Glimpse of History: Two wheels bring two generations together in Linden

LINDEN — John Mellor, left, and Carl Vanderwall, who stopped for this photo on Hussa Street in Linden in 1908, are ready to hit the road.

The Linden Historical Society noted that Mellor became the plumbing inspector for the borough not long after this photo was taken; Vanderwall would later become the Linden postmaster.

At the time of this photo, Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles dominated the American motorcycle market. The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Co. was founded by two former bicycle racers, George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom, in 1901, and reached a manufacturing peak in 1913, producing 32,000 vehicles.

William Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson began designing motorcycles in 1901 and began selling their bikes in 1905; by 1914, they had produced more than 16,000 machines and would soon overtake Indian as the largest U.S. manufacturer.

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Glimpse of History: Two wheels bring two generations together in Linden