One of the great parts about our journey through yesterday is the people, places, and experiences that come our way. Such is the case with Barbara Rathert Glass. Like so many folks we meet each year, Barbara had a few questions, but she also had a surprise. It came in the form of a dynamic, story-rich portrait of largely forgotten artisans. I think a lot of our readers will appreciate getting a glimpse of this special photo. After all, it's possible that this portal into the past may have been a secret for well over a century.
A turn-of-the-century illustration showing the Linstroth Wagon Company. Image Courtesy of Wheels That Won The West® Archives. All Rights Reserved.
Even so, we live in a world where everyone seems to have seen everything. From 'been there and done that' to social media memes that are rehashed into obnoxious repetition, it's hard to come across something old that's genuinely new and unfamiliar. Combined with the world of AI voices, photos, and videos, it can be tough to distinguish between what's real and what's fabricated. That's what I enjoy about the original images we've amassed over the decades... they're honest representations highlighting the way things were. Ultimately, those frozen moments are studies in authenticity as well as opportunities to better understand and appreciate the Old West.
Back to Barbara; she's a lady with an eye for historic detail and a passion for her family's history. As such, she's in possession of an old cabinet card that will objectively date to somewhere near, if not right at, 1880. The roughly century-and-a-half-old likeness is a unique part of her own heritage as well as America's transportation past. Surrounded by a stiff but fragile, sepia-toned border, the image highlights the craftsmen from the legendary St. Louis wagon maker, Linstroth & Keune (Henry Linstroth and Charles (Carl) Keune). For as long as I've been digging up transportation history and for all the old imagery I've uncovered, this was a new one for me.I had never come across it. It's possible another copy exists in a dark, dusty, forgotten drawer somewhere, but this is clearly an extremely uncommon image of a wagon maker who launched his career in 1849, just as the gold rush was taking place in California. During the mid-1870s and 80s, the 'Mound City' maker was known as Linstroth & Keune. By 1886, though, the company was incorporated and became known as the Linstroth Wagon Company. One of the taglines the company used was, "The Pride of St. Louis." Positioned in the 'Gateway to the West,' Linstroth survived for nearly a century. Decades later, it's still a coveted brand for collectors.
One of the rarest photos of a well-known St. Louis vehicle maker, this image provides insight into the size and makeup of the Linstroth & Keune Wagon Company. Photo courtesy of Barbara Rathert Glass.
The old photo shown above has been passed down through multiple generations of the Rathert household and, incredibly, no story or identification was ever physically attached to it. In Barbara's words, "My father's mother had this old photograph in her album but never spoke about it and no one ever knew what it was or why we had it." As those with knowledge of the image passed away, the pertinence of the portrait was lost. Unfortunately, it's the same place we find ourselves in with a lot of history. Too many moments and memories are allowed to drift into oblivion when knowledge ceases to be shared.
As for the photo, the entire family scratched their heads, wondering why Barbara's grandmother and subsequent family would have had such an image. It was such a random piece that it felt almost inconsequential to all the relatives. If it were not for Barbara's appeal to save it, this part of yesterday might have disappeared years ago. As she began studying her family history, it was then that the yellowed image finally began to make sense.
Barbara's great grandfather was Christian 'Christ' Rathert. The family had known that he had been some type of woodworker and just assumed that, maybe, he was a carpenter. As Barbara continued to dig deeper into her family tree, she came across an 1890s image of her great granddad. That's when the lights came on. As she stared at the later image, she instantly recognized the face. It was the same person with the same genetically pre-mature white hair that held the hewing axe in the center of the back row of the Linstroth & Keune photo. Further study revealed her great granddad did indeed work for the firm. The image bore witness to a legacy that had eluded too many for too long.
I have a buddy that loves to stare into these old still frames, picking out as many intriguing details as possible. Hand tools, parts, facilities, clothing, and even facial characteristics... the images are full of opportunities to glean greater understanding and appreciation of earlier times. The elements within this photo clearly infer that a significant amount of personal attention and hand labor went into the products that Linstroth and Keune manufactured. Special thanks to Barbara for sharing this rare glimpse into such a notable, early transportation icon. It's rewarding to experience these pieces but even more intriguing to meet new folks and share a common bond.
A little extra history that Barbara provided from her research includes the following points related to the Linstroth Wagon Company...
-- Barbara's great grandfather on her dad's side was Christian Rathert. He served in the Missouri Militia during the Civil War. He was born in 1839 and passed away in 1903. The thick and premature white hair seen on him in the Linstroth & Keune photo is a genetic trait well known in the Rathert family. Christian 'Christ' would have been about 40 years old in the Linstroth image.
-- 1860... The Kennedy Directory shows Henry Linstroth to be a blacksmith at age 44 on Market Street between 18th and 19th.
-- 1878 and 1879... The Goulds St. Louis Directory lists Linstroth and Keune Company at 1816 Market as wagon makers. Owners Henry Linstroth and Charles Keune.
-- 1880... US Census for St. Louis has Charles Keune age 43 listed as a wagon maker.
-- 1887... Goulds St Louis Directory lists Linstroth Wagon Co owned by Henry Linstroth at 1816 Market St.
-- 1890... Henry Linstroth passes away.
Like other St. Louis wagon makers, Linstroth also lobbied for government contracts. The company's product line included farm, log, stake, and mountain wagons as well as oil and lumber gears, farm trucks, carts, and one-horse wagons. Tires were hot set by hand and painting was also done by hand. Many Linstroth wagons had a bright green box with black-and-yellow stripes accented by a red gear and wheels.
By 1899, the company employed 100 craftsmen and shipped wagons throughout the country. Features included a countersunk kingbolt, dustproof skein, concave rub irons, extra cross sills on the box bottom, chafe irons on the sideboards, and a doubletree with no holes in the wood.
Linstroth also made a wagon brand called "Magnolia," which was promoted as a less expensive farm truck. In the case of wooden wagons, a "truck" is not a motorized vehicle but rather a less expensive gear designated as an all-purpose utility vehicle.
While Linstroth outlasted many St.Louis makers, it could not escape the fate of all wood-wheeled wagon companies.It disappeared from industry directories around the time of America's entry into World War II. By the late 1940s, there was no longer any resource for factory parts and repairs.
Many of the vehicles Linstroth built were sold throughout the St. Louis area and regions of the south and southwest United States. Today, surviving Linstroth wagons, photos, catalogs, and other promotional pieces are reminders of the power of a dream as well as St. Louis' role in driving the Old West. Our thanks to Barbara Rathert Glass for reaching out and sharing this all-but-lost part of our past. After all, each of these glimpses into yesterday helps us appreciate the time when wood wheels were common and carried every part of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
With that said, we wish you a safe and memorable July 4th celebration with family and friends!
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Ps. 20:7