The Wagon Business

Similar to today’s automotive industry, America’s early wagon makers spent a lot of time talking about how well their products were received by the public.  These claims were especially hard to dispute when the larger firms openly shared the number of vehicles they built each year.  Studebaker, of South Bend, Indiana, was among the largest.  Far from the traditional corner blacksmith shop, Studebaker – and many others – were ultra-efficient, aggressive manufacturers that quickly learned the power of marketing and a solid distribution system.  So successful was this brand that, by 1890, the company is said to have employed some 1400 workers, turning out a new wagon every six minutes.¹   It’s a contention further reinforced by company assertions that in the decade between 1897 and 1907, they built and sold over a million vehicles.²  

Winona Wagon Factory - Winona, Minnesota

The vast number of wood-wheeled wagons that major manufacturers like Peter Schuttler, Studebaker, Winona, Kentucky, Weber, Bain, Mitchell, Stoughton, Mandt, Moline, Jackson, and so many others wholesaled can easily overshadow specific sales examples at the retail level.  Truth is, for record numbers of these vehicles to have been built during the course of any year, they had to be flying off of the proverbial dealer shelves.  While period newspapers and other historical accounts often provide numbers of wagons and emigrants moving west, specific details showing the successes of product turnover at the retail level are often hard to find.  

1882 Winona billheads
 

To that point, I recently ran across a pair of 1882 billheads from the Winona Wagon Company that shed a mere pinhole of light on the feverish retailing of wagons during this timeframe.  Both invoices are made out to a single dealer - Strehlow & Company in Casselton, Dakota.  Posted a full seven years prior to North & South Dakota becoming individual states, these pieces show nearly sixty wagons and gears sold to the local dealer in less than two months’ time; all of this to a tiny population of about 400 folks.  Taken as a sampling of an entire year, it’s quite possible that this ultra-small-town dealer could have been responsible for at least 200 to 300 wagon/gear sales in just twelve months.  With thousands upon thousands of local and regional trade areas throughout the U.S., these bits of information (even for extremely localized districts) help emphasize just how lucrative wagon sales could be.  It’s a big reason the industry was so fiercely competitive; from price wars to timber buy-outs, patent lawsuits, and other extreme measures.  Many dealers – sometimes referred to as agents – hung out a shingle for multiple wagon brands as a way to ‘lock up’ sales and minimize interference from other local sellers.

1882 Winona Wagon Co. letterhead
 

During the same year of 1882, the fledgling Winona Wagon Company (Winona, Minnesota) was just three years old.  It was the successor to the Rushford Wagon Company of Rushford, Minnesota.  Within a few years, Winona would become a force to be reckoned with by even the largest of vehicle builders.  The firm held multiple patents while also becoming well-known for its high quality farm, freight, military, fruit, and mountain wagons as well as header gears and even sheep camp wagons.  Today, the brand is still extremely popular with collectors and enthusiasts.  

From individual corporations to the entire industry, the competitive focus within the world of horse drawn vehicle builders set the stage for the automobile business in almost every respect.  Crucial lessons regarding management of raw materials, distribution channels, manufacturing efficiencies, advertising tactics, advancements in engineering and new product innovation, quality practices, and other all-important drivers of brand perceptions were opening up even more opportunity within America’s free enterprise system.  From coast to coast, the business of transportation was growing up and, ultimately, only the strongest would survive.

¹  “The Great Southwest”, vol 2, no. 9, p.13 (September 1890)

²  Wheels That Won The West® Archives 

Stone Wagons

Several folks have asked us, “What’s that vehicle shown on the introductory page in Volume One of your “Borrowed Time” book?  Great question.  It’s a set of wheels more particularly known to those in the northeastern part of the U.S - Specifically, the legendary granite quarries on the islands of Vinalhaven, Maine.  The vehicle is called a Galamander (pronunciation rhymes with ‘salamander’).  While the name is certainly memorable, its origins aren’t quite as clear.  Nevertheless, the design of the giant machine made it possible for 19th century artisans and contractors to create some of the most stylish and impressive buildings, bridges, dams, lighthouses, monuments - even paving blocks - in major metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, St. Louis, Portland, and countless other leading cities.  As an example, the Washington Monument in the U.S. Capitol includes stones originally carried by these Galamanders.

