With 2016 coming to a close, we thoughtwe’d highlight a few of our discoveries from the year. As I’ve shared before, the search for lostand forgotten history can be full of long, dry spells punctuated by thesurprise-filled excitement of truly rare finds. As Forrest Gump might say, “It’s like a box of choc-lates!” Ultimately, it’s virtually impossible topredict what will be uncovered or learned next.
Nonetheless, 2016 left us with a wealthof finds. Among those was the discoveryof two, previously unknown patents granted for Sheep Camp wagons – one from thenineteenth and the other from the twentieth century. Hidden deep inside a number of issues of “TheHub,” “The Carriage Monthly,” and other old trade journals, we found even more answersto questions tied to America's horse-drawn history. In one instance, we stumbled upon primary source evidence showing whatfinally happened to the Giant (double-sized) Moline wagon first shown at the1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. It was usedfor years in cross-country promotions but over the last century appeared tohave simply vanished. After featuring the research in our September 21st blog, the search for this iconic promotional piece can finally be put to rest. In other discoveries, we were equally fortunateto acquire an extremely rare Studebaker-branded wrench made specifically for bothsets of nuts on Archibald wheels. While visiting a friend in Mississippi, wealso came across a set of 1917 NOS Studebaker Military Ambulance harness (stillin the crate).
On other fronts, our Wheels That Won TheWest® archives added a host of original vehicle maker photos to the files. Along with those glimpses into yesterday, ourroster of period catalogs, signs, correspondence, and even vehicles also grew considerably. During the latter part of the year, we ranacross several intriguing images of Concord-style coaches. The stages in these photos includedistinctive features that may ultimately confirm them to be rare views into the world of stagecoaches built in Troy, New York. Perhapsmost importantly, we were able to reunite a number of folks with thehistory of their vehicle through our brand authentication and identificationservices. It’s always rewarding to helpbring lost provenance back to a set of wheels.
All in all, it’s been a full year of trackingdown a wide assortment of history from America’s first transportation industry. Again and again, these types of mysterieshave a way of fueling our research and recovery efforts. So, as we look forward to 2017, we thank youfor your regular visits to our website and blog as well as the opportunity to share even more discoveriesin the days ahead.
Wishing you, your family, and friends asafe, memorable, and very Merry Christmas!
Please Note: As with each of our blog writings, all imagery and text is copyrighted with All Rights Reserved. The material may not be broadcast, published, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written permission from David E. Sneed, Wheels That Won The West® Archives, LLC