Old News Articles Research Archives

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Volume 1, Issue 1 of The Willys (War) News

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: I have updated the post to include the entire newspaper.

First published Jan 22, 2014: The photo below shows the cover of a rare edition of The Willys War Newspaper. Published on September 28, 1945, this appears to be both the last issue of The Willys War News and the first issue of The Willys News. I base this on three facts: 1) the word ‘war’ is scratched at the top,  2) the small explanation at the bottom of the front page and 3) the publishing date.

Searches of “The Willys War News” yielded the following:

The Willys War News, Vol. 3, No. 3, May 19, 1945 http://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/HTML_findingaids/MSS-072.html
The Willys War News, Vol. 1, No. 10 in 1943 (8 pages) http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1943-jeep-willys-overland-war-238396381

Based on those clues, I would estimate that there were were at least 24 editions IF there were 10 issues in 1943 and 10 issues in 1944 and at least 4 issues in 1945. Anyone know of other examples of this? This seems as rare as the Globe Trotter Magazine.

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Jan 1967 Issue of Jeep News

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Though the issue doesn’t explicitly say it is the January issue, given it discusses things happening in the future in January of 1967, I believe it is the first issue of 1967.

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Parmley Engineering’s Jeep Replacement Body

• CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Old News Articles • TAGS: , , , , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Zac shared a Parmley that he inherited along with a document that shows some pricing and states it was designed for the 81″ chassis.

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Originally posted in 2013, with some pic updates over the years:

As many of you know, I am very curious about the fiberglass aftermarket bodies made for the jeep.  While I’ve seen most models for sale over the years, I have yet to run across Parmley Engineering’s fiberglass body, one of the more unique ones ever created.

After wrecking his CJ-5 in the early 1970s, Californian Tom Parmley, a machinist by trade, decided to build himself a better body for his still-good chassis.  He wanted the body to legally accommodate  wider tires, a dash box with more room, a hood that was lower, and other features.  So, he built and tested his dream body with great success.  Along the way, he received so much positive feedback that he created a kit so others could easily install a Parmley body on their CJ-5 Chassis.

So far, I have only located two resources that document this body.  One is the February 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine, which featured a multi-page article about the new body.  Additionally, at least two issues of Four Wheeler Magazine also have ads for the Parmley body kit.  The other resource is a June 1975 Popular Mechanics article.  The Pop-Mech article also shows off the fiberglass top he invented (at least I assume it is fiberglass).

Here are a couple publicity photos taken by Tom Parley and published in the Feb 1974 issue of Four Wheeler:

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This image shows the Parmley with a top and is from Popular Mechanics.  Note the top example sports Desert Dogs …

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Here is a Parmley-bodied jeep on the cover of a the May 1978 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine.

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This Parmley Engineering ad appeared on the back of January 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine:

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Bob Christy wasn’t sure what this vehicle was when he photographed it in 2008, but now we know.

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This Parmely sold in 2015 and included a rare top:

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This one sold in 2017:

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This one sold in 2022:

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July 1955 Jeep Jamboree Report from Willys News

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old Images Jeeping, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: This post originally appeared August 14, 2015:

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1) Lining up on the first really flat ground they have seen on the entire caravan, the Jeepers stop at Miller Meadows for their Sunday lunch.

This 1955 article in the 1955 July/August issue of Willys News covered the recently completed Jeep Jamboree. The author reported that as part of an awards ceremony, the award for the oldest passenger went 68 year-old Mike Millard who was a former Rubicon Springs-Lake Tahoe stage coach driver. He must have had some great stories!

On another front, compare photo #5 to an original at the online archive of California. There it is dated 1958. Given this appears in a 1955 Willys News I’d say their date is incorrect.

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Jeep Not So Hot on the Farm

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: This article was originally published May 29, 2016:

This Canadian article from the November 20, 1944, issue of the Maple Leaf broke the news that the jeep didn’t test well on the farm.

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Toledo Blade Unveils the CJ-2A

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: This article was originally published April 9, 2015:

On July 19, 1945, the Toledo Blade published an extensive story about the unveiling of the CJ-2A to reporters. The paper is also full of interesting stories, such as the sinking of the Ticonderoga, the identification of a returning GI with amnesia that turned out to be a Nazi Agent, and the jailing of a Walnut Grove, California, woman who threatened a returned Japanese American soldier who was a POW in Germany.

A small part of the CJ-2A story was published on page 1

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The majority of the story was on the front page of section 2.
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Jeffrey Mareck’s Trip of 30,000 Mile Trip in 1966

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The September 28, 1966 issue of the Milwaukee Journal shared Jeffrey Mareck’s 30,000 mile trip through Africa and all the way to England.

