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El Paso Truck Terminal on I-10, 1966

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El Paso Truck Terminal on I-10, 1966
C&R Distributing, El Paso, Texas

IN CONTEXT

This object appears in the following sections:


On the Interstate: I-10, 1956–1990		 On the Interstate: I-10, 1956–1990 — The Interstate Economy

RELATED OBJECTS
Interstate Highway System funding sign
Interstate Highway System funding sign


Interstate service plaza
Currently on display
 Not a part of the official Smithsonian Collection
The El Paso Truck Terminal is an example of the change from truck stop to travel plaza. Besides offering fuel and maintenance facility, the stop has a restaurant and travel store aimed at the truck driver.
Physical Description
Photograph. Black and white aerial view of a truck stop.
Details
Date Made:
1966
Locations:
Texas
History
With the increase in travel distances, the trucker's need for rest and refueling could not wait for the next city or fleet-owned terminal. Diesel pumps, maintenace facilities, bed and bath facilities defined the truckstop of the 1950s. Oil companies witnessed the rise in truck hauling during the 1950s and in the 1960s began building their own stops. A decade later, there were 700 truckstops, both company and independent along the interstates.

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