With tens of thousands of early vehicle builders
documented in our Wheels That Won The West® Archives, America’s early
transportation industry was anything but small.
Even so, finding specific examples within the millions of vehicles they
collectively created can sometimes be a challenge.
It’s a problem further complicated with questions like… Where is
information on individual makers located, how did a particular manufacturer
design certain features, when was a given technology first used, what are the
best books to read and many more similar queries.
Located throughout the U.S., much of the surviving
information is so scattered it requires the stealth of a detective to
find it. In hopes of lessening the
conundrum of locating some of the vehicles, several years ago we added the
“Destinations” section to our website.
It’s far from complete but does offer a few insights into areas with
interesting sets of wheels.
On our recent trip to southern California, we saw
more than a hundred vehicles ranging from Big Wheels (giant logging carts), mud
wagons and touring coaches to rack bed wagons, mountain wagons, Concord
coaches, buckboards, and tall-sided freighters.
Makers of these early wheels ranged from Studebaker, Schuttler, and
Weber to Winona, Bain, Abbot-Downing, M.P. Henderson, Gestring and others. It was a lot to take in and we took away
nearly 2,000 photos of original western wagons and coaches for our archives.
One of the first places we visited was in the heart
of Los Angeles. Centered in the
financial district, the Wells Fargo History Museum is home to a very special
vehicle. Coach #599 is a 9 passenger
Concord Coach built by the Abbot-Downing Company in 1895. It was originally used on J.B. Barbee’s stage
line from Columbia to Campbellsville, Kentucky. According to the book, “Time Well Kept,”
released by Wells Fargo Historical Services, this coach was later acquired by
C.H. Burton for his Monticello to Burnside route – believed to be the last
stagecoach line in operation in Kentucky. As shown in the photos below, the coach – in
predominantly original and exceptional condition – is on display at
the Wells Fargo History Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
We’d like to extend a special thank you to the great
folks at the Wells Fargo Museum for such great hospitality during our
visit. In the coming weeks, we’ll share additional
images and information on even more of the vehicles we had the privilege of
documenting. In the meantime, if you
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Wishing you the best!
