A book on vintage commercial vehicles could be both interesting and educational as well rarely see old photos of these vehicles. So the correct title of this book is Historic Commercial, Emergency and Miscellaneous Vehicles on the Iron Range, Volume 1. The reason it is called Volume 1 is that there are still more photos in the files, with new ones showing up periodically. So a Volume 2 may be printed in the future.
Old buildings, period clothing, old street lights, muddy roads – it’s all there. Many of the photos on file are unidentified as to the names of people in them, where taken, makes of vehicles and year taken. Every effort has been made to be historically accurate, but with about 2,600 different makes of cars and about 1,200 makes of trucks in the U.S., not to mention model changes, identification can be difficult. Perhaps our readers will help us correct any errors and solve some of our little mysteries.
A historical note on tires
As you look at the various vehicles in this book, make note of the evolution of tires. John Dunlop of Scotland is credited with inventing the pneumatic (air-filled) tire, intended for bicycles, which was patented in 1888. In 1889, the Michelin Brothers of France invented detachable pneumatic tires for automobiles. B.F. Goodrich made the first commercial auto tires in the U.S. in 1896.
Early auto tires were made of white rubber with cotton cord and had a life span of about 4,000 miles. Carbon was later added to the rubber which made the tires wear longer, but turned them black.
Light delivery trucks had pneumatic tires, but heavy truck tires were made of solid rubber to handle the weight of the load. Holes were drilled through the sides of some solid tires to provide some “give and, hence, a smoother ride. In 1917, Goodyear made the first pneumatic tires for heavy trucks. By the late 1920s, the sold truck tire was gone. Better fibers, such as rayon and nylon, were later used for building the tire plies. Tubeless tires were introduced in 1948 and radials in 1953.
Where did it all begin? History books tell us that the storage battery was invented about 1880 with electric cars following. The first steam-powered car was sold in Europe in 1883. When the potential of petroleumbased fuels was being explored, Prof. Nikolaus Otto of Germany perfected – in 1876 – the 4-cycle gasoline engine which is still in use today.
The Benz car had what modern cars still have – steering (by tiller bar, the steering wheel was in the future), brakes, electric ignition and, most importantly, a transmission and differential. This car was reliable and marketable.
Between 1885 and 1893, 69 cars were built. Four-wheel cars and improved models followed. The Benz Company merged in 1926 with Daimler, another early German auto pioneer, to form Mercedes-Benz, which still survives today.
1896 Duryea car
In America, brothers J. Frank and Charles Duryea started work on a gas-engined auto in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1892. Charles dropped out of the project, but Frank persisted. Remember, all parts had to be fabricated from scratch.
Several cars, including electric steam cars, went into production soon after the Duryea car. While Daimler of Germany is credited with the world’s first gas-powered truck in 1896, the first gas-powered truck in the U.S., a light-duty delivery van, was built by Winton in 1898. Electric trucks also became very popular.
The first cars in the Northland showed up in Duluth in 1901: an Oldsmobile, a curveddash model; and a Locomobile steam car. What was the first car on the Range? Quoting from the Virginia Enterprise of May 23, 1902, “Capt. T. J. Jones and several other Virginians will shortly have the first automobile on the ranges, it being the intentions to order same during a visit to Chicago the coming week. A $1500 machine is the style selected.”
And on June 6, 1902, “A. B. Coates and R. R. Bailey returned Saturday from Chicago, where they had accompanied Capt. Jones and assisted in the selection of the automobile purchased by a party of Virginians.”
The Locomobile Co., having purchased the rights to build steam cars patterned after the Stanley Steamer, was organized in 1899. Locomobile steam cars were quite popular, with about 4,000 built from 1899 to 1902. Locomobile built gas cars after 1903 and ceased production in 1929.
Since pictures of early trucks in the Northland are somewhat rare, included here is a photo from Duluth. Taken on the skyline Parkway, the unusual vehicle leading the caravan is a ca. 1910 sight-seeing bus. Several of the early truck companies built these buses so we cannot determine the make, but it appears to be a Rapid.
