Odd, Old News: “Buzz Buggies”

Humber 11 Torpedo style 1944cc registered April 1914 [Photo from Wikicommons]

Beware the Buzz Buggy!

Scarier than meeting a logging truck on the old 101 highway “slab” in Mendocino County, more frightening than a tailgating “grow-dozer” on a country road, the advent of automobiles in the first decades of the 20^th century brought fear to many a country driver of horse drawn carriages and wagons. Known as “buzz buggies” these new “high-speed” metal contraptions redefined sharing the road. The adjustment period must have led to a number of incidents like the one below, and road rage, before the term was in use.

“ROAD HOGS” IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY

Daily Standard, August 2, 1911

Humboldt just at present is suffering from the preposterous claims of the “road hog”. The following from the Fortuna Advance tells a story of common occurrence in various parts of the county:

Complaints come in every few days of the reckless driving of automobiles in different parts of the county, particularly in the mountain sections, and it seems that something should be done to stop such practices. Last Sunday a party consisting of E.W. Haight, Fred Newell, Mrs. C.O. Wellock and Miss Irene Hansell reported that a very narrow escape was had from accident when a big touring car passed their rig on the road near Pepperwood. The members of the party say that the machine was going at a fast clip when first heard and the driver was inclined to make the buggy get out of the way whether there was room or not. He used his siren and horn to such an extent that had the team been other than thoroughly familiar with autos it might have meant a runaway without slowing up until almost on the rig the driver of the machine kept right on and when a slight turnout was found he shot by, missing the wheels of the buggy by buy a few inches.”

Travel safely on the highways, and beware those “buzz buggies”!

Photo of cars and people in the redwoods [Photo from HSU’s Humboldt Room, from the Swanlund-Baker collection]

There are many more, but here are the most recent:

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