I had a 56 Studebaker with a hill holder clutch. Stepping on the brake with the clutch pedal depressed held the brakes until you released the clutch. I actually drove that car in San Francisco with no problems starting out uphill from a stop. Eliminates the heel-toe brake/accelerator act .
There was a pit like that in my single car garage when I bought my house 30yrs ago. The garage was too small so I enlarged it. Regrettably I filled in the pit. I sometimes I do wish I still had the pit.
Log rafts like this were put together in the Pacific Northwest and towed on the ocean to California. Talk about a hell of a tow!