Cassens Transport began in 1931 when Albert and Arnold hauled four new cars from Detroit to their father George's dealership in Hamel. By 1941, Cassens had a fleet of 35 car transporters operating from its terminal next to the Tourist Haven Restaurant. A load of cars on "Old Number 1" arrived in Hamel in September 1933, with bedsheets protecting the windshields from low-hanging branches. Commercial trucking boomed on the roads in the 1920s and 30s, and trucking companies, truck stops, service garages, and the Brotherhood of Teamsters created a national road culture. Based originally in Hamel, Cassens Transport has hauled new automobiles to regional dealerships since 1931. George Cassens opened the Tourist Haven Restaurant next to his terminal in 1937 to serve Route 66 travelers and Cassens drivers, and his wife, Louise, managed it. Anna Rode worked at the Tourist Haven Restaurant soon after it opened, from 1938 to 1940.
