Built in St. Louis
Since the early days of the horseless carriage St. Louis has been the center of manufacturing vehicles. Vehicle makers could take up to a year of spare time to complete their vehicles. At first these vehicles were built for the novelty. Once they finished their first, they improved on the next ones and soon built them for profit.
Race against liberalism : black workers and the UAW in Detroit
David M. Lewis-Colman.
Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2008.
"Race against Liberalism: Black Workers and the UAW in Detroit examines how black workers' activism in Detroit shaped the racial politics of the labor movement and the white working class. Tracing substantive, long-standing disagreements between liberals and black workers who embraced autonomous race-based action, David M. Lewis-Colman shows how black autoworkers placed themselves at the center of Detroit's working-class politics and sought to forge a kind of working-class unity that accommodated their interests as African Americans."--BOOK JACKET.
Trust and power : consumers, the modern corporation, and the making of the United States automobile market
Sally H. Clarke.
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2007.
"Trust and Power argues that corporations have faced conflicts with the very consumers whose loyalty they sought. The book provides novel insights into the dialogue between modern corporations and consumers by examining automobiles during the 20th century."--BOOK JACKET.
Billy, Alfred, and General Motors : the story of two unique men, a legendary company, and a remarkable time in American history
William Pelfrey.
New York : AMACOM, c2006.
Pelfrey tells the story of Billy Durant, GM's founder, and Alfred Sloan, his successor, and their work to build the company, and its relationship with Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, Henry Leland, Walter Chrysler, and others in the auto industry, focusing on the first quarter of the twentieth century. Pelfrey is former director of executive communications at GM. Annotation #169;2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The big book of car culture : the armchair guide to automotive Americana
Jim Hinckley and Jon G. Robinson.
St. Paul, MN : Motorbooks, 2005.
This photo- and memorabilia-rich look at everything automotive features poignant essays and a remarkable collection of nearly 400 images of drive-in restaurants, gas stations, breathalyzers, tail fins, the Wienermobile and Route 66.
The people's tycoon : Henry Ford and the American century
Steven Watts.
New York, N.Y. : A.A. Knopf, 2005.
- "This is a Borzoi book published by Alfred A. Knopf"--t.p. verso.
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 539-592) and index.
- The Legend of Henry Ford -- The road to fame -- Farm boy -- Machinist -- Inventor -- Businessman -- Celebrity -- Entrepreneur -- The miracle maker -- Consumer -- Producer -- Folk hero -- Reformer -- Victorian -- Politician -- The Flivver king -- Legend -- Visionary -- Moralist -- Positive thinker -- Emperor -- Father -- Bigot -- The long twilight -- Antiquarian -- Individualist -- Despot -- Dabbler -- Educator -- Figurehead -- The sage of Dearborn.
American cars, 1960-1972 : every model, year by year
J. "Kelly" Flory, Jr..
Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, c2004.
The automotive industry underwent great change in the 1960s and the early 1970s before the gas crisis. The continuing trend toward market consolidation, the proliferation of sizes and nameplates and categories of automobiles, and the "need for speed" characterized this period, which may be loosely labeled the muscle car era.
J.D. Perry Lewis saw his first horseless carriage while visiting Paris in 1892. Upon his return to St. Louis he turned his brothers horse drawn buggy into the first electric vehicle to drive the streets. It was able to go up to speeds of eight miles per hour. In 1902 he was issued automobile license No. 1.
The St. Louis Motor Carriage Co. was the first auto factory to have a patent on it's one-cylinder that had the motor, clutch and transmission built as one unit. When the company moved in 1905, George P. Dorris stayed in St. Louis and the patent was transferred to his new company, Dorris Motor Car Company.
The Moon Motor Car Company, founded by Joseph W. Moon also started as a buggy company. They had several models including one that had a radiator that looked like one on a Rolls Royce. It's best European type product The Prince of Windsor, was named for the Prince of Wales.
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Over the years there have been over 100 vehicle makers in St. Louis. Thirty-one local manufacturers were operating within city limits between 1900 and 1929. |
Russell E. Gardner Sr. started making banner buggies. He then worked manufacturing bodies for Chevrolet. By 1919 he became a multimillionaire by selling his franchise and started the Gardner Motor Car Company. He built luxury cars with hydraulic brakes and front wheel drive.
The auto industry grew from the horse drawn carriage. These early contributions created the biggest boom for the present day automobile.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff.
