a fixture of American life. Twenty-three million
roamed the U.S. by 1930, as Route 66 was being
paved. More than half of American families
owned one, maybe even some who’d initially
dismissed them as “devil wagons.”
Americans adapt quickly, once convinced that
change is necessary, even useful. It could happen
again. By 2070, clouds of “rolling coal” might be
barely remembered wisps on the wind. j
This sign in Menlo, Iowa,
was erected in 1934,
on what was then U.S.
Highway 6. Photog-
rapher David Gutten-
felder drove by it often
as a kid on the way to
see his grandparents
in Menlo. The gas sta-
tion closed when I-80
diverted traffic south
of town, but the sign,
restored in 2008, waves
again: Goodbye to the
old car culture. Hello to
something new.Staff writer Craig Welch has covered the environ-
ment for a quarter century. Frequent contributor
David Guttenfelder photographed opioid addicts
in Philadelphia for the January issue.
THE ROAD TO 2070 69