The salesmen of the era would ride the trains with their sample case
and sell a wide variety of different industrial goods.
The famous 1962 movie "The Music Man" is based upon a traveling
salesman who sold musical instruments.
Most of the U.S. souvenir spoons that exist
are derived from salesmen who went from town to town and jeweler to
jeweler to sell their silver spoons.
Companies at this time did not have a benefits package for their
employees so many
organizations were founded to provide medical insurance and other basic
necessities.
The UCT was formed in Columbus, Ohio in 1888 as a fraternal
organization to protect traveling salemen. (commercial travelers)
The Commercial Travelers of America still exists as a combined
fraternal organization and insurance company to provide benefits to its
members.
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