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Right
or Left?
“The Auto Club had been sign-posting road signs for over 50 years.”- Jeffrey Spring (Public Relations Supervisor) |
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Imagine you are at an intersection,
but you don’t remember whether to turn right or left. Luckily,
there were signs to lead the way. Now imagine there weren’t any
signs around to guide the way. Then you are really lost! That was the
life of motorists during the early 1900s…
The Auto Club of Southern California solved that problem for Americans all around. Even as early as 1903, the Auto Club already campaigned for better roads and supported the state’s first vehicle laws. So eventually, the Auto Club also volunteered to make life easier for everybody by posting signs up around. |
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In 1905, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to give $420 to straighten the mileposts down 120 miles of road. During that year, the Auto Club took over the job and extended the operation to put up more signs to more roads, and also provided extra information such as data and mileage to a destination. Each sign contained the Auto Club’s logo and name. The Club provided all the labor and split the cost with the county many times. From 1903 to 1910, the Auto Club posted up more than 4,000 signs on 3,500 miles of roads. |
| Because the signs have been posted, it led more people to Southern California. It brought up the traveling industry as well as the population of Southern California. Tourists from the East Coast only went as far as the Grand Canyon |  |
| because of the poor directions and signs, but after the work of the Auto Club, it brought them farther. Business leaders, real estate, and bankers saw a possible growth of businesses in Los Angeles. Therefore, they opened up industries and businesses in Los Angeles. And the signs played a big role to shape Southern California to become what it is today… |
