Garden State Park 1943

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Not pre-war or Post war

[Dave Mellor NJ]

The hose race track was built of wood in 1942. Couldn't get steel. Burned down in 1978, I think. Completely re built in 1985 at great expense. never made it as Casinos took over gambling in NJ. Now it's a shopping center with a high turnover

[keiser31]

Love that '36 Chrysler Airstream on the far left.

[5219]

My late father worked in the snack bar there in 1942-43, the first year that it was open. He told me that there was a lot of controversy that the developer of the track was able to get building materials to complete the track while wartime shortages were going on. He also told me that there was a wartime ban on pleasure driving, but that the parking lot at the racetrack always seemed to be full. Eventually, there were enough complaints that the local police went out to the track and started photographing license plates and writing tickets. The people who were ticketed soon found their gasoline rations cancelled by the local ration board.

[hook]

10 hours ago, 5219 said:

My late father worked in the snack bar there in 1942-43, the first year that it was open. He told me that there was a lot of controversy that the developer of the track was able to get building materials to complete the track while wartime shortages were going on. He also told me that there was a wartime ban on pleasure driving, but that the parking lot at the racetrack always seemed to be full. Eventually, there were enough complaints that the local police went out to the track and started photographing license plates and writing tickets. The people who were ticketed soon found their gasoline rations cancelled by the local ration board.

I know this is a sidebar, but did you know the real reason for gas rationing had nothing to do with gas. It was put into effect because of rubber tires. We couldn't get enough rubber from rubber trees since we had none in the USA and we needed all the rubber we could get for the war effort.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Didn't they still have rationing after they came out with synthetic rubber?

[hook]

6 hours ago, Dave Mellor NJ said:

Didn't they still have rationing after they came out with synthetic rubber?

The Germans developed synthetic rubber in the 1930's. So, of course they had rationing after they came out with synthetic rubber. In 1940 only .4% of rubber in the USA was synthetic. No Tires!  War with Japan caused 90% of the worlds rubber producing trees to be unavailable. A gas mask used over a pound of rubber and a life raft used between 17 and 100 pounds depending on size.  Rubber was a known item where-as synthetic rubber was untried in many areas. That's why President Roosevelt listed rubber as a vital defense item in 1940 even before the war started. The USA needed rubber for the war effort thus the reasoning for gasoline rationing. After all, the USA at that time was totally self-sufficient in regards to oil and gasoline production.