Modern technology comes to the Betsy-Tacy universe as Mr. and Mrs. Poppy, “city people” transplanted from Minneapolis to Deep Valley, stun the small town with their acquisition of an early model automobile; a “horseless carriage.” Driven proudly (and bravely, some say) by Mr. Poppy, the horseless carriage draws a crowd wherever it goes.

Betsy, Tacy, and Tib had heard rumors of, and seen pictures of, such a vehicle, but had never really expected that one would come to their town. Betsy and Tacy are simultaneously afraid of, confused, and awestruck by the technology. “If there isn’t a horse to say ‘whoa’ to, how do you stop the thing?” Tacy wonders, sensibly (p. 17, Harper Trophy paperback edition, 1993). Tib, however, is unafraid. She angles to be the first child to ride in it (even though classmate Winona Root, daughter of the town’s newspaper editor, generally gets to do the coolest things first via her father’s connections, and has decided to add getting the first ride to her list).

Automobiles were invented in the 1890s, with the 1901 Mercedes considered the first modern motorcar. It could go 53 miles per hour, but was far too expensive for all but the wealthiest consumers. In 1908, Henry Ford’s Model T, and the General Motors company founded by William Durant, disrupted the industry, producing more cars at a lower price point. In the 1910s, “modern” mass production techniques such as the moving assembly line, brought prices down even further, and by 1925, three-quarters of new cars were bought on credit. Starting in the 1920s, the purchasing of expensive goods on credit became established as a middle-class American habit. Of course, cars are now a mainstay of transportation as the technology continually advances. Self-driving cars are the next automobile frontier in the digital age!

While new iterations of cars will continue to figure prominently in the Betsy-Tacy books, this first appearance of the horseless carriage may be the most memorable. Not only do we get to see a brand new technology through the eyes of an amazed crowd of Deep Valley citizens in real time, we are provided a fascinating profile of those early adopters, the Poppys. And we get to see Tib’s bravado shine. Tib boldly asks for a ride, to Winona’s chagrin, and to Betsy and Tacy’s astonishment. Permission granted, she jumps in with the Poppys and rides through town waving to all triumphantly, rather like the queen of summer that she had sought to be a few years prior. The crowd is thrilled. Betsy and Tacy are beside themselves with excitement.

Later, Tib describes in detail the miraculous experience of riding in a carriage pulled not by a horse, but by nothing at all. Julia’s boyfriend Jerry dashes off madly to see it. Betsy’s father tosses his hat in the air, looking rather like a young boy, Betsy notes. A game-changing technological moment had arrived in Deep Valley.

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For photos of automobiles from this era, see: https://www.supercars.net/blog/cars-by-decade/1900s-cars/. From Lois Lenski’s illustration in the book, it seems like the 1906 Cadillac Model M might be a close match to the Poppys’ car.

On the history of the automobile, see: https://www.history.com/articles/automobiles