What was the first RV? Well, the earliest RVs were converted from Ford Model T’s. As families moved west, they customized their vehicles to make the journey more comfortable. But what was the one that really started a love of the RV lifestyle? It was the Redwood Tree Mobile Home, also known as Kellogg’s Travel Log. Charles Kellogg was a naturist that created this Redwood RV to drive around the country in hopes of creating awareness for the depletion of California’s forests.
Pat Foster of Hemmings Classic Car magazine wrote “the vehicle itself was incredible, a monument to man and nature. It consisted of a huge chunk of giant redwood-said to be the single largest piece of hewn timber in the world-hollowed out and mounted on what was then the toughest, most rugged chassis on earth: the Nash Quad.
It’s a far cry of the RVs we see on the at the parks and campgrounds across the United States. Take a look for yourself.
There were storage drawers, a table, and room for living quarters. I seriously doubt it had a stove of any kind. I can tell you that we don’t have Kellogg’s Travel Log as a consignment RV here at PPL Motorhomes, but how interesting would it be if we did? I could only imagine. We’d be as much a museum as we are Houston’s consignment RV center.