0 Another Book! Alaska's First Automobiles

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

Our latest exhibit, "Extreme Motoring: Alaska's First Automobiles and Their Dauntless Drivers" has been very popular, and many visitors have asked us to publish the stories about these men and their machines. So, I've spent the winter writing a book with the same title, which we hope to have printed by July of 2015. Local author, journalist, and historian Dermot Cole has agreed to edit it.

Alaska has a rich and colorful automotive heritage, but it has largely been overshadowed by its more charismatic aviation history. Yet our pioneering motorists certainly deserve recognition for the important role they played in Alaska's transportation history and improving life in the Last Frontier.

This book will feature stories about the very first automobiles in the far North, how they got here, what they were used for, and who drove them. I am also including sections about Alaska's early motorcycles, buses, trucks, snow machines, "boat cars," and automobile racing. The vehicles are interesting, but the pioneering motorists behind the wheels are the heart of the stories. Their adventures, innovations, and trials were quite remarkable, and in some cases, very entertaining.

The book has taken much longer to write than I predicted, partly due to the wealth of information I kept discovering, and also because a lot of fact checking has been required. I was surprised at how much contradictory information I found among newspaper articles and interviews. For example, multiple cars were credited as being the first to arrive in several towns, including Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, and Dawson. Some newspapers contradicted what they had written just months earlier. Sorting through these mysteries was both maddening and a fun challenge.

I have been able to find photographs of most of Alaska's first automobiles, and will include these and many other wonderful photos in the book. I am very grateful to the various archives and people who have made their photo collections available to me. I am also grateful to museum owner Tim Cerny for investing in this publication. We look forward to sharing it with you.

Detail: Another Book! Alaska's First Automobiles

0 The First Automobiles in Alaska

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

I've started to compile a book about Alaska's automobile history, based on research I've done for signs in the museum and for this blog. While digging through my notes recently I started reviewing what I've learned about the first automobiles to arrive in different Alaska communities. Here's a summary:

Skagway - the first automobiles to pass through Skagway--and Alaska--were likely the Leon Bollé Voiturette (right) and another car brought north in 1900 by Count Emile Janne de Lamare of Paris. As best I can tell, neither vehicle was driven in Skagway. Instead, they were transported from a ship directly to the train for shipment to Whitehorse, where de Lamare planned to drive them to Dawson City. You can read about his (mis)adventure here.

The first automobile actually driven in Alaska was also the first one built here: Bobby Sheldon's runabout, built in 1905 in Skagway. Thankfully, the car still exists. Sheldon donated it the University of Alaska's museum in 1935 and it is on loan to us from the University of Alaska Museum of the North.



Nome - The next automobile to be driven in Alaska appears to be this Thomas Flyer. It was shipped to Nome in the spring of 1904 by the Alaska Automobile Transportation Company of Olympia, Washington. It was later purchased by A.E. Boyd of the Alaska Telephone and Telegraph Company.



Valdez - There is a bit of debate about the first automobile in Valdez. Pioneer Ken Rudolph wrote in his memoir that James Fish brought the first horseless carriage there "along about 1904." He then goes on to describe what sounds just like Fish's IHC high-wheeled Auto Buggy, which didn't actually arrive in Valdez until June 9, 1912 (IHC introduced their Auto Buggy in late 1906). I believe that the Thomas Flyer driven by the American team in the 1908 around-the-world race was the first automobile seen in Valdez, arriving April 9, 1908 on the steamship Bertha. In driver George Schuster's written account of the trip he quoted Valdez freighter Dan Kennedy as saying, "It's the first automobile I have ever seen."

Unfortunately the Flyer never made it off the wharf. Likely the first automobile to cruise the streets of Valdez was the 1909 White Model M steamer owned by the Valdez-Fairbanks Auto Transfer Company, shown at right. I have no record of when this car arrived in Valdez.



Ketchikan - The photo of the highwheeler at right is labeled "First automobile in Ketchikan, Governor Wildred B. Hoggatt driving, ca. 1908." I have my doubts about the date and "first auto" claim, as the car pictured is a 1911 IHC Auto Buggy. A Ketchikan Daily article dated June 13, 1908, noted: "Well, well, well! With the advent of a yellow-backed two seated touring car, Ketchikan has again cinched her title as the first city in Alaska. The car is speedy one, though run with only one horse power." I only wish I knew what kind of car they were describing. Perhaps a REO?

