Watch This 1952 Travelogue As They Visited Wyoming
Travelogues came into play as people would watch these and get an idea of where they wanted to go on vacation or to observe other cultures and communities.
This Travelogue from 1952 is just over 25 minutes long. The Travelogue starts with a view of downtown Chicago as it heads into a newspaper office. A reporter sits down with his boss to talk about his recent vacation. From there the Travelogue starts, they began in Lake Michigan. Then the film follows the reporter to New Salem State Park, IL. The reporter travels through Missouri and Nebraska before making his way to Colorado.
After spending time in Colorado Springs he ventures his way through Grand Teton National Park (13:18 mark in the video), along with Yellowstone and Old Faithful. The trip then continues as the reporter makes his way back to Chicago.
Travelogues date back all the way to the 19th century when this was one of the few ways people could see the world. It was a "form of virtual tourism." It was a way for people to view other cultures and see how way people lived aside from within their own community. These documentaries would be filmed and then brought to a town where a man would get on a stage at a theater, watch the film and narrate what is going on.