automotive history

An Edsel For The 21st Century

by jimhinckleysamerica | September 5, 2022 | Adventure, automotive history, community development, ghost town, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, National Old Trails Road, Route 66 authors, Travel, Travel Tips, true crime, urban exploration | 2 Comments

Age is a funny thing. As an example, several years ago I was visiting the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California where they literally take you for a drive. One of the vehicles on display was an AMC Pacer, a car that had been dubbed the fishbowl when I was...

A Man Called Carl

by jimhinckleysamerica | August 31, 2022 | Adventure, automotive history, community development, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Route 66 authors, Route 66 Events, Route 66 history, Travel, Travel Tips, true crime, urban exploration | 0 Comments

He was a master salesman. He could sell MAGA hats to Bernie Sanders supporters and I Voted For Hillary bumper stickers to fans of Donald Trump. And he had vision as well as ambition. For obvious reasons Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey preferred to be called Carl. Today,...

Road Trips, Paychecks & Good Friends

by jimhinckleysamerica | August 26, 2022 | Adventure, automotive history, community development, ghost town, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, National Old Trails Road, Route 66 authors, Route 66 centennial, Route 66 Events, Route 66 history, Travel, Travel Tips, urban exploration | 0 Comments

Over the years I have tried various ways to earn a dollar. Except for the stories and the friends made along the way, I never got rich. There was a brief time that it looked like politics might be the meal ticket. I was the committeeman for my district, and was...

Six Decades On Route 66

by jimhinckleysamerica | Aug 15

Facebook has become an integral component in marketing. But it is far from being a dependable promotional venue. Quite the opposite. The Jim Hinckley’s America page with nearly 8,000 followers has been locked since February 18. Countless hours have been spent on attempts to resolve the issue, and I have yet to receive a response. These were hours that could have been spent on telling people where to go. And now, the James Hinckley page on Facebook has been locked on several occassions. Fortunately I have been able to resolve this problem with minimal effort and expenditure of time.

The Life of A Travel Writer

by jimhinckleysamerica | Aug 6

Anton L. Westgard was in every sense of the word a pioneer. On more than one occasion his was the very first automobile to drive into remote mining or logging towns in the west and southwest. And it could be said that he also helped lay the foundation for Route 66. Trail to Sunset, a road mapped by Westgard to connect Chicago with the wonders of the southwest. That road shared a western terminus with the future Route 66. And sections of his Trail to Sunset were incorporated into the National Old Trails Road, predecessor to Route 66 in New Mexico.

A Shocking Story

by jimhinckleysamerica | Aug 2

That is how episode three of the new Jim Hinckley’s America audio podcast Car Talk From The Main Street of America, scheduled for publication on August 9th begins. It seemed a fitting opening to kick off a program about the long history of electric vehicles, and the equally long history of controversy. And, of course, as with everything that we do at Jim Hinckley’s America, the new program also has a road trip component as I will also be talking about the world’s only EV museum that happens to be located along Route 66.

Telling People Where To Go

by jimhinckleysamerica | Jul 27

Florence Lawrence was a passionate automobilist as well as a very accomplished mechanic. And she was one of the first superstars of the silver screen. Of course, all of this made her a media sensation, especially since she lived in an era when women were not allowed...

Telling People Where To Go

by jimhinckleysamerica | Jul 27

A Front Row Seat

by jimhinckleysamerica | Jul 22

For the past few days I have had the distinct pleasure of enjoying a visit with old friends, and an adventure or two reminiscent of the pre apocalypse era. For a brief moment in time I was able to forget monkey pox, COVID related issues, murder hornets, meth gators,...

The Life and Times

by jimhinckleysamerica | Jul 5

I spent a lot of the holiday weekend deep in thought. This particular bout of reflection on changing times was inspired by a request from a friend in the publishing industry. After seeing an article about a statue of me being unveiled at Depot Plaza in Kingman,...