Mohawk-Hobbs Grade and Surface Guide – Pacific Highway Vancouver – Los Angeles

1926 road guide to the world-famous Pacific Coast Highway.

“The purpose of the Mohawk-Hobbs guides is to give you definite routings over the best roads; to bring points of unusual interest to your attention; to save money for you; to make your trip more enjoyable and educational; in short, a constructive effort to serve you in a way that will gain your good-will for Mohawk, and your favorable consideration for Mohawk Quality Tires.” [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 a fascinating contemporary snapshot into automobile tourism of the early 20th century.

This example was published in 1926 and shows the path of the Pacific Highway between Vancouver and Los Angeles. In addition to the aforementioned information present on each page, the guide also includes key for use, a highway summary, list of published routes, advertisements for Mohawk rubber products, street plans of Oakland and San Francisco, information on recommended side trips, an innovative mileage diagram, and a map of the route on the back panel. Interesting descriptions include those for Vancouver (notably Prohibition-era info on liquor stores), Seattle (few cities in our country can equal the magnificence of its surroundings, the manifold pleasures within its gates and the sterling Americanism and cordiality of its people), and Olympia (eat a famous Olympia pan roast), among many others.

More information on the Mohawk-Hobbs Guides can be found at my blog post here.