It’s as American as baseball and hot dogs: the cross-country road trip. Many Americans remember the experience of the family vacation and hold it as a great memory of their childhood. It didn’t matter where you were going, you probably only cared that you were going somewhere. The days of mom, dad, you, and your siblings all being cooped-up in the car for several hours does make for great memories—for almost everyone.

These were the days when road trip entertainment consisted of coloring books and seeing who could see the most out-of-state license plates. There were no portable DVD players or video games. We say almost everyone has fond memories, but just ask dad how fun it really was. His recollection might be slightly skewed from yours. All I am going to say is remember the phrase, “If I have to pull this car over.”

Anyway, before the minivan became the choice of family conveyance for soccer moms everywhere, the station wagon was the vehicle that defined the typical middle-class family. It was an all-purpose utility vehicle. Mom trusted it to get her family where they needed to go, and dad used it to haul what needed to be hauled.

Originally, station wagons were a development of the railroad age, and in the late 1930s, and early 1940s, it was actually more of an early version of the SUV. In 1935, Chevrolet introduced the Carryall to consumers. It came with a base price of $675 if you didn’t get extras like a heater and rear bumper. That early “carry-all” wagon was based on the 1933 and 1934 model that was built exclusively for the National Guard. Eventually, it would become known as the Suburban.

When World War II ended, American soldiers were returning to their families, and American industries once again began to manufacture products to fulfill American needs. As more and more American men returned to work, disposable income became available, and family vacations once again became a normal family activity.

All across America, seeing a car parked in your driveway became a more common sight in the cul-de-sac, and new, government-funded highways were being built so people could drive those cars. Station wagons met the demand for a vehicle with the ability to carry the family and everything that it needed during long family trips. The Woodie station wagon was king.

Between the 1950s and the 1970s, the station wagon experienced an all-time high of popularity in the United States. But by the mid-1970s though, their sales had declined dramatically for a few reasons.

Nobody wanted to be in the way-back seat and watch where you had already been.

The main reason had to do with the 1973 oil crisis, which saw oil prices jump from $3 a barrel to $12 a barrel. Even if you could find gas to fill the family “truckster” it was hard to pay for it.

When the 1980s hit us square in the face, the wagon was still around, but the square-looking body brought about a new level of “not cool”. As bad as it was for a teenager of the sixties and seventies to be caught driving a station wagon, us guys getting our license in the eighties were completely doomed. It was a coin toss when it came to riding the school bus or having to drive the family wagon.

When the nineties arrived, what was left of the station wagon was small and economical, and then the minivan took over. This is where we get off the subject.