Studying the world of America’s early
wagon makers can be full of dead-ends, questions, fake news, and even
duplicity. This last point can be
particularly troublesome as it can instantly bring confusion into a center
stage drama, leaving us with more questions than answers. A good case-in-point is the challenge we
sometimes face when looking at the labels painted on the axles or side of a
vehicle. Things aren’t always what they appear and the tendency to jump to
conclusions can be rife with problems.
Brand names like O’Brien, Whitewater, Fish
Bros., Rushford, and Miller are well-known for their early starts and popularity on
America’s frontier. Unfortunately, there
are other, sometimes lesser known, vehicle companies that used these same
names. In these cases, it’s easy to see
how misunderstandings, insufficient research, and incorrect vehicle identifications
can take place. Even the venerable old
title of ‘Bain’ is not immune to these problems. The mark was applied to the sides of wagons
from two separate companies headquartered in two different countries. At first glance, that seems like ample division
to prevent issues. Unfortunately, when
the borders are as close as the U.S. and Canada, there can be a blurring of the
lines. Over the years, many
Canadian-built wagons have been brought into the U.S. and sold at auction. I’ve even seen a Canadian wagon used as
part of a yesteryear display at George Washington’s historic Mount Vernon home
near Washington, D.C. It was particularly
disappointing to see a clearly labeled, twentieth-century Canadian piece used
to convey eighteenth-century U.S. history.
Back to the perplexities of like-named
brands... This week, I thought we’d take some time to provide additional details
on the Canadian version of the two Bain brands.
Hopefully, it can help raise awareness while reducing confusion between
both firms.
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This old print advertisement shows a Kenosha-built Bain wagon from 1899. |
I’ve written before about the Bain brand built in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. The company started in 1852
and was an outgrowth of Henry Mitchell’s firm (Mitchell wagons). While Mitchell went on to become a major
brand headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, Edward Bain took the old Mitchell
wagon works, grew the distribution, and heavily marketed the new brand. In the U.S., “The Bain” became a legendary
name throughout the country and particularly in the West. Later, in the twentieth century, the brand
was briefly part of the Pekin Wagon Company and then, finally, it was absorbed
by the Springfield Wagon Company in Springfield, Missouri.
The ‘other’ company carrying the Bain
label is a Canadian firm. In this case,
the international boundary hasn’t kept wagon brands sufficiently separated. Rather, the popularity of antique wooden
wagons in the U.S. has led to many Canadian-built vehicles being shipped back
over the border. It’s a point that can
cause a fair amount of consternation when trying to identify or authenticate a
particular set of wheels. It’s especially
challenging when the name on the Canadian wagon is the same as a major brand in
the U.S.
Cutting directly to the chase, as of this writing, there’s
no known connection between the two Bain brands. The only things they appear to have in common
are wooden wheels and the brand name. Reinforcing
that point, immediately below, I’ve transcribed a 115-year-old article that was
written about one of the Canadian company’s founders, John Bain. It was published in 1903 as part of The Newspaper Reference Book of Canada. The historical documentation shows a distinct
history wholly separate from Ed Bain’s wagons built in Kenosha, Wisconsin... not
to mention the fact that Ed Bain’s company was started three decades earlier.
John Alexander Bain, Woodstock, Ont.
“General Manager and Vice President
of one of the most enterprising manufacturing concerns in the Province of
Ontario, the Bain Wagon Co., Limited, John Alexander Bain, of the town of
Woodstock, is a representative Canadian of a class who, through their own ability
and industry, have risen to positions of prominence in the industrial life of
their country. The son of John Bain, a
native of Keith, Scotland, and a cabinetmaker who came to Canada in the early
forties of the last century, and Isabella Robb, his wife, a native of Scotland,
he was born in Woodstock, Ont., on the 23rd of September 1852. Educated in the public and grammar schools of
his native town until the age of nineteen, he became articled to S. & J.
Hext of Brantford, to learn the trade of wagon-making. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship, he
went to Milwaukee, in the United States, and worked at his trade for over a
year in one of the large factories of that city. Subsequently he worked in several large
wagon-making factories at Batavia, Rock Island and Moline, in the State of
Illinois. In 1880, learning that wagons
were being imported into Canada for the Northwest trade, he decided to
establish a business for the manufacture of wagons in his native country. In 1881, with his brother, George A. Bain,
under the firm name of the Bain Wagon Company, they began the manufacture of
wagons at Woodstock and during the first year turned out about 100 wagons. In 1890 the Bain Wagon Company sold their
plant at Woodstock and removed to Brantford, Ont., where the firm continued
under the name of Bain Bros. Mfg. Co., until 1893, when they affiliated with
the Massey-Harris Company, of Toronto, and removed its manufacturing plant to
Woodstock, where they purchased their present large and efficient factory.
The success met
with in the manufacture of high-grade farm and freight wagons, log trucks, dump
carts, spring lorries, delivery wagons, and bob-sleighs has been large and
their sales extensive throughout the civilized world. The Massey-Harris Company, of Toronto, are
the sole agents for the output of the Bain Wagon Company, Limited, which can be
obtained from any of their agencies throughout the world. The Bain wagon, one of the principal lines of
manufacture of the Bain Wagon Company, is used throughout Canada, and in
Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, South Africa and the Yukon. From an output of 100 wagons in 1881, the
business has grown to an output of 8,500 wagons and 4,000 sleighs in 1902. In 1899 the Bain Wagon Company made two
shipments of wagons and ambulances to South Africa for the Canadian contingent,
which were highly recommended by Lieut.-Col. Steele and others as being the
best available wagon for military service in that country. The Bain Wagon Company employs from 250 to
300 in their factory, and is building additional buildings which will give
one-third more productive capacity in 1903...”
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This early 1900’s catalog promoted Canadian-built Bain wagons. |
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By the early 1890’s, the Canadian-born Bain Wagon Company became part of the powerful Massey-Harris line of agricultural products. |
Clearly, there are different beginnings,
owners, histories – and countries – for both Bain Wagon Companies. That said, there are some elements of the two
brands that seem a little more than coincidental. One, in particular, stands out to me. They both use the term, “The Bain” on the
side of the wagon box. It’s a similarity
that makes me wonder if the later-established firm might have deliberately been
blurring the lines a bit to trade on the longer, legendary history of its U.S.
competitor? Whatever the case may be, the two names
continue to cause confusion with collectors, historians, and enthusiasts. Hopefully, this week’s blog will help clear
up some of the misunderstandings while allowing each brand to take advantage of
its own heritage.
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