Several features common to early trucks are visible in this photo. Note that the steering wheel is on the right. The vehicle has sold rubber tires and carbide lights – also known as Prestolite. Before electric lights, vehicles had calcium carbine containers producing acetylene gas which was piped to the headlights. The chain drive to the rear wheels is also visible. The horn was operated by a squeeze bulb next to the driver.
No identifying names or emblems can be seen on this early deliver van, but some unusual features stand out. Note that it has right-hand drive, a bulb horn, a wraparound seat typical of touring cars but not delivery trucks, and the spare tire is covering the door. It is possible that this vehicle started life as a touring car (basically a 4-door convertible) and a local carpentry shop removed the back of the body and fabricated the van body. This was not an uncommon practice.
Elanto Store delivery truck Nashwauk
While we can’t identify the vehicle in this photo, it gives a good view of the rear of a typical delivery truck of the late teens or early nineteen twenties. Note the large pneumatic tires with deep tread. Also note that the canvas side curtains can be rolled down for rainy weather. This is an excellent photo as it shows two hard-working people in bib overalls and their hard-working truck.
1914 Studebaker First delivery truck in Ely
Based in South Bend, Inc., the Studebaker Wagon Co. dated back to 1852. As the auto industry started, Studebaker sold an electric car in 1902, followed by heavy duty electric trucks. Gas cars followed and were sold as Studebaker – Garford, Studebaker EMF, and Studebaker Flanders. By 1913 the name was just Studebaker and a light delivery truck was added to the sales line-up.
New for Studebaker in 1913 was an electric starter and lights, just one year after the electric starter had been introduced in the
Cadillac. The 1914 Studebaker pictured was truck.sold as a “Combination Station Wagon and Baggage Car.” The odd-shaped piece along the length of the box is actually a folding padded seat. When down, passengers could be seated, and when up as shown, it was ready for cargo. This vehicle sold for about
21$1,150. New for 1914 on Studebaker was left-hand drive. Most American cars had shifted to left-hand driver by 1916.
1924 Dodge Brothers delivery truck – Virginia Co-op Store
The Dodge Brothers, Horace and John, owned a machine shop in Detroit at the time the auto industry started. They became wealthy making parts for Oldsmobile and Ford. In 1914 they started their own auto company and marketed Dodge Brothers cars. A delivery truck was added in 1917.
This truck had large screens covering the open sides of the cargo area and was sold as a “Screen Side Commercial Car.” The cost was about $910. The driver’s compartment was open with low doors like the Studebaker delivery truck.
The truck pictured appears to be a 1924 model with a non-factory enclosed cab added. Plus, the screens have been removed from the box. An all-steel cab was offered for the 1926 models.
In 1928, the Dodge Brothers Corp. was sold to Chrysler, forming the basis of Chrysler Corp. the “Brothers” part of the name was dropped after 1938 and Dodge still survives today.
1915 Republic truck
This truck was used in Ely by the Finnish Stock Co. Somewhat typical of delivery trucks of this era, we see an open cab with a windshield and a complete roof with roll-up side curtains on the box.
The Republic Truck Co. of Alma, Mich., built trucks from 1913 – 1929. In 1928 the company merged with the American La France co. to be La France Republic. In 1931, Sterling Motor Truck Co. purchased the company which was in turn purchased by White Motor Co. in 1951.
Ford Model T carrying the mail
No book on vehicles would be complete without a photo of a Model T Ford. Hauling mail for the Gilbert Post Office, this one appears to be a 1922 coupe. Note the chains on the rear tires.
The Ford Motor Co. was established in 1903 and – no – Henry Ford did not invent the auto or the assembly line. But he did introduce the low-priced Model T in 1908, “the car that put America on wheels.” A Model T delivery car was introduced in 1911. In 1921 Ford had 50 percent of U.S. car sales. Over 15 million had been built when the model was discontinued in May 1927.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In next week’s edition of Hometown Focus, we’ll share more information and photos from the author’s Historic Commercial and Emergency Vehicles book, which is available for purchase at the Iron Range Historical Society in Gilbert.
Historic commercial, emergency and miscellaneous vehicles on the Iron Range
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