How do you tell a Yankee from a Southerner? By the size of his tires.

    It’s true. As early as 1918, tires were either “Northern” or “Southern.” The northern tire was 54 inches around; the southern, 60 inches. The larger tire worked better on Florida’s rut-filled, sandy roads, partly because they let the car sit up higher so it would not get stuck as often.

    The smaller tires would frequently get bogged down up to the chassis, causing passengers to get out and push.

    Because of the poor road system, motorists rarely ventured into this part of the state. For many years roads were merely un-surveyed snake trails that meandered through woods and around palmetto clumps. And sometimes these palmettos became a life saver for those mired in the sand. Place some of the leaves under the tires, and off you go.

    Settlers hereabout would often go out of their way to get to the better roads found in the more populated sections of north Florida. For instance, to go from here to Miami, you might drive 200 miles north to Palatka, then to the east coast and then south to Miami.

    An early account by Rose Graham Vinten describes how they once left Haines City in a Hudson 640 and made Avon Park in eight hours. The next day they left early and arrived in Sebring at noon, with all five children pushing most of the way in the sand ruts on the hills. The final push came in front of the Nancesoweee Hotel, when some local fellows agreed to push them to their home on Pine Street.