Wally Byam spent part of his childhood travelling with his grandfather who led a mule train in Baker, Oregon. Later he worked as a shepherd then signed up with the merchant marines and graduated from Stanford University Law School in 1923.

As a young college graduate who went to work for a magazine publisher in the Great Depression. During his time there an article was published with instructions on how to build a camping trailer.

The plans were used by many people but there were complaints regarding errors in the plans.

Wally Byam was determined to get to the root of the problem and so began to build trailers in his LA back garden… almost before he could finish each trailer they were sold.

Each trailer was an experiment and the original idea was improved and so developed into a full time occupation by 1930.

He called his new trailer company Airsteam.

In the mid thirties he met a pioneer in airplane design. William Henry Bowlus was building a trailer of stressed aluminium and went bankrupt in 1936.

His work was sold at auction and WB bought some items and employed some of his workers. The first trailers produced bore the name of Bowlus.

In 1936 the Airstreams produced were almost identical to the previous Bowlus trailers with an Airstream nameplate.

In January of 1936 the ‘Clipper’ was produced which was revolutionary and bore a resemblance to the aircraft of the day.

It had a dinette which converted to a bed, carried its own water supply, a galley kitchen, electric lights and air conditioning with the assistance of some dry ice.

The Clipper was expensive at $1200 but they could not keep up with the orders that were being placed.

During WWII the Airstream Trailer Co closed its doors due to the constraints on materials and WB concentrated his experience on the war effort in the aircraft industry working for Lockheed and Curtis Wright.

After the war ended WB went back to his business and was once again snowed under with orders by 1948.

During the next fifteen years the company continued to grow and produce more models and WB participated in caravans and rallies around the globe which carry on till this day.

In 1952 a lease was taken up in Jackson Centre Ohio and the first Ohio Airstreams rolled off the production line and the Californian factory moved to larger premises in Santa Fe Springs.

Wally Byam passed away in July of ’62 at the age of 66 He left behind a legacy that is woven into the American way of life and a lifestyle choice that many aspire to.

This site has no connection or association with the Airstream Travel Trailer manufacturing company.