100 years ago

[phat46]

The local paper runs a feature everyday that has exerpts from the paper 25, 50, 70 and 100 years ago. Always interesting, but I'm starting to remember most of the 25 years ago and some of the 50 years ago ones. Todays 100 years ago was especially good. here's how it went.

  100 years ago
- Henry Ford, of the Ford Automobile Co., was in the city and bought eight fine horses from Chris Kern. Mr. Ford has one of the finest farms in the state consisting of 1,200 acres near Detroit. Mr. ford made the trip to Port Huron in his automobile.-

Kind of ironic that Hank was buying horses and that he was well known for his fine farm. We are about 65 miles from Detroit so I guess the fact that he drove an automobile that far in 1911 was worth mentioning.

[Carnut]

Yeah that is pretty cool.

Interesting that Ford was wealthy enough in 1911 to have a farm that big.

The road in 1911 was good enough to drive that distance in a car.

Kinda wonder if Fords personal car was just a run of the mill Ford Model T off the assembly line or if it was something more special.

Also wonder how the horses were gonna be transported back to the fine farm?

[phat46]

Yeah that is pretty cool.

Interesting that Ford was wealthy enough in 1911 to have a farm that big.

The road in 1911 was good enough to drive that distance in a car.

Kinda wonder if Fords personal car was just a run of the mill Ford Model T off the assembly line or if it was something more special.

Also wonder how the horses were gonna be transported back to the fine farm?

The road at that time between Detroit and Port Huron was a military road. You may have heard of Gratiot Ave in Detroit. (think Gratiot Auto, the Ramchargers from the 60's) Gratiot Ave ran all the way from Detroit to here to Fort Gratiot that was built at the mouth of  the St. Clair river, a statigic military point at the time. The road was, and still is, in fact called Military St. where it runs through town here.

The horses would most likely have been transported by rail to Henrys farm, there was a big railhead here. That is where Thomas Edison boarded the train to sell the papers you always hear about in stories aout Edison. They found the remains of Edisons printing press about a half mile from my house when they dug up the area to put in some pricey condos.

[Carnut]

Heh, heh, even more cool.

Made me go wiki Edison.

I had never realized Edison started out up there in Michigan.

To me Edison was a NJ guy.

I've had the good fortune to be able to tour the Edison house and lab in Ft. Myers Florida a couple of times and remember it being prominently noted there that Ford developed his V8 in engine in Edisons Lab.

So I guess they were able to gab a bit about their old home town area.

Also have enjoyed touring Ford Dearborn museum grounds and some of their mutual historical buildings having been transported and reassembled there.

Heh, heh, love this history stuff.

[kb426]

It was still possible to homestead land then. Did Henry do that?

[jaybee]

I don't know what Ford was driving in 1911, but the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was his favorite at one time.  He was quoted as saying there was need for only two cars...the Silver Ghost for those who could afford it and the Model T for those who couldn't.

[butch27]

Edison was from OHIO- a Buckeye. All right!!

[enjenjo]

I've had the good fortune to be able to tour the Edison house and lab in Ft. Myers Florida a couple of times and remember it being prominently noted there that Ford developed his V8 in engine in Edisons Lab.

Actually the V8 was developed in the Edison lab building in Greenfield village in Dearborn.

[Carnut]

Heh, heh, ok, that would be a bit more reasonable.

I know I've toured both places, but do remember the pics in promotional stuff in the Fla Lab.

Guess I never had it straight in my mind if there was two labs or if one or the other was the replica. Think I was thinking the Dearborn lab was a replica or transported from Fla after I had been at the Fla lab.

Pretty sure the Fla Edison lab was a real one most likely used during the times Edison was at his Fla. home. There was also a lot of promotional stuff about the Edison Zoological gardens there with a bunch of plants imported for trying to find different filiment material and rubber producing material since Firestone was a neighbor.

There was also the Edison home with supposedly old original Edison developed lightbulbs still lighting the place.

Anyhow I'm a glutton for that touristy stuff even if I don't get it all straight.

[fast401]

Heh, heh, ok, that would be a bit more reasonable.

I know I've toured both places, but do remember the pics in promotional stuff in the Fla Lab.

Guess I never had it straight in my mind if there was two labs or if one or the other was the replica. Think I was thinking the Dearborn lab was a replica or transported from Fla after I had been at the Fla lab.

Pretty sure the Fla Edison lab was a real one most likely used during the times Edison was at his Fla. home. There was also a lot of promotional stuff about the Edison Zoological gardens there with a bunch of plants imported for trying to find different filiment material and rubber producing material since Firestone was a neighbor.

There was also the Edison home with supposedly old original Edison developed lightbulbs still lighting the place.

Anyhow I'm a glutton for that touristy stuff even if I don't get it all straight.

I saw a jar @ Henry Ford museum that contained Edison's last breath.

[butch27]

Yeah: If you figure it all out you'll see Ford followed Edison everywhere he went. Kind of "strange" ?

[Carps]

I'm a bit late to this thread but enjoyed reading it and figure some in the discussion might enjoy a book I recently read.

One of the more enjoyable and enlightening reads I've had in recent years.  The book is titled, Pioneers, Engineers and Scoundrels (The dawn of the automobile age in America) and was written by Beverly Rae Kimes, who was also resonsible for the original Standard catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, but I digress.

In this book Ms Kimes ties all the stories we know with many we don't, to tell how the auto age began in the USofA.  There's some great stuff in it, like the story of how Albert Pope went from bicycle manufacturing to Automobiles.  One of my favourite pieces is about Alexander Winton, who claimed at the time to have sold America's first gasoline powered car.  His vehicles were not known for their reliability and he had trouble finding decent mechanics to keep them going.  One day in 1898, badly in need of a decent auto mechanic he interviewed a young fellow on the recommendation of his chief engineer and promptly rejected him as "not much of a prospect".  The young man's name was Henry Ford.

Winton was a cantankerous old bvgger and one customer who constantly complained to him about the reliablity of his expensive Winton car, was told since he was such and expert on automotive quality, he should go away and build his own car.  So James Ward Packard did just that.

It really is a great read, well written by a lady most passionate about her subject, there's plenty to make you laugh and more to make you shake your head and wonder how they ever made it.

Grab a copy and read it, you won't be dissapointed, besides, reading a book is better for you than TV.  

[Danimal]

Thanks, Carps. I'll add that to my list when I run to the library this week.

There is a local story about Henry Ford and a guy setting up a big field to show the harvesting capabilities of the Fordson tractors (someone had scooped the name Ford and made JUNK in the early years). The guy was bragging it all up and had a planned harvest day for the press.

Henry and his crew showed up the DAY BEFORE and harvested it all so when the press got there, it was an empty field! The local guy was a bit * but it wasn't Henry's idea so he wasn't for it!

[Rrumbler]

Good post, Carps.  Isn't it interesting that when you lift the coat tails and skirts of history, you find a lot of things you never expected?