Long before the days of the minivan, the station wagon was a popular alternative for large families or just folks seeking extra carrying capacity. Wagon advertising inevitably featured illustrations or photos of family groups engaged in some sort of activities that marketing people thought were typical of prospective users. Beach scenes, farm scenes, picnic scenes, weddings, dog shows, boats, campgrounds, construction sites, deliverymen loading, grocery shoppers unloading, ranches, horses… the advertisers rarely missed a lifestyle opportunity. Missing in the literature are railway station scenes, which may seem odd because that's where the station wagon got its name. But in the 50's and 60's the car manufacturers, keen to draw prospects away from public transportation, were reluctant to remind people that trains even existed. In its Automotive Chronicles Newsletter McLellans offers a large number of wagon catalogs, ads, and other literature available for collectors to purchase at reasonable prices. It's worth a moment of your time just to scan through them, for several are real gems. I'd buy this Oldsmobile Vista postcard if only because it's such a silly attempt at creating a link between the station wagon and American history.