On May 10, 1985, a tricked-out van drove south on US Route 1 in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, on a sunny spring day. Every .01 miles, a 35-millimeter movie camera mounted on the dashboard captured an image out of the front of the van, along with a digital readout displaying the date, route, mileage, and bearing.
Highway departments in almost every state had such “photolog” programs, some dating back as far as 1961. Each year, these vans would drive thousands of miles of state roadways in both directions. States ran these programs because they wanted an up-to-date visual record of each section of road, intersection, overpass, and bridge. The effort also captured some beautiful scenes from the past, featuring long-closed shops, hilariously low gas prices, classic cars, and often people just walking by the side of the road.