Episode 27: Hitchin' a Ride

Hitchhiking was a very popular practice for many years in the United States. During the Depression and early war years, many people hitchhiked because it was cheap and seen as patriotic. There was a resurgence of this popularity in the ‘60s and ‘70s among the free-thinking generation because of the freedom it offered those who wanted to travel. But these days, it seems like there are at least a million reasons why you shouldn’t get into a car with a stranger. However, you can ask just about any person who was an active traveler in the last century and they will tell you they hitchhiked at some point. Oklahoma State University and its students were no exception to this trend. Many alumni of Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now OSU, used hitchhiking as a method of getting around. This month on Amplified Oklahoma, we’re hitching a ride back in time to look at the practice of hitchhiking through the eyes of some former students. We’ll hear interview excerpts from the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program’s archives from alumni who used to hitchhike to and from campus. Later, Steve Spradling, the director of OSU’s Parking and Transportation Services, joins us to talk about how students get around campus today and the role this department plays in the Stillwater community.