Higher prices in west
There are very good reasons for this. At that time most manufacturing plants were located in the northeast or upper midwest (Chicago area). Before the Interstate Highway System was constructed, travel over the Rocky Mountains was much more difficult and time consuming for a large truck. Think about US 66 to California before the new highway between Kingman, AZ and Needles, CA was built in 1953. Old 66 (Oatman Rd.) has treacherous curves and steep hills, bad enough in a car. Nearly all the other routes west were equally difficult. Add in that many had to close frequently in winter if they were very far north. This greatly increased fuel use and drivers time, both adding to costs incurred. Therefore, many large items were shipped by rail, and the further the train has to go, the more it costs. We know it takes more fuel for the train to go up steep grades than to operate on flat land. Maintenance costs are likely higher, too. The higher prices in the west reflected the additional cost incurred by the manufacturer or distributor. It wouldn't be right to make customers close by pay shipping costs for the customers living a thousand plus miles away. It's the principle of the cost causer being the cost payer. Also, I have seen some instances where an item made in the far west had higher prices in the east.