Airstream Trailers

As I was driving through my neighborhood, low and behold, I spotted a silver bullet-shaped Airstream trailer. Of course, I had to pull over and get a few photographs for the blog.

Few Farmhouse Magic Blog Readers would ever know that I lived for a short time in a trailer but not an iconic Airstream trailer. The only thing I remember about trailer life is that our sofa bed couch was too big for the unit, so we stored it sitting on its side. Wouldn’t you know it that our pregnant cat climbed up there and had her kittens on the sofa’s end.

Airstream trailers are American made with riveted polished-aluminum exteriors. Each trailer is crafted by hand in Jackson Center, Ohio. The timeless design is still fresh and modern looking. Airstream trailers are purchased by travelers and dreamers who have a passion for movement.

The Airstream history goes back to 1920’s when Wally Byam was a farm worker tending sheep. He lived in a wagon which had a stove, food, water, and all his basic essentials.

Wally thought this was a great idea, so he expanded on it by making his own trailer. He put the plans for it in a DIY guide in Popular Mechanics. Other people then wanted him to build campers for them. In 1931, the first Airstream factory was established in Culver City, California.

Then came WWII and it was impossible to get aluminum to build the trailers. In 1947 Wally went to war ravaged Europe and traveled around in an Airstream with a companion who wanted to film post-war Europe. This is when he noticed some areas for improvement in his trailer design.

In the 1950’s Wally wanted to expand operations so he decided to move the manufacturing company to Jackson Center, Ohio. After 65 years, that is still the location of the factory.

In 1969, the silver bullet design was made rounder.

What is interesting about this trailer is that the owners get together and travel in caravans to different places. In 1985 the Airstream caravan made history when a group traveled to China for the first time.

Wallace “Wally” Merle Byam died in 1962. Thor Industries acquired Airstream in 1980.

When the gas shortages of the 1980’s began, Airstream introduced an unusual Funeral Coach. The idea was that the Airstream would carry the casket, flowers, and all the mourners. Traveling together would save a lot of gas. The Funeral Coach could take “the whole funeral” with them to the funeral home, church, and then to the grave site.

There was once even a Bambi Airstream trailer in the New York Museum of Modern Art as a nod to its enduring classic style and design.

The year of innovation for Airstream was in 2019 when lights, awnings, and tanks could be controlled by using a cell phone.

Happy 90th anniversary to Airstream in 2021. Owners of Airstream trailers have a passion to confront challenges, explore unfamiliar cultures and a desire to leave it all behind. Not a bad way of life, right?