The Stanley Motor Carriage Company, based in Newton, Massachusetts, became the leading manufacturer of steam-powered automobiles in the United States. Their Stanley Steamer, produced from 1902 to 1917, was a popular and high-performance alternative to early gasoline cars, setting speed records and being favored for its quiet operation and smooth power. The company's success demonstrated the viability of steam for personal transport.

The Stanley Steamer is a symbol of the early automotive age, a period when the car was still a novelty. Its presence in the American landscape inspired poets and writers to contemplate the transformation of travel and the American Dream. The car, and the freedom it represented, became a recurring motif in 20th-century American literature and poetry.