One of the most prominent names fromAmerica’s early western transportation industry is ‘Mitchell.’ Building countless farm, freight, ranch,stage, business, and family vehicles, Mitchellwas a well-known brand on the American frontier. So successful was the firm that, in its 75thyear alone, it produced 1.5 million dollars in business. A handful of years later, the company sold toa group of eastern investors who changed the name from the Mitchell-Lewis WagonCompany to the Mitchell Wagon Company. So,if you happen to own a ‘Mitchell-Lewis’ wagon, you immediately know it will beover a century in age. As a bit ofbackground, the ‘Lewis’ portion of the brand was added after founder, HenryMitchell’s son-in-law, William T. Lewis, joined the firm in 1864.
Even with the fanfare attached to thesale to eastern capitalists, within just a few years, the big wagon factory at Racine, Wisconsin fell silent. Capturing that moment, in August of 1917,“The Hub” published a notice outlining the ending of an era at Racine. As noted in the articles below, John Deere ultimatelypurchased the rights to the brand. Industry directories in the Wheels That Won The West® Archives show that Deere continued building the Mitchellbrand in its own factories through the late 1940’s.
Here’s the August, 1917 article from “TheHub.”
“The MitchellWagon Co., of Racine, Wis., which was founded in 1855, has ceased to exist, asit was liquidated on July 14. All stockand much machinery has been sold to Deere and Co., for its plant at Fort Smith,Ark., and the buildings have been taken over by the Mitchell Motors Co., whereautomobile bodies will be constructed.
Deere & Co.,have assumed the obligation of the Mitchell Wagon Co. to its customers toreplace defective parts on wagons sold during the last year. Arrangements are also being made to supplywagon parts from the regular Mitchell patterns to Mitchell customers throughoutthe country. Correspondence withreference to Mitchell wagon repairs should be addressed to the John Deere WagonWorks, Moline, Ill.
The MitchellWagon Co. was founded by Henry Mitchell in 1855 and a few years later his twosons, Henry and Frank, and two sons-in-law, William T. Lewis and Calvin T.Sinclair, became associated with him in the great industry. The factory buildings covered 20 acres of land.
In 1910 theMitchell Wagon Co. merged with the Mitchell Automobile Co. and automobiles andfarm and spring wagons were manufactured. Three years ago there was a dissolution, one syndicate taking over theautomobile plant and the other the wagon plant. All of the men who were interested in the original company, exceptingFrank L. Mitchell, have passed away.”
Some will note that the article abovedates the company’s inception to 1855. This is a reference to the company’s beginnings at Racine, Wisconsin. The actual start of the firm is tied to theyear 1834 at Fort Dearborn (Chicago). Henry Mitchell moved his business about a decade or so later to Kenosha,Wisconsin and then finally to Racine, Wisconsin. Adding a bit more detail to the August sale reportabove is this earlier piece from June of 1917...
“The directorsof the Mitchell Wagon Co., Racine, Wis., have decided to discontinue themanufacture of wagons and have disposed of the greater part of the wagon stockwhich it was their policy to keep constantly on hand. The wagon business has been carried on by aseparate and distinct corporation since the reorganization of the MitchellMotors Co., two or three years ago. Thewagon company is in sound financial condition and the decision to discontinuemanufacturing is a result of present conditions in the wagon trade which haveconvinced the owners that it is not advisable to continue. Mitchell wagons have been among the leadersin high grade farm wagons for about 70 years.”
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Clearly, as the years rolled by, theinvestors in Mitchell could see the writing on the wall. Times were changing and advancements infarming and the automobile were affecting the way folks looked at horse-drawnwagons. Even so, where the businessdidn’t make sense for some, it proved to be a smart opportunity forothers. John Deere already had multiplewagon factories with plenty of capacity. The purchase of Mitchell allowed Deere to further capitalize on thelegacy of a powerful brand without adding significant overhead costs. Similar manufacturing and marketing tacticstook place a few years later when powerhouse brands like Peter Schuttler,Studebaker, Bain, and more were sold to other wagon makers who continuedmarketing those heralded labels from their own factories. Today, these efficiency practices arereplicated with factories often producing multiple brands of products – whetherthey be cars, boats, food products or any number of other goods.
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| The original Mitchell logos on these sideboards are accompanied by signage for the selling dealer as well. |
On another note, a few weeks ago, Iencouraged folks to write in and share about some of their latest projects andhappenings. I’m happy to pass along a few ofthose emails today... Texas Cowboy, Glenn Moreland, is in themidst of restoring a 2-seat, mountain hack built by Hesse and Son fromLeavenworth, Kansas. He’s also in the process of bringing a buggy builtby Hynes Buggy Co. of Quincy, Illinois back to life. As a bit of a side note, our research shows that the Hynes Buggy Company was established in 1869 and went out of business on October 31, 1914. Glenn shared that both pieces are from a localranch that was settled over a 100 years ago. They’ve been in a barn forthe last 70 or 80 years. Great to hearfrom you Glenn and congrats on what we know will be quality restorationwork.
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| This image of a Yellowstone Touring Coach shows the original number and lettering uncovered during conservation work being done at HWWS. |
Elsewhere, Doug Hansen and his team at Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop are workingon an original Yellowstone Touring Coach. While engaged in the conservation and restoration efforts, the crewfound a fair amount of original paint under multiple layers of re-paintings from years gone by. Equally significant, they’ve also uncoveredthe original maker marks from the legendary firm of Abbot-Downing in Concord,New Hampshire. It’s always good to seevaluable history uncovered and preserved.
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| This photo of the Yellowstone coach shows the seats and top removed as the coach undergoes a blend of conservation and restoration efforts. |
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| Underneath years of repainting, the team at Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop found the original maker marks from Abbot-Downing on this Yellowstone coach. |
Finally, we’d like to congratulate JerryMaclin, the new owner/collector of both an original, high wheel Peter Schuttlerand also a high wheel Bain wagon we had on-site. Both vehicle brands carry tremendous heritageand each will date to the earlier 1900’s. As many know, our ‘For Sale’ inventory is always changing and thewebsite listings are rarely inclusive of all the vehicles we have available. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’re looking for something in particular. From original Conestoga sideboards to a rareturn-of-the-century high wheel, Schuttler with 42 inch bolsters, we’recommitted to both collecting and selling pieces with distinction.
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| Jerry Maclin is the new owner of this 93-year-old, high wheel, Schuttler wagon. |
Stay tuned! We have even more discoveries and details onearly wagons and western vehicles slated for future blogs. In the meantime, give us a shout if you havea special project or set of wheels you’d like to share. It’s always great to hear from you.
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