Fairbanks -  The first automobile in Fairbanks was this Type XV Pope-Toledo that arrived on August 6, 1908, on the sternwheeler Cudahy. It was shipped in for David Laiti, owner of the Fairbanks Flume Hose Factory. Laiti had also ordered a Franklin and White Steamer that would arrive on a later boat. The photo at right of the Pope-Toledo was taken in 1910, after the car had been sold to Dave Courtemanche.


Cordova - The first automobile in Cordova was a White Model M steam car, purchased by Captain Austin Lathrop to ferry passengers between the docks, railroad, and hotels. It arrived on March 21, 1910 and is shown here with a load of school children on Flag Day that year.

Sitka - The May 21, 1910 issue of Automobile Topics magazine reported that an Ahnut "Six" had been ordered by someone in Sitka. I would love to find a record of it arriving there, and to determine if it was the town's first automobile.

Juneau - Reportedly the first automobile seen by the residents of Juneau in their coastal town was the Abbott-Detroit Bull Dog (right), driven by Charles Percival during his cross-continental durability run in 1911. Percival originally planned to offload the Bull Dog in Juneau for a spin around the town while traveling south from Skagway, but the steamship schedule didn't allow time for that. Instead, the townspeople could only admire the boat on its perch on the City of Seattle's forward deck. A few sources state the first automobile to be driven in Juneau was a second-hand Pope-Toledo brought in by William Burridge, a mechanic working at Martin Lynch's Machine Shop. It appears to have arrived in 1911. I would think that automobiles would have arrived in Juneau earlier than that. I need to follow up on reports of some homemade motor cars and a note that a man named Charlie Rudy had the first automobile in the area.

Ruby - The first auto in Ruby was purchased by a group of citizens to carry freight and passengers between the town and mining camps on the winter roads. Newspaper articles I have do not mention the make of the car, but give a colorful description of its first outing on November 16, 1914 with Morton Adams at the wheel. "With seven men in the car she swung around the corner at the N.C. bridge and was off on the government road up the hill. She flew like a duck; she sang like a bird; she stopped like a mother's cradle and ran like a scared wolf." 

Seward - This photo is labeled "April 24, 1915 arrival of the first automobile in Seward." One source says that Robert Ashland's Model T truck was the first auto in Seward (likely the truck in the photo), while another claims the Pete Ogle's black Ford four-door touring car came there first. 


Circle - In the spring of 2015, a Ford Model T (right) owned by John Palm arrived in Circle, I assume by riverboat on the Yukon River. He used it to transport people and freight between Circle and Miller House at mile 114 of what would later be called the Steese Highway. Palm was driving it in August of 1915 "when suddenly, for some unknown reason, it swerved and jumped into the river," nearly killing him. The car apparently suffered little damage.

Nenana - William Coghill brought the first automobile, a Ford truck, to Nenana on the steamer Tanana on October 14, 1916. That following January, Bob Scanlon drove a Bob Sheldon car with skis under the front wheels from Fairbanks to Nenana--the first automobile to make the overland journey.

Anchorage - Joe Spenard is credited with bringing the first automobile to Anchorage in 1916, a REO truck. Spenard also brought in a 1915 Ford Model T (shown at right), which became the city's first taxi.

If you have information about and/or photos of the first automobiles in any Alaska communities, or corrections to the above, please let us know!

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!





 

Detail: The First Automobiles in Alaska

0 Our Pope-Toledo Wins!

 by Willy Vinton
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

A few weeks ago my lovely wife and I headed south for the U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d'Elegance in Washington state. We arrived in Seattle to a very wet and rainy Thursday evening, and while driving out to Monroe we encountered one of the hardest rains I have seen in many years. The water was nearly a half-inch deep on 405, and the wipers on the rental car could hardly keep up. We were also treated to a very bright and noisy show with lightning that lit up the entire area. Definitely not the kind of weather for taking out a 107-year-old automobile!

