Day 11 - November 10, 2015 (Great Lakes Region Trip)
Our day started almost as well as our night ended. It was pouring while we took luggage out to the car. We headed out to take Erin's photo of the world's largest tire (posted 1/13/16). We crossed a really cool bridge.
From there, we went by the steel plant across from the Ford Rouge Plant and then on to Allen Park.
Robin wanted to find a Pandora charm to add to her "after retirement" bracelet. Since we were seeing lots of different cars on this trip, she wanted a car charm. We drove several different places in Allen Park before we left town. We found out the only Pandora automobile charm had been retired. The only thing that came out of that goose hunt was we were along the Detroit River. We could see Canada across the river by Fighting Island. So, although we did not set foot in Canada, we did get to see it!
Our destination for the day was Lansing, MI. As we were driving, we saw a truck we had never seen before. First, take a look at the number of tires. For each one seen, multiply by 2 since they were doubles. It looked to us like it was a 38 wheeler (front tires weren't double). As for the cargo, we had never seen vegetable oil being transported like this.
We drove to Lansing, MI, a total of 88 miles. As we got into town, we saw the Michigan State Capitol building. We loved the large red ornaments decorating the city.
Since we hadn't eaten breakfast, we decided to eat an early lunch. We found BackYard Bar-B-Q. It was quite unique. The food was alright, but nothing special.
We drove by the Boji Clock Tower, also known as the Olds Tower. It was named after R. E Olds, who was the primary financier of the 23 story tower project. It has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. Its name has been changed several times over the years.
We headed to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum. This was why we journeyed to Lansing. On the outside of the building were some very informative signs about Ransom Eli Olds. We especially liked the mailbox.
We went inside the office and purchased our tickets. The first room we entered had R.E. Olds statue and many of his personal belongings. However, one of the most interesting pieces of information in this area was something we learned about the Florida town of Oldsmar. Did you know that Ransom E. Olds started the community of Oldsmar? He bought 37,541 acres of land on the northern tip of Tampa Bay in 1913. After a 10-year attempt of building a community failed, and a lost of nearly $3,000,000, R. E. Olds left. To read more about this fascinating connection, including a connection to Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, go to www.oldsmarlibrary.org and click on History (scroll passed the photos to "Random Eli Olds and the American Dream").
Olds first worked with stationary and steam engines.
The first vehicle we saw was Young Ranny Olds' first steam carriage. He built it from 1883 through 1887. In 1887, Olds drove this experimental steam vehicle, Lansing's first automobile, for a distance of 1 block.
Another early car was the 1897 High Wheel Gasoline Motor Carriage. What we saw was a full scale reproduction of the first production gasoline powered motor carriage. This vehicle is now the fifth of this model design to have ever been manufactured, only 4 models having been built prior to 1899. A fire at the Olds Motor Works in 1901 destroyed 3 of the 4 original models. In 1915, the only remaining vehicle was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. They loaned it to the R.E. Olds museum as part of a reproduction project. The car appeared at the 105th anniversary Oldsmobile homecoming in Lansing, MI, where General Motors designated it as the fifth of its type.
The next early car in line was the 1899 Oldsmobile Electric. Ransom Olds turned to experimenting with electric automobiles after the Olds Motor Works Company was formed in 1899 (combination of The Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the Olds Gasoline Engine Works). He made 6-8 electrics during this period. The Edison batteries used in this era were poor quality, which limited the range the cars could travel. This car on display is believed to be the only Olds electric in existance.
Once the Olds Motor Works Company was formed, R.E. Olds and the Smith Family, who now held the majority of shares, had a disagreement about what type of cars the company should produce. The Smiths wanted to build expensive cars and R.E. Olds wanted to continue to build inexpensive, easy to operate, cars for the masses. Ransom E. Olds left the company and formed his own company, REO, in 1904. It was later renamed REO Motor Car Company. The Smiths continued with the Oldsmobile Company, which began having financial problems and feared they would soon be out of business. A friend of the Smith Family, William Durant, was operating another automobile company in Flint, MI called Buick. They combined the 2 businesses with Buick being the centerpiece. The new company was named General Motors. REO would outproduce Oldsmobile for the next 20 years.
The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout was simple and affordable, providing an alternative to its greatest competitor at the time, the horse. It is considered the first mass-produced automobile. They were built on the first automotive assembly line. This assembly innovation is commonly attributed to Henry Ford, but it was Ransom E. Olds who patented the assembly line concept. Henry Ford was the first to create a moving assembly line. I
The 1906 REO Model B Runabout was the answer to compete with Oldsmobile's Curved Dash Runabout and their Touring Runabout car.
The Baby REO was the first fully functioning miniature car ever built. It is a 1/4 scale replica of Mama REO. The Baby REO was built in 1905 as a marketing and promotional event for the 1906 model year. It cost more than $3,000 or more than double the cost of a full sized Model A REO.
REO began commercial vehicle production in 1908, which continued in Lansing until 1974 (and continues in Harrisburg, PA still as the Diamond REO). REO was distinctive because it built its own cabs and engines, as well as most other parts. An example would be this 4-cylinder truck was the 1923 REO Speedwagon Enclosed Cab Express. It was common in the industry to subcontract those out to other manufacturers.
We saw a 1920 Oldsmobile Economy Truck. The original cost was $1,295 with cab, no truck body.
The 1929 REO Flying Cloud Mate had some unique features. It was a rumble seat coupe with really neat tail lights that spelled, "STOP."
Another interesting REO car was called "Jessie." It was a hearse/ambulance conversion, completely in 1932. The hearse has all of its original components, including the Continental 6-cylinder engine.
This 1938 REO Speed Wagon served Bainbridge Fire Company in PA until 1972.
The Oldsmobile Toronado was a personal luxury car with a radical new design look. It was produced by Oldsmobile from 1966 to 1992. We saw this first year production 1966 Tornado. This car was significant because it was the first U.S.-produced front-wheel automobile since the demise of the Cord in 1937.
We saw a lot of neat Oldsmobile cars, a few of which some family members owned at one time.
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| 1937 Model L37 Club Coupe |
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| 1966 Push Vehicle Toronado |
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| 1972 Vista Cruiser |
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| 1988 Cutlass Supreme Convertible |
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| Woody |
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| 1932 F-32 Convertible Roadster |
In addition to making cars up to 1936, REO began a lawn mower division in 1946. By 1950, REO was the largest manufacturer of power lawn mowers in the world. Unfortunately, REO did not adapt to the move to rotary mowers. It sold the lawn mower division in 1954. However, REO did adapt its lawn mower engine to its "Trollabout" boat kit.
The R.E. Olds Transportation Museum also had an area about bicycle evolution. As pointed out, many early automakers began in bicycle production. The chain drive, the shaft drive, pneumatic tires, and variable gearing were all transportation innovations that were first applied to bicycles and only later moved on to the automobile.
Another highlight of the museum was the Fisher Body Coach. Many GM automobile bodies were created and built by Fisher Body. An emblem stating "Body by Fisher" was imprinted on the scuff plates of GM cars until the mid-1980s. The coach became the symbol of Fisher Body.
We enjoyed our visit to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, but it was time to move on to another city with another car museum. We drove from Lansing, MI to Auburn, IN, a distance of 112 miles. It was late afternoon before we got started. We saw a beautiful sunset on the way.
We stopped at Bob Evans for dinner before getting to our hotel. It was a quiet evening.
