In the early 1920’s, Wally Byam met Cornelius "Neil" Vanderbilt, Jr. for the first time. Their friendship would last for the rest of their lives.
There is now conclusive proof that since 1931, Airstream has been hanging around the RV industry.
Tags: Throwback Thursday, history
Airstream’s history began on the pages of Popular Mechanics. By using and improving the mail order blueprints, Wally Byam began his first Airstream in 1931. From his garage on St. Andrews Place in Los Angeles in 1931, his dream became reality. There were many factory locations before the company began manufacturing on North Main Street in Los Angeles, California.
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The Wally Byam Caravan Club annual International Rally was held in Bemidji, Minnesota in 1963.
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Wally Byam wanted Airstream owners to enjoy the world. He wanted them to experience a sense of adventure, freedom, and excitement throughout their lives.
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Wally Byam stood by his Airstream. If you had an automobile that could make it over any road condition, then you could take your Airstream with you. Of course, this was the early days - before four wheel drive and heavy duty utility vehicles.
In planning the first Airstream Caravan in 1951, which traveled through Mexico and Central America, Wally knew the roads were going to be rough but passable. He knew that the Pan American Highway had not been completed and in Southern Mexico, the Caravan had to travel by rail on flat cars to the Guatemalan border. Wally also knew that Managua, Nicaragua was the trail's end. The Pan American Highway is non-existent into Panama.
When least expected, the Caravan crossed primitive and localized bridges where villagers built bridges using practical applied engineering. The above picture shows a plank bridge in Mexico.
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The Airstream caravan is about adventure. It's about experiencing life to its fullest. And it's about family.
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The stars twinkled in the evening sky as a young Wally Byam rolled out his sleeping gear for the night. It had been a warm day, the sheep had settled in and he was satisfied that as adolescent, this met the expectations that his grandfather James Biswell had entrusted to him.
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Sometimes the art of business is difficult to explain. Why did Wally Byam design and work for Curtis Wright at the end of WWII? Why didn’t he start up Airstream? Why did Wally ever go back into manufacturing trailers?
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Wally Byam traveled with two wheels. His Solex bike, with a small motor on the front wheel, carried him on the 1956 European Caravan. You might see him on a Caravan with a collapsible bicycle or a two wheeled miniature motorized scooter. On the African Caravan, he mounted a Vespa motor scooter above the front bumper.
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