Oregon Public Broadcasting

A once popular travel guidebook series with roots in the Great Depression is being resurrected for 21st century travelers.  Correspondent Tom Banse has more.

This comes from the “Things you should have learned in school had you been paying attention” file.

The Great Depression.  The Roosevelt Administration launches all sorts of public works projects, including one for jobless writers, researchers, and artists.  They were assigned to write a guidebook for each state says historic preservation consultant Michael Sullivan of Tacoma.

Michael Sullivan: “The original purpose was not too far from what we’re trying to do.  The intent in the 1930’s was to try to some degree stimulate the economy by getting people to go ahead and travel a little bit more."

Sullivan says today we call it “heritage tourism” or the “slow roads movement.”  He was part of a team that retraced every mile of the suggested Depression-era tours in Washington State.

Michael Sullivan: “Most of those roads are not the fastest way to get from here to there. But for the most part, they’re the most scenic roads.”

Washington State’s transportation, tourism, and parks departments chipped in to digitize original guidebook selections combined with modern commentary.  You can get it free on CD or by internet download.

Incidentally, the original Works Progress Administration guide to Idaho is such a hot collector’s item it’s been republished twice since 1937 unchanged.  First edition Oregon and Washington guides can still be had from some used book dealers.

On the web: “Revisiting Washington” – the updated WPA American Guide Series for Wash. State