We spent Friday and Saturday at Murray Motor Car getting our 1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII touring car cleaned up and ready for the show. This included oiling the clutch and taking the big car for a test drive to make sure everything was working properly following its trip to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August. Once everything checked out, we loaded the car for its trip to the LeMay Museum for Sunday's show.

The day started out a little on the cool side, but the fog burned off and turned into a great day for a show--not too hot, but still plenty warm. The Pope-Toledo certainly generated a lot of interest among the show visitors. There were some other beautiful cars in the Antiques Class, including a 1914 Lozier and 1910 Buick. Tough competition!

It was very exciting when we learned we had won the First in Class award for Pre-War Antiques. This speaks highly of the fine work done by Al and Paul Murray (pictured with me at left, along with Paul's son) and their crew. They are now getting the car ready to ship north to Fairbanks later this month.

As you can see, the Pope-Toledo has some very curvy lines. This style of body is known as "Roi-des-Belges," which translates as "King of the Belgians." It was the mistress of King Leopold II of Belgium who suggested he have a car designed with seats that resembled her richly upholstered armchairs. The bulging, tulip-shaped seats and graceful, inswept waist of the Roi-des-Belges body caused a sensation when it was unveiled on a Panhard et Levassor in 1902.

The Roi-des-Belges body, also known as a tulip phaeton, remained popular for several years. It was used on several American cars and was carried by two of the first automobiles in Fairbanks--a 1906 Pope-Toledo identical to ours, and a 1908 White Model K steam car. You need to come see it in person to realize how elegant it is.

I want to send out a big thank you to my wonderful wife, Wilma, for accompanying me to these events, dressing the part, and spending the entire day visiting with folks. It always helps to have a pretty lady with the car, but this year we were blessed to have two of them! Many thanks to Marlene for also joining us, dressed in her pretty finery. 


Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying at one of the Fountainhead Hotels. All guests receive half-price admission to the museum!

Detail: Our Pope-Toledo Wins!

0 Pope at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours

 by Willy Vinton
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

Last week we headed south for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in "not always sunny" Monterey, California.

Tim Cerny, the museum owner, finally got to see our 1906 Pope Toledo Type XII when we rolled the car out of the trailer (above right). As you can see from the pictures, it is a stunning car, with nary a flat panel on it.  Our friend Marlene refers to it as the Jane Mansfield car, "big headlights and lots of curves!" We had to fight the brass-tarnishing mist to get the car ready for showing, but we had her ready on time. Many thanks to Al and Paul Murray, of Murray Motor Car, for their hard work getting the Pope-Toledo ready for the Concours.

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A real work of art lies under the Pope-Toledo's hood. The blend of polished steel, aluminum, brass, and copper are a sight that you really need to see in person, as the pictures just do not do it justice.

 

The right side of the engine is even more fun to look at than the left side. The engine has atmospheric intake valves that make a unique buzz sound when it runs, and you will be amazed at how slowly this engine will run. The advertised range of 200 to 1200 rpm would push the car from 5 mph to 60 mph without shifting out of high gear, a true "mile-a-minute" car as the company advertised.

The cowl on the Type XII Pope-Toledo is quite striking, with its brass rail following the curvature of the dash. A very unique oiling drip gauge mounted on the right side of the dash is a must-see (you will have to come see it in person when it arrives).  The car was restored in 1956-57 and retains the same paint and upholstery that was done then. It still looks like new!






At right is the Pope-Toledo on the 18th green of the Pebble Beach Golf Course. Approximately ten-thousand people crowded the field to view the Concours and most stopped by to admire the Pope. It always helps to have a pretty lady dressed in period attire alongside the car...




We were very pleased when we learned that the Pope-Toledo won Third in Class (A1-Antiques) and the Ansel Adams special award. Next up is the Kirkland Concourse d'Elegance at the LeMay Museum on September 8, then North to Alaska!

Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying at one of the Fountainhead Hotels. All guests receive half-price admission to the museum!

