Hobbs-Guide – Southern Route Los Angeles – El Paso

Travel “The Broadway of America” between California and Texas with this ingenious 1932 road guide.

“This guide covers the best all-year routes between Southern California and El Paso. No highways across the West have a better road surface and during the winter months the routes shown herein are by far the best ways to and from the Pacific Coast. There are many combinations of routes now available, and each has its good points, so it is advisable to read carefully the following comment and to study the charts of this guide before making a decision.” [foreword].

In 1921, Howard Hobbs created his first innovative Hobbs Grade and Surface Guide. Issued on an annual basis until the early 1930s, the booklets were sponsored by the Mohawk Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio and covered one of America’s primary highways. At least 25 different routes were covered in tremendous detail. Each page of the guide presents a detailed diagram of the route’s elevation and surface composition, a small strip map, list of motorist’s amenities (lodging, garages, restaurants, etc.) and ‘intimate notes’ that provide afascinating contemporary snapshot into automobile tourism of the early 20th century.

This example was published in 1932 and sponsored by one of Mohawk’s Competitors – B.F. Goodrich! Apparently, Mohawk ended the partnership around 1930, and Hobbs shopped around the guidebook to other interested parties. The log covers U.S. 80, ‘The Broadway of America’ between San Diego and Los Angeles in Southern California and El Paso, Texas.

In addition to the aforementioned information present on each page, the guide also includes a key for use, a directory of Goodrich dealers, advertisements, lists of automobile dealerships, an updated mileage diagram reflecting new road construction, and a map of the route on the back panel. Interesting descriptions include Mountain Springs (inexperienced mountain drivers betters used second gear when descending) and Tempe (sustained by the fine State Teachers College and large condensed milk factories), among many others.

For more information on the Hobbs Guides, check out my blog post here.