Cabins on US 99
In 1939, after four years in the FSA, Dorothea Lange found herself on a 42 mile stretch of U.S. 99 between Tulare and Fresno, California. She photographed the Dust Bowl-stricken migrant workers making their way from the Midwest to California looking for work, and the world of roadside respites sprouting up around them.
Stands like these, Cabins on US 99 and Road House on US 99, were just the beginning of a hugely profitable industry. Today, we are charmed by their hand-painted lettering and rustic Americana appeal, but back then, they represented a much-needed rest from the long and lonely road.
