Fox News over the weekend ran a piece on a man you have probably never heard of, but is purported to have been the first person in America to ever construct an RV. It’s the story of Roland R. Conklin and his ‘Gypsy Van.’
An unheralded entrepreneur born in Urbana, Illinois, outwitted the titans of industry in the effort to domesticate the untamed American roads of the early 20th century.
His name was Roland R. Conklin – and he was a visionary in the early days of the automobile. He put all the comforts of home on wheels – and in dramatic style.
Conklin introduced in 1915 the first full-scale motor home, dubbed the “Gypsy Van.” He then led a crew of eight on a spirited cross-country tour aboard the tricked-out Packard pick-up truck, from Huntington, Long Island, to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.
The trip took two months, a testament to the poor quality of American roads at the time.
The stunning vehicle featured room for 17 passengers. It had electricity, cold drinking water, incandescent lights, bath, shower, stove, pantry, phonograph, bookcase, closets and roof deck, among other luxuries.
“This transport was a marvel of technology and chutzpah,” Smithsonian Magazine enthused.
Click here to see the full report from Kerry J. Byrne at Fox News.