© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
Two of the most common questions we are asked by museum guests are, “Where did you buy all these vehicles?" and “Who did you buy them from?” The short answer is, we’ve traveled all over the United States and bought them from individual collectors, auctions, and museums alike. One vehicle was even purchased in the U.K. and flown to Alaska. Do you know which one? If not, here’s a refresher…
But being interested in the history of these vehicles, I’ve often wondered where they were all produced. It was a rainy summer, and I had some extra time on my hands so I decided to map it out. I made an iPhoto album containing one photo of each vehicle in the collection and assigned each one its original place of manufacture. You might notice a few things about this map. First off, it’s not weighted, meaning, there is only one pin drop in Detroit, Michigan, even though a full 27 of our vehicles were produced there. These include the manufacturers Ford, Cadillac, Cartercar, Hudson, Chalmers-Detroit, Everitt, Dodge, Chrysler, Fordson, Hupmobile, and Packard. And in case you’re curious, the runner up is Indianapolis, Indiana, with eight vehicles produced there, including the nameplates American (Underslung), Premier, Henderson, and Stutz. Rounding out the top three is Cleveland, Ohio, with five vehicles in the collection made by Peerless, Rauch & Lang, White, Cleveland (motorcycle) and Owen Magnetic.
Not coincidently, you may also notice the outlined pin drops almost precisely define the area traditionally known as “The Rust Belt" (from the Dictionary of American History, Encyclopedia.com)
---- The 1984 Democratic presidential candidate, Walter Mondale, is generally credited with coining the term. During the campaign, Mondale, the former vice-president from Minnesota, attacked the economic policies of incumbent Republican president, Ronald Reagan, stating that the president was "turning our great industrial Midwest and the industrial base of our Country into a rust bowl." The media, however, repeated and reported the notion as "Rust Belt," and the phrase stuck as a good description of the declining industrial heartland, especially the steel and automobile producing regions in the Northeast and Midwest ---
---- The 1984 Democratic presidential candidate, Walter Mondale, is generally credited with coining the term. During the campaign, Mondale, the former vice-president from Minnesota, attacked the economic policies of incumbent Republican president, Ronald Reagan, stating that the president was "turning our great industrial Midwest and the industrial base of our Country into a rust bowl." The media, however, repeated and reported the notion as "Rust Belt," and the phrase stuck as a good description of the declining industrial heartland, especially the steel and automobile producing regions in the Northeast and Midwest ---
And finally, for your quiz, there are two vehicles in the Fountainhead Collection whose birthplaces are not shown on the map, as they were produced outside the boundaries of this area. Can you name them? I’ll give you a hint, the two States they were produced in are each known for their rich ‘Gold Rush’ history.
Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying right here at Wedgewood Resort. All guests receive half-price admission to the museum!