Posted by: John_Hamilton on 12/13/2013 01:04 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 12/22/2013 11:51 AM
Expires: 01/01/2018 12:00 AM
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Give The Gift of Piece of Mind & Roadside Service from AAA This Christmas
Angels Camp, CA...Your local Angels Camp AAA Office has the gift of priceless protection for your family. Stop by their office on Main Street.
In 1900, a few automobile enthusiasts gathered at San Francisco's Cliff House to form a club dedicated to helping car owners get where they wanted to go with greater comfort, safety and convenience.
San Francisco's Venerable
Cliff House: 1900
The founders of what soon spawned AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah were pioneers interested in progress, dedicated to service and committed to their communities. Extending that heritage, AAA today offers a wide range of services. With over 4 million Members in Northern California, Nevada and Utah, AAA exemplifies a long-standing commitment to serving the changing needs of its Members.
1900s
In 1907, under the leadership of chairman L. P. Lowe, the growing band of "automobilists" formed the California State Automobile Association. With its focus now squarely on the whole of northern California, AAA brought together clubs and their Members from around the region.
In 1908 the question, "Do you know the way to San Jose?" was not a rhetorical one. Finding one's way by car to the Santa Clara, Sacramento or the Yosemite Valley was no small feat. Within a year of incorporation, AAA picked up on work begun by the Automobile Club of Southern California and began placing road signs throughout Northern California.
In 1909 AAA President L.P. Lowe proudly proclaimed that "California is the first state in the Union to produce a comprehensible, reliable highway map." The map, which showed the 'major' highways of California and Nevada, was sent without charge to all Members, launching AAA's renowned cartographic business.
1910s
Emergency Road Service in
1912 usually involved a willing
farmer and his team - and the
exchange of a few dollars.
Today AAA TourBooks® are one of the most ubiquitous symbols of the organization. AAA's first TourBook hit the streets in 1912, and in great detail directed Members along a path of travel all the way from Mexico to Oregon. With directions like "Take left fork at Saloon," and a peppering of garage, hotel and hot meal recommendations, the TourBook was a beacon for drivers heading out into territory not yet tailored to the automobile.
In 1915 AAA formalized the operations of its Touring Bureau under manager George "Pop" Grant. Already expert in guiding motorists around the state, the bureau created a network of "road reporters" who communicated road conditions back to the main office. Combining this up-to-date information with AAA's own maps and garage and hotel recommendations, Members were truly prepared as they set out on the road.
"The Touring Bureau is really the pet at 150 Van Ness Ave. It provides a comprehensive touring and outing service for those who bob up with the question, 'Where shall I go from here?' "
— San Francisco News, July 4, 1930
In 1917 AAA launched its first magazine, The California Motorist. Its debut issue not only advised drivers on a myriad of car care and travel topics, it was also a sign of the times: its cover showed a woman in the driver's seat. Within two years its name had changed to Motor Land — the name it would keep, with only a tiny alteration, for the next 78 years — and it was being distributed to readers in Oregon and Utah as well as California.
1920s
Furthering the spirit of safety for drivers and pedestrians, AAA established a Public Safety Department in 1923 and began the School Safety Patrol program to reduce the number of school children hurt in traffic accidents. In the intervening years, legions of school children have stood guard over fellow students — all under the auspices of the club's traffic safety programs.
The California Motorist
hits the streets in 1917.
Seeing the Yosemite Valley by car in the 1920s was not too much of a challenge — getting into and out of the Valley was. In 1922 CSAA came to the rescue of drivers on the Big Oak Flat Road grade by establishing a seasonal tow camp — the first foray into what in 1924 officially became the Emergency Road Service department. By contracting with independent service stations (and deploying its own small fleet), within a few short years the "yellow truck" became perhaps the most identifiable symbol of AAA's service to Members.
By 1925 AAA was outgrowing its storefront offices at 1628 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. After purchasing a piece of land at Van Ness and Hayes, the club hired famed local architect George Kelham to design a grand seven-story building to house all Main Office staff and a District Office to serve Members. (The structure was so elegant that AAA wags circulated the myth that should the club ever fail as a business, the building could be refitted as a hotel.) Decades later, San Francisco Members can still enjoy the original architecture as they renew their car registration or get a map of Lake Tahoe.
