U.S. 50 – Famous Fifty – Coast to Coast the Central Pleasure Route

A neat mid-century brochure for a popular transcontinental automobile route.

“Highway 50 is the great central route between the Atlantic and the Pacific, a broad ribbon of asphalt and concrete efficiently linking major travel objectives across the center of the nation…Above all, FAMOUS FIFTY is a pleasure route designed for the enjoyment of America and its varied wealth of history and natural grandeur.” – Text, back panel.

This fun little pamphlet presents a preview of the transcontinental U.S. Highway 50, connecting Ocean City, Maryland, to San Francisco, California. A simple pictorial strip map of the route notes distances between towns and prominent features. Accompanying copy text and photographs highlight many of the attractions and various tourist amenities available along the way. Undated, but published around 1950, based on the route’s extension to Ocean City (completed in 1949) and no mention of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (opened in 1952).

The booklet was issued by the National U.S. 50 Federation, with the Projects Office located in Ely, Nevada. The promotional efforts were insufficient to sustain the economic vitality of the region through the 20th century – in 1986, LIFE Magazine called the ~300-mile stretch of U.S. 50 west of Ely as ‘Loneliest Road in America’, due to its lack of services and desolate landscape.