently in recent years, the church’s congregation had dwindled, and they put the property up for sale (my guess is that the sanctuary cost quite a bit to maintain). Eventually it sold and the new buyer demolished the structure. Too bad; it was quite a place.
@Eric703-thanks for all that information.
I was not aware. It’s too bad that the pastor left so soon.
Cool photos for sure.
That’s a great shot of Hot Springs, with the Arlington Hotel dominating the background.
I believe downtown Hot Springs still looks pretty much like it did in 1960. Here’s a shot from a slightly different angle that I took a while back.
There’s now a gaping hole at the foot (or head, depending) of Central Avenue where the Majestic Hotel was demolished. All that’s left is a historic sign on a post.
Also, Amazon is invading with a “last mile” location at 3315 Central in the near future.
Dad took the family to Hot Springs in 1961 (Bonneville Safari wagon). I remember the hawking of “pink sheet” racing forms in restaurants. And working up the nerve to visit the top of the 165 foot tall “Rix” tower in the HS mountains.
We could have been driving the other way in ’61.
My family is from the east coast, but my Dad got a job in El Monte, CA. He was a semiconductor process chemist, by ’61 he took another job back in Pittsburgh working at Westinghouse Semiconductor….people thought my parents were nuts, moving from southern California in glory days of early 60’s to Pennsylvania, but we drove all the way back in our ’61 Rambler Classic wagon…my sister and I flew out in ’59 with my Mom since we were deemed too young to stand the car trip but different story in ’61. Dad had driven out by himself in his ’56 Plymouth carrying some chemical needed for the job (never asked him what it was, seems strange that he couldn’t have gotten it in CA, but he ran out of the dry ice it was packed in, stopped at an army base (he’d previously been in the army before going to college via the GI bill so he was comfortable asking them for help)…when they found out what he was carrying, they quickly got him more dry ice apparently it was pretty hazardous if it got warm)).
Anyhow we touristed back on route 66 (their first home they bought was only a few blocks off 66 in Covina) to Chicago and took state roads to Pittsburgh (they transferred him to Catonsville Md but even then he only worked for them a couple years…back in the day my Dad changed jobs often, each time we’d have to move (we never lived within a 4 hour drive of where my parents grew up).
“Now Harold, be sure to pull ALL THE WAY off the road every time.”
I read an article with advice on how to thin out your trove of old photos. Their major advice was to get rid of any pictures that didn’t feature a person. If there’s not a person in it, I guess that you can often find a photo of the location off of the internet. Unless the photo is of something that is remarkable and not likely to be replicated. Featuring the car gives a photo a personal tie to the location, as well as to the passengers in the car. It’s best to pose the people next to the car, and the landmark. This way you have a record of the trip, the location, the car and the age of the people. I recently was presented with a large quantity of forty plus year, old photos. I enjoyed seeing my younger self with different vehicles with memories of my various road trips.
Odd that they included the car in so many shots–was that for proof of the visit, or were they just proud of their new Oldsmobile?
I had no idea Spanish Moss could survive in Kentucky, as it’s only seen near the warmer coast here in NC. Perhaps the variety is Spanish Netherlands Moss.
The car was an extended member of the family back then. The fact that it was an Oldsmobile made it a proud member worthy of photographing.
I live in Indiana about 65 miles north of Audubon State Park which is located on the edge of Henderson, Ky and about a mile south of the Ohio River. I have been to the park numerous times and go to Henderson about once a month and have never seen Spanish Moss there or anywhere else in the area. Bald cypress trees grow wild in the area and through Southwest Indiana. Our climate is a bit warmer than the rest of the state but no Spanish Moss to my knowledge.
Seems highly unlikely that Spanish Moss would grow in Kentucky. I note that there is an Audubon Park in New Orleans that does have it. Is it possible the slide was mislabeled at some point?
Thanks for that tip. The image does have a Louisiana feel, and the online images of the park seem quite close to the shot with the Oldsmobile. I would think the slide was mislabeled.
It’s great seeing Highway 190 in DV and 395 near Walker, roads I have driven a zillion times and at least once this year already. But never in an Oldsmobile, and never before the late ‘70s or early ‘80s.
The second car I owned was a 1960 Olds 98, which was quite a step up from my 1963 Ford Falcon that had a huge hole in the driver’s side floorboard. My 98 was fully loaded, white and had the “flat top” roof (the rear glass was an engineering marvel). Its best feature was the horizontal “bar” speedometer, which changed color as it went from left to right. Thanks for the memories!
My mom’s friend had a “60, 88”. I remember my brother pointing out that “speedo” feature.
It was a “sprawling, cool, car as I recall.
Nice pictures all ! .
I especially like the Arkansas pictures .
That Olds is a fine looking car indeed .
I’ve been to all those Death Valley areas, some really nice roads in it and all ’round it, I’m hoping to make my annual pilgrimage there next week in an auld crate .
-Nate