History of RVing
Howard Hughes RV
both sides . Newly enlisted men and their families were housed in these trailers .
In 1946 , a fascinating motorhome was built on a Chevrolet chassis . According to historic resources , the owner of the RV couldn ’ t go on vacation without being stopped by curious people .
RV ’ s expanded in size and length and added luxury interior décor and
1952 : The Executive Flagship
modern conveniences such as plumbing and bathrooms as well as kitchens . The 50 ’ s were the decade of bloom for the RV and by the end of the decade , mobile homes and travel trailers were ingrained in the camper lifestyle . Terraced , upstairs , downstairs models with separate private bedrooms were not uncommon in response to the interest created .
The Executive Flagship built in 1952 was 65 feet long and weighed 18 tons . It had 10 wheels and was equipped with two bathrooms , wall to wall carpeting and a 21 inch TV . It had a portable pool and diving
Interior of a Palace
board . It retailed at $ 75,000 .
An ingenious 2 story design made in 1955 and had two upstairs bedrooms , a Master bedroom downstairs and other conveniences found in modern RV ’ s . It could sleep 8 people .
Enter the Shasta . Shasta travel trailers were recreational vehicles originally built between 1941 and 2004 . Founded by industry pioneer Robert Gray , the firm was originally situated in a small factory in Los Angeles , California to provide housing for members of the US Armed Forces . With the growth in sales over the following 30 years , the “ home ” factory in L . A . moved to three steadily larger facilities in Southern California , in addition to six other factories established across the country to better serve the regional markets . At the time of its purchase by the W . R . Grace Company in 1972 , Shasta was the largest seller of recreational vehicles in the United States ( also including motorhomes in its inventory ). Coachmen Industries , Inc . bought the firm from Grace in 1976 . The high quality and low price of Shastas made them a favorite with campers all over the United States and soon became the most popular travel trailer of the era .
A 1966 Shasta travel trailer at a vintage camper trailer rally in Gillette , Wyoming . Photo by Mr . Satterly .
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