Similar to the “Big Wheels” (read more about these on our website) that were used to carry large timber out of forests, the oversized nature of these stone-hauling behemoths is a reflection of the duties they were engineered to tackle.  Rear wheels on these innovative wagons could measure as much as 12 feet in diameter.  (As big as the Giant Moline wagon we discussed in last week’s blog was, many of these Galamanders would have dwarfed the purely promotional intentions of the Moline!)  Just to move the granite stones often required an eight horse hitch.  Outfitted with a rope tackle and large levered derrick, the granite could be hoisted up below the vehicle and between the rear wheels.  Horse teams were then able to transfer otherwise immovable tons of solid granite blocks to the cutting yards and polishing mills. 

Well over a century ago, these Galamanders were a common sight in Vinalhaven.  Crawling throughout the quarries, shipping port, and parts in between, their beefy skeletal frames can seem like something straight out of science fiction.  Unfortunately, time, weather, and inattention have destroyed almost all of these legendary leviathans.  Today, the Vinalhaven Historical Society has only one survivor on display.  With a granite mining history dating to the mid-1820’s, both Vinalhaven and the Galamander stand as a testimony to a time when the legacy of America was driven by dreams and carved in stone. 

You'll want to stay in touch this year as we have a healthy lineup of great subjects to cover.  So...  If you haven’t signed up to receive this weekly blog via email and don't want to miss anything, you may want to type in your address in the “Follow By Email” section above.  You’ll receive a confirmation email that you’ll need to verify before you’re officially on board.  Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be of assistance.  We’re looking forward to your visits each week.

The Giant Moline

Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, wagon makers used a number of methods to successfully promote the desirability of their products.  Flashy printed materials, household trinkets, custom dealer signage, and extraordinary claims were sometimes joined with larger-than-life product demonstrations. 

One such example occurred when the Moline Wagon Company used imagery of a huge circus elephant riding in one of their wagons (as did the Jackson Wagon Company) to showcase the strength and light draft of their vehicles.  In similar fashion, legendary St. Louis maker, Luedinghaus, resorted to a massive tower of wagons to reinforce their superior craftsmanship during the 1904 World’s Fair.  Likewise, the Moline Wagon Company also used another large, visual metaphor for strength… a colossal double-sized wagon unveiled during the same event.
 

From April 30th through December 1st of 1904, the Moline Wagon Company leveraged their heritage for impressive quality and performance by displaying this gigantic vehicle at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World’s Fair) in St. Louis.  The primary purpose of the exhibit was to stop folks in their tracks while creating a lasting, positive impression of the brand.  Today, that same principle for successful marketing still guides the most sophisticated and aggressive advertisers. 

Weighing close to 5 tons, this dominating force of wood and steel measured 42 feet in length (including the tongue), 12 feet in overall width, and had 9 foot rear wheels.  So impressive was this piece that the impact made well over a century ago still has enthusiasts talking about it today.  For generations, one of the most common questions has been, “What happened to that set of wheels?”  It’s a query we don’t have conclusive answers for but we can supply some new information about the vehicle.  A few months ago, we uncovered a rare and previously unknown photo showing the same Moline being shown at a fair in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  It appears that the St. Louis World’s Fair was just the first stop in a series of promotional venues for this piece.  It’s an important part of the puzzle as the promotional tour may have ultimately left the vehicle far beyond its original home in Illinois.

Next week, we’ll take a brief look at another oversized vehicle we originally published in Volume One of our “Borrowed Time” book series.

Happy New Year!

As we launch another new year, we continue to be thankful for many things.  Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness along with wonderful friends and family are all great blessings.  Likewise, we're fortunate to have so many successful explorations into America’s early heavy vehicle makers.

Last year, we were able to locate and add a number of significant finds to the Wheels That Won The West® Archives.  Numerous original catalogs, one-of-a-kind photos, company histories, ledgers, and other scarce literature and ephemera from countless makers were punctuated by the discovery of ultra-rare 19th century wagons from makers like Studebaker, Cooper, Schuttler, and more.  Why is this important?  Because every piece identified and saved is a part of American history.   No longer lost, this is the history that built our nation; History that opened the West, conquered mountains, carried dreams, and continues to reflect a real spirit of enterprise, opportunity, and freedom. 

This year, our search for the rarest wheeled history continues and, as with the past two decades, we look forward to even more breakthroughs and the opportunity to share in those victories.

May God bless you and yours throughout this year. 

Merry Christmas

CowboyCooking.com

Enthusiasm is catching, no matter the subject.  It’s one of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed spending time with Tom Elliott of Clinton, Arkansas.  He truly enjoys old wagons and that passion is a familiar sight at countless western events, trail rides, and chuck wagon competitions. 