1940s
The United States entered World War Two in 1941. From then until victory was declared in 1945, AAA participated in a number of programs to support the war effort. To encourage saving gas and rubber, AAA asked Members to "Keep It Under 40" (miles per hour, that is,) and to "Give 'Em a Lift" to encourage car-pooling among defense workers. In addition, AAA sponsored automotive skills classes for women at Oakland's Mills College and other locations.
After the war, AAA's "Take It Easy" program encouraged safe driving habits for returning vets and for those whose cars might not have been optimally maintained while supplies were rationed. For disabled vets, AAA offered classes in learning to drive with disabilities.
"Sail the blue Pacific aboard the gleaming white [S.S.] Lurline, on a voyage that is a glorious experience in any season."
— 1947 CSAA travel brochure
"Peace - It's Wonderful," wrote famed California writer William Saroyan - and indeed it was for a war-weary populace ready to return to the roads and skies. In 1946, responding to a request by the U.S. State Department for help rebuilding Europe's war-torn economies, AAA created its "All-Inclusive Worldwide Travel Bureau," now known as the AAA Travel Agency. Within a few years, AAA was sponsoring tours for Members all over the world - from Egypt to Hawaii, Paris to South America.
"Your association," noted a writer in Motorland magazine "is now equipped to assist you in taking any kind of trip to almost any point in the world."
From its very early years, AAA designated certain businesses throughout its territory as "Official" hotels and garages, to guide Members to reputable businesses as they traveled. In 1949 AAA established its Approved Accommodations program, a more thorough system of evaluating and rating lodgings for Members on the road. Today, Members know that the yellow diamond or AAA orbit outside a hotel or motel means they can count on a certain standard of quality.
1950s
Throughout the nation — and particularly in California — the 1950s were boom times. In 1940 AAA's Membership stood at 100,000; within a decade it had doubled, and by 1958 it doubled again to more than 400,000. As early as 1945 Motorland magazine described traffic problems on the Bay Bridge as "massive." Freeway planning and building became a way of life for the state, and AAA lobbied the federal government and advised the state on developing sound building and planning processes.
But even the Auto Club knew that freeways didn't belong everywhere, and in 1956 AAA led the fight for the Redwood Highway bypass bill, which saved the famed Humboldt Redwoods in northern California from the intrusion of a new highway.
Public transportation got the nod, too, as AAA recommended that construction of the new Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) be funded with one-half of the tolls from the Bay Bridge, since BART would help ease bridge congestion.
1960s-1980s
For the next two decades AAA worked hard at just keeping up with our Members. Dozens of new district offices were built, new services were offered in car care, travel and commuting, and AAA reached the milestone of 1 million Members. Among the highlights of these years, AAA offered free towing at the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, installed its first computer, and opened Diagnostic Centers. During the 1980s, AAA responded to a string of natural disasters including Northern California floods and the Coalinga and Loma Prieta earthquakes.
1990s
In the last decade of the 20th Century, AAA adopted a new logo and Motorland magazine got a makeover, becoming VIA. AAA began its own car maintenance service — Car Care Plus — and offered life insurance for the first time to Members. The club also spread its wings across the West, incorporating AAA Utah into AAA and adding Oregon and Idaho to VIA magazine's growing subscriber list.
2000 and Beyond
Now a century old, AAA is again pondering the decades-old question of motorists and travelers alike, "Where shall we go from here?"
AAA Archives & Historical Services
Formed in January 1998, AAA's Archives and Historical Services Department houses an extensive collection of materials created by or relating to the history of AAA and the regions in which it does business. Materials acquired for the archives include business and personal papers, advertising materials, photographs, films and videos. The collection includes the papers of David Watkins and other executives, road signs, more than 1,500 photos, artwork from magazines, maps, Membership cards, license plate holders, insurance documents, employee publications and ephemeral materials such as travel brochures, postcards and itineraries. The Archives welcomes donations of maps, Membership materials, copies of Motorland magazine and other AAA memorabilia from Members and the public.
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