Detail: Pope at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours

0 The Toledo - "An Automobile of Quality"

by Nancy DeWitt

1907 Pope-Hartford
William Evans Collection

© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

I have written several blog posts about the Pope-Toledo automobile, but none about its predecessor, the Toledo. Pope-Toledo was the star of Colonel Albert Pope's empire, which also included Pope-Robinson, Pope-Hartford, Pope-Tribune and Pope-Waverly automobiles. Colonel Pope was the world's largest bicycle manufacturer in the late 1800s, and it was only natural that he diversified into automobile production when bicycle sales plummeted.

1904 Pope-Toledo Twin Tonneau
from http://www.swedishbrasscar.com

The Pope-Toledo name arose following the reorganization of the International Motor Car Company, which produced steam and internal-combustion automobiles under the Toledo name. On May 27, 1903, the agency was renamed the Pope Motor Car Company, and all subsequent cars produced were known as Pope-Toledos. The steam car line was dropped in 1904. The early 1904 Pope-Toledos bore a striking resemblance to the 1903 Toledo shown below.

Although a number of Toledo steam cars are still around, to our knowledge we have the sole-surviving Toledo gasoline car. We purchased this 1903 Toledo rear-entry tonneau from the estate of Carl J. Schmitt in 2008. Mr. Schmitt acquired the Toledo in 2000 and had Allan Schmidt of Escondido, CA perform a complete frame-off restoration on it in 2003. According to Allan, the car had its original body and was fairly easy to restore because it was so complete. He built a new copper radiator and water tank, as well as a windshield and top. In 2004, the Toledo won the Antique (1 & 2-cylinder) Award at the 2004 Kirkland Concours d'Elegance.

The wicker side baskets shown here are original to the car. These could be used to hold tools, spare parts and picnic baskets. The Toledo also has an interesting hill brake--essentially a pole that swings down from the chassis and digs into the ground--that could be lowered when climbing steep hills. It was also one of the first automobiles to have an electric speedometer.

Museum Manager Willy Vinton has driven the Toledo several times. "It takes a lot of time to get her prepped," he says, " but it starts very easily if you follow the instructions, taking about 15 minutes to warm up. It runs very well, but shifting is a little different from other early cars." Unlike the two-speed planetary transmissions found in most automobiles of the time, the 12-horsepower Toledo has a three-speed, sequentially shifted sliding-gear transmission.

The Toledo is very striking in appearance and has an unusually long bonnet for a two-cylinder car. This accommodated the large radiator tank that sits in front of the engine. In 1903 a Toledo cost $2,000, which included a large brass headlight, two side lamps, a signal horn, tools, a tire repair kit and a removable extra seat for the tonneau. Advertised as "An Automobile of Quality," sales literature further boasted that its "perfect appointments and superb finish appeals to the refined taste and good judgement of purchasers." It certainly is a fine car and a nice addition to the museum.

The Toledo is featured in our museum book and can be seen in this short video.

Detail: The Toledo - "An Automobile of Quality"

0 A Pope Returns to Alaska

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

Photo courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Library

Alaska's location on the Great Circle Route has several advantages, notably that numerous cargo planes stop here to refuel on their flights between North America and Asia. Occasionally a VIP emerges from an airplane during a refueling stop, and in 1984 Fairbanks was treated to a double bonanza when President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II coordinated their layovers here. It was the first time a Pope and U.S. president had met outside of the Vatican or White House.

This wasn't the first time a Pope had made it to Fairbanks, however. Back in May I wrote about Pope-Toledos in Alaska and the Yukon, one of which was the first automobile to arrive in Fairbanks back in 1908. These cars were named for Colonel Albert Pope, who founded a bicycle and automobile production empire that spanned several states. His automobiles included the Columbia, Pope-Waverly, Pope-Tribune, Pope-Hartford, and the pinnacle of his marques, Pope-Toledo.

One of the Dawson Pope-Toledos
Photo courtesy of Candy Waugaman

In 1907, two Pope-Toledos were imported to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. One was brought in by Captain J.B. Hubrick, a roadhouse owner and Dawson's cable ferry operator. It was "...fitted with extra large tires and accompanied by large quantities of repair parts and supplies, including wood alcohol and glycerine to mix with the cooling water to prevent freezing." Hubrick planned to establish a motor stage line between Dawson and Granville. Newspapers and automotive journals reported that the man who would drive Hubrick's auto "over the northernmost stage line in the world" would be Carl Lilliesterna, also known as the Swedish Auto Tramp.