It seems he’s always working on a new project in his shop and that bond to the old west is continually reinforced by a healthy interest in the history of the early wagon industry.  As another in a series of interviews we’ve been conducting, Tom was gracious to answer a few questions about his wagon-hobby-turned-business…

Whatever the topic, sometimes the story behind the story is the most interesting.  With that in mind, we asked Tom if he could give us some insight into his work with wagons along with the kind of services he offers.

“I enjoy the process of research, restoration, and replication of original metal parts for wagons.  We offer several for sale on our web site at www.cowboycooking.com.  I also have a second web site www.springfieldwagon.com.  As far as I can tell, I'm about the only place you can buy new seat springs made just like the originals.  I'm not a blacksmith although in researching my family tree I had many blacksmith relatives.  I have one of the best blacksmiths in the country that works for me.  Same thing with pin striping.  I don't have that kind of talent but I've got an awesome pin striper who does my work.”

 

Tell us about your beginnings, Tom… how did you get started?

“I always loved western history and old wagons. One day at an auction in 1999 I bought an old wagon, took it home, tore it apart, rebuilt it with a new tongue and groove floor and I was hooked!”

 

What do you consider your most significant accomplishment in your business?

“It’s gratifying to help folks connect with hard-to-find wagon parts.  I also enjoy providing advice to people who have no idea where to begin in the restoration of a wagon.  I've been there and done that so I can relate to their problems.”

What's the most memorable vehicle (or part) that you've found or worked on?

“That's a tough one.  Each new project is memorable to me.  I guess one that really sticks in my mind though was a metal-wheeled Springfield wagon that had belonged to a client’s grandfather.  As you can see from the picture it was a pile of rusted metal and rotted wood.”

 

 

What are some of the projects you currently have in your shop?

“I have a high wheel Bain I need to get started on and I just bought a 1916 Pontiac spring wagon that's in pretty good shape but needs some minor work.”

What's your favorite early vehicle brand and why?

“Although I've never seen either one in person I guess it would have to be a Joseph Murphy freight wagon and the stagecoaches made by Abbot-Downing.  The number of wagons they turned out and the quality of work they did just amazes me.  Wouldn't it be great if we could go back in time, meet these people and work in their shop for about six months?”

 

What do you enjoy most about the work you do?

“Helping people with parts and restoration advice is important to me.  I also enjoy seeing the finished product of my restorations from a badly deteriorated old wagon to a like-new wagon. I've preserved a piece of history!” 

Thanks to Tom and all those we’ve interviewed to date.  They’re a special breed committed to education, preservation, and perpetuation of western-wheeled history.  You can learn more about Tom by visiting his website at www.cowboycooking.com  There’s plenty to take in on the site so enjoy your time there and tell him ‘hello’ from us. 

 

What’s the Name of this Western Buckboard?

As I’ve shared numerous times before, the early horse-drawn vehicle industry was a complex and often complicated mix of vehicles, styles, uses, construction, and regional preferences.  In our continuing work to showcase some of the modern-day obstacles to authoritative study of the vehicles, we issued a friendly challenge last week to identify the name applied to a particular western buckboard marketed by Studebaker.  We had quite a few page views but, unfortunately, no guesses were ventured. 

Okay.  Now comes a small confession.  I deliberately left out some crucial information but, I did so to help point out the difficulties in conclusively researching these pieces.  We don’t always have the luxury of a maker tag or some other identifying mark, so it’s crucial to know the distinctions promoted by specific brands.  While the buckboard shown was indeed made and marketed under the Studebaker umbrella, it was sold as part of their “World Vehicles” or World Buggy Company brand in South Bend.  These buggies, carriages, surreys, and spring wagons were typically positioned as a quality brand but they were more competitively priced. 

Studebaker called this specific vehicle… a Prospector’s Buckboard.  The image came from a century-plus-old catalog distributed through the Studebaker Bros. Company of California with offices in San Francisco. It’s just one of numerous buckboard styles and names that were created by horse-drawn vehicle firms throughout the U.S.  The complications involved in these studies are why we continue to have such a strong focus on acquiring significant amounts of original, primary source materials covering western vehicles.  It’s what consistently sets the Wheels That Won The West® Archives apart and it’s allowed us to assist countless individuals, collectors, businesses, museums, writers, and enthusiasts the world over.

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