密歇根新闻广播 "铁罐游客"的大功劳

In the early 1900s, not long after the invention of the automobile¹, people began hitching² trailers to their bumpers³ for road trips around the country.

Historian and blogger Mickey Lyons and the Michigan History Center's Rachel Clark join Stateside to talk about the history of camper trailers, and how it's tied to the development of Michigan's state parks system.

When the camper trailer was first being developed, they were handcrafted in a very do-it-yourself manner. Camping in a trailer began to take off in popularity, and in 1919, the Tin Can Tourists club was founded.

"This is the days before motels. They got called the "tin can tourists" because they ate out of tin cans," explains Lyons.

The club was composed of mostly middle-class em

pty nesters with some time on their hands. It was based in Florida, but many in the club made the two week long trek⁴ to Michigan in the summer.

By the 1930s, commercially built campers were being produced and sold for a pretty penny.

While the trailer camper gained in popularity, Michigan was also expanding its state parks system. After World War I, Michigan went from having just two state parks in 1919 to having 21 just two years later, opening up more of the state for camping enthusiasts⁵.

Learn more about how the camper trailer and Michigan's state parks developed hand-in-hand in the slideshow above.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Katie Raymond.

This segment is produced in partnership⁶ with the Michigan History Center.

1 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

2 hitching   

搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• The farmer yoked the oxen before hitching them to the wagon. 农夫在将牛套上大车之前先给它们套上轭。
• I saw an old man hitching along on his stick. 我看见一位老人拄着手杖蹒跚而行。

3 bumpers   

（汽车上的）保险杠，缓冲器( bumper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our bumpers just grazed (ie touched each other) as we passed. 我们错车时保险互相蹭了一下。
• Car stickers can be attached to the bumpers or windows. 汽车贴纸可以贴在防撞杆上或车窗上。

4 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

5 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。