Robert Sheldon at the wheel of his Pope-Toledo
Photo courtesy of Frances Erickson

"There was a tremendous scramble for rides on the first day," reported The New York Times, and "the Red Devil" was kept busy all summer. At some point, perhaps around 1910, the big touring car was barged to Fairbanks by Jack Sale, a jeweler who had moved from Dawson to Fairbanks in 1906. Robert Sheldon purchased it for $500 and later noted "it was out-of-time and otherwise in bad shape and not in running condition." After repairing it Sheldon used the Pope-Toledo as a taxi for two years. He then sold it to the Tanana Valley Railroad, which had Fred Lewis convert it to run on the tracks.

The Fountainhead Auto Museum's new Pope-Toledo
Photo courtesy of Al Murray

We know of only 10 or so surviving Pope-Toledos, and just a mere handful of those match the models that made it to Fairbanks over 100 years ago. The most attractive of those was the Type XII with the Roi de Belges body that Hubrick and Sheldon owned. Its upswept sides resembled a tulip--and the curving lines of the cowl and radiator added to its appeal. After years of searching, we have finally acquired an identical car for our museum. Our 1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII 7-passenger touring car is now at Murray Motor Car in Monroe, WA for a general freshening before a possible appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August of 2013. We will ship it north at the end of summer and then plan to have a Pope-Toledo homecoming celebration! It won't be as exciting as a papal visit, but we're sure you will be impressed with our new Popemobile.

Detail: A Pope Returns to Alaska

0 Pope-Toledo Automobiles in the Far North

by Nancy DeWitt

In August of 1908, a Pope-Toledo touring car arrived in Fairbanks on the Steamer Cudahy. It would be the first automobile to be driven on the streets of this Gold Rush town, but it was not the first Pope-Toledo to arrive in the far north. In 1907, two Pope-Toledos were imported to Dawson City, Canada by entrepreneur Stanley Scearce and roadhouse owner Captain Hubrick. The New York Times noted that Hubrick’s 40-hp auto, called the Red Devil, was kept busy all summer ferrying miners for $10 a ride. Scearce’s 1906 Pope-Toledo (also dubbed the Red Devil in one article) was used as a taxi on the frozen Yukon River during the winter of 1907-08, and made at least one run to Alaska’s Forty Mile River.

Photo courtesy of the Pioneer Museum and Joan Skilbred

Photos indicate that the first Pope-Toledo in Fairbanks was a 1907 Type XV Touring. Owner David Laiti had it on the road by August 6, causing much excitement among the townspeople. It only took 24 hours for the big maroon car to earn the nickname of—you guessed it—the Red Devil. Laiti immediately began an automobile stage to Fox and also carried excursion parties around town. By April 1909 the Pope-Toledo had been acquired by garage owner Jack Baird, who continued to use it for a passenger service to Fox. Dave Courtemanche purchased the Pope-Toledo later that year and put it to work carrying passengers between Fairbanks and Ester.

Photo courtesy of Frances Erickson

A second Pope-Toledo—a big Type XII touring car with a beautiful Roi de Belge body—was the eighth automobile to arrive in Fairbanks. It was one of the original Pope-Toledos from Dawson (likely Hubrick’s auto shown above), but it’s not clear who imported it or when. By October 1911, Robert “Bobby” Sheldon was using it to take passengers on local excursions, and we have two photographs of him with the Pope-Toledo taken in March of 1912. Interestingly, Sheldon never mentioned the Pope-Toledo or his early Fairbanks taxi service in any of his interviews. Likely he sold the Pope-Toledo not long after he purchased his first Ford Model T in 1913. Fred Lewis, its next owner, planned to convert it into a truck. Both of the Fairbanks Pope-Toledos were still here in July of 1922, but that is the last record we have of them.

Fewer than 10 Pope-Toledo touring cars survive today. So far we have located ones in California and Oklahoma, and hope that some day one of those will migrate north to Alaska.

Detail: Pope-Toledo Automobiles in the Far North