AA-2026-7314A7
On the image
This young American, dressed in his 1970s best for travel, stands by a flimsy fence, placed there perhaps to keep him from falling or, more likely, to provide a tangible reference point in the otherwise endless vista. Road trips in that era demanded physical evidence of your presence at significant geographical features.
He has been told to smile for the camera, a command often met with a minimal, obligation-filled upward curve of the lips when faced with something as inspiring as a large body of water in a vast, empty landscape. Such photos were proof that one had indeed "seen the country," even if the country mostly consisted of dirt and distant, blurry hills.
The destination was probably less about the view and more about the driving. An afternoon spent looking at a lake was a minor reward for hundreds of miles of highway. The camera captured the memory of having been there, which was almost as good as actually enjoying it.
The historian's note
This photograph exemplifies the American family road trip during the 1970s, a popular form of domestic tourism. The setting, a large reservoir within an arid, mountainous landscape, is common in the Western United States, where such bodies of water were often created for hydroelectric power, irrigation, and recreation.
The presence of a child posing in the foreground highlights the cultural practice of documenting family travel through photography, capturing both the individual's experience and the scale of the environment. These trips were often undertaken during summer vacations, reinforcing family bonds and providing exposure to diverse American geographies.
Such scenes underscore the era's appreciation for vast, open spaces and the accessibility of these natural and engineered wonders via the expanding national highway system.
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Boy on 1970s Western Road Trip. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-7314A7. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/boy-on-1970s-western-road-trip.
@misc{aaAA20267314A7,
title = {Boy on 1970s Western Road Trip},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-7314A7},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/boy-on-1970s-western-road-trip}
}TY - ART TI - Boy on 1970s Western Road Trip PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-7314A7 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/boy-on-1970s-western-road-trip ER -
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