1957 Ford Station Wagon, Somewhere USA, 1960
This is a great slide, one of the most colorful station wagon shots I’ve ever run across. The gas station attendant checking under the hood while he’s fillin’ it up with Ethyl is the perfect finishing touch. The location wasn’t marked on the slide and I don’t recognize it so I just call it Somewhere, USA – hope that’s OK. The image is a bit soft. I never say out-of-focus, I call it dream focus or heavenly focus. Please do keep in mind this is amateur photography.
Station Wagons are icons of Americana. We had one didn’t you? It seems every family did. We had a 1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. It was very mod and had three windows in the roof so if you wanted to look up and see out, you could!
The station wagon body style was originally created in the 1920’s to carry passengers and their luggage to and from train trips. That’s how they got their name – they were train station wagons. By the 50s they had evolved from utilitarian to utopian and were often the most expensive and luxurious models on the showroom floor. Cargo turned into kids, and station wagons became the ultimate family car.
Imaginative and amusing model names, spelled out optimistically in bright shiny chrome, labeled the fenders and tailgates. In 1958, station wagon model names suggested that you explore in your Desoto Explorer; voyage in your Mercury Voyager; commute in your Mercury Commuter and live in suburbia with your Plymouth Suburban. You could take a safari in your Pontiac Safari; be festive in your Oldsmobile Fiesta or go to Colony Park in your Mercury Colony Park. Perhaps be a country squire in your Ford Country Squire; Nomad in your Chevrolet Nomad; or caballero in your Buick Caballero. You could even round up cattle in your Edsel Roundup then go shopping in your Desoto Shopper
Here’s to Station Wagons and you
Awesome picture. It takes ya back to a layed back time. A time when your oil was checked,windshield solvent was topped off,and your gas was pumped for you. At no extra cost! It was the price of doing buisness. I miss those days!
Wow! What a blast from the past! Our family had a ’57 Ford Station Wagon with red over white just like the one in the slide. It had a T-Bird engine…312 cubic inches with 250 HP! During the summer of ’57 my dad got that Ford up to 110 mph racing (and beating!) a Caddy somewhere in Texas that summer. Wow!
Man I grew up with a 57 Ford Station — it was brown and tan. Try finding a model of one somewhere. Ain’t happenin. At least not that I’ve found — and I’ve looked at several hobby shops. Gosh what memories. We drove all over the country in that car — my dad was in the air force — and we trecked across country in that car. When I was about 4 or 5 I thought I was helping my dad by washing the inside of the car. So I roll all the windows up, except for the one I put the water hose in. Well…………..I’ll leave that to your imagination. Anyway if anyone knows where I can buy a model of this car, PLEASE let me know. Thanks.
Gary Jones above would like this. Our red and white wagon also had the T-Bird four barrel 312. Those engines were famous for blowing headgaskets. One summer when it blew one again, my Dad let me disassemble it while he was at work. I was around 12 at the time. It also so had those wonderful clear plastic seat covers that made sliding across the seat in courderoy pants a garanteed static eletricity shock when you touched the chrome door handles.
This was my first car yellow and white 312 w cruisomatic and 4BBL bought from second cousin for $50. Ran good enough but not for a teenage kid, so I was doing neutral drop shifts and split the trans cooler lines to the radiator. Got that fixed but the rearend howled so bad no talking above fifty MPH. I NOW really like that car, but in 1967 I just waved goodbye as they towed it to sandcreek junkyard. Everybody had a $50-100 car for sale back then.
Hi people! I own a ’57 Country Sedan Stationwagon. Its in non-working order, but it is complete. If anyone is interested in buying it, give me an email holler.
I love old cars!!!
That one is a beauty! I’ll bet you didn’t need a seatbelt with that one as it was probably a tank.
My family owned a 55 Ford station wagon similar to this one.
One night my cousins and I were headed to a drive in movie when someone ran a stop sign at 55 miles an hour and broadsided us,he was driving a full size 59 Pontiac.
Our wagon was hit so hard it went on 2 wheels so I turned the wheel towards the 2 wheels that were earth bound to avoid tipping over.
Our wagon came to a stop and not one of us teens had a
scratch on us.
The only damage was the 2 passenger doors.
The officer came and wrote the other guy a citation and towed his car away because it was undrivable.
He asked us where we are going and we said “To the drive-in”. The officer said “well you are ok you might as well go to the drive-in” so we headed to the drive in that night!
Talk about super cars!
we had a 57 wagon brown and white very dependable car. if anyone has one for sale i am looking for one.
Great photo! I remember those motoring days well, particularly this location. It was our gas stop in Arlington, Oregon, halfway between our home in Eugene, Ore. and the grandparents in La Grande, Ore. At the time, this was at the junction of U.S. 30 and Oregon 19 (long before completion of I-84). This site is now beneath the lake created by the John Day Dam on the Columbia River. Three years after this photo was taken, Arlington was demolished and relocated on higher ground nearby (the Chevron station included).
I love the 57 Ford wagon.
My next project will be a 57 2 door. Now the hard part is finding one I can afford.
Great shot. Looks just like our family old ’57 heading out on a trip. I have a slide of our 1957 Ford Country Sedan with us three kids standing at the rear of the car. We had just bought it in Texas and it still has the “drive off” license tags and a decal “Made in Texas by Texans.” I’ll send it to you if you tell me where and how. We had several vacation trips out West in that old wagon. It was perfect. Your photo brings back some of the fondest memories of my childhood. Thanks!
Our family bought an all black 9 passenger 57′ brand new, with the biggest engine available. When I started driving, it was 5 years old, could still burn rubber and fly at 110 mph on the new I-5 freeway through Medford, OR. When it was newer, my older brother won a couple trophies at the local dragstrip with. That big ol’ family wagon could FLY!! Loved then. Would love it today!!