Early station wagons evolved from trucks and were not viewed as family autos but instead as commercial vehicles along with vans and pickup trucks. The first station wagons were a product from the era of train travel. They were commonly found at train depots looking to pick up a taxi fare in need of some hauling.
Eventually, the car companies themselves began building their own station wagons. Even still viewed as commercial vehicles, by the mid-1930s, wood bodied station wagons achieved a level of prestige. However, Woodie wagons required constant maintenance, recoating varnishes and tightening bolts and screws to accommodate the expanding wood throughout the seasons. Then in 1935, General Motors introduced a steel-bodied eight-seat Suburban wagon, based on the Chevrolet truck. The rest is history.