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1944 Article about a Soldier’s WWII Story

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Originally published March 27, 2015: 

Interesting story from the St. Petersburg Times if accurate.

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Mail Carrier Put 138,000 Miles on Wagon

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: First posted October 15, 2017.

The February 1955 issue of Kaiser Willys News showcased a mail carrier who put 138,000 miles on a wagon in the Idaho/Yellowstone area.

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Al-Toy Collection Articles

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

These two Toledo Blade articles, one from 1991 and the other from an unknown time, discuss Al-toys and their upcoming sales. If anyone has a truck, wagon, Jeepster, or fire jeep Al-Toy they are considering selling, let me know!

This article shows Jim Cook’s collection, which includes two different fire engine Al-Toys.
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Year? ‘Jeep’ News V. 1 No. 6

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jan for pointing out that on page 4 are two photos of a 2A with a driver’s side spare tire. That would suggest that this issue was printed later than around mid-1948. Given the Santa highlight on the cover, I’d say the Fall/Winter of 1948 prior to the introduction of the CJ-3A. If that’s the case, then maybe these came out every six months? 

Thanks to Jan in the Netherlands for sharing a scanned version of the late 1940s issue of ‘Jeep’ News Volume 1, Number 6.  The “Cristie’s” at the top of the banner is a reference to Cristie’s Garage out of Monticello, New York.

I wonder if the Mahl Loader shown in a photo on Page 6 out of Minnesota is the one that was restored here.

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Kentucky Mountain Scenic ‘Jeep’ Tours in an FC

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This June 28, 1970, article form the Lexington Herald describes tours of Kentucky’s Red River area via a modified FC-170. The business was started by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bowen with a VW bus, but it’s easy to imagine that a better vehicle was needed.

I looked for additional articles about this endeavor, but didn’t have any luck locating anything.

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WANTED: Info For Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Rick Krueger is hoping to pull together some information for the folks at the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. So, if you think you might have some information that would help Rick, email him at das.krueg @ gmail.com (remove the spaces around the @).

Rick wrote, “I have a line on Larry Hughes son Cameron. Dean Richards, Lonnie Richards grand father was a friend of my fathers and Gary Lowes. Dean and Gary played an important part in a boating accident I was in. The name Toy Hall has come up as Commander on a certificate I have found for and award to SNORE in the 70s. So any info from Lionel would be great. Also tracking down a ambulance buggy snore donated to the posse in the 70s. The ORMHOF seems interested so I would like to pull as much together as possible.”

MILE-HI Jeep Club History: Among the online collections at the ORMHOF are some great old photos and history from the Mile-Hi Jeep Club (How is there no PNW4WDA history/race-history here?): https://ormhof.org/mile-hi-collection

Here is one example of what is posted there. This photo shows the inaugural issue of the Mile HI Club’s Jeep Club News in December 1956.

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PHoto Credit: The Mile Hi Jeep Club and the ORMHOF

 

 
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Nov. 1941 Article on Jeeps in Libya

• CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This November 22, 1941, article in the New York Daily news about a British strike force in Libya that used some jeeps. The jeep pictured appears to be the original Ford Pygmy.

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August 1949 Article on the “Morality Jeep”

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This article appeared in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot newspaper on August 08, 1949. The newspaper titled the photo caption “Morality Jeep”, though it’s not clear that the police department ever revered to it as such. It seems a mischaracterization of a patrolman who used a CJ-3A to patrol the beach.

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March 1963 Jeep News Front Page **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

This is a reprint of the first page of the March 1963 Jeep News. Notably, it discusses the two main reasons behind the change. 1) Kaiser Jeep was meant to identify the company as ‘one of the growing Kaiser “family of industries”‘. 2) It was meant to align the company with the ‘Jeep’ trademark and insure ‘Jeep’ was applied to the entire line of products around the world.

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September 1954 Jeep Jaunts Article Out of Virginia

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old Images Jeeping, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Chris shared this article from September 09, 1954, about jeeping in Virginia. The article’s page was rolled a bit when scanned, so the title isn’t completely clear, but I believe the headline should be “Jeep Jaunts Over Rugged Mountain Trails is Now Popular Sport in Gap”.  Thankfully, better pics from this article were posted to Facebook.

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Golden Spike Jeep Rallys in Utah

• CATEGORIES: Event, Features, Old Images, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

In 1969, a local group in northern Utah launched the Golden Spike Jeep Rally, an event that occurred in conjunction with the Ogden Pioneer Days in Late July. I know for sure the event took place in 1969 and 1970, but don’t know how long it lasted.

Events included hill climbs at Rainbow Gardens and an Obstacle Race at Mount Ogden Park, both Saturday and Sunday.

This photo and caption were printed in the June 27, 1969, Hill Top Times (Hill Airforce Base):

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This article and photo was printed in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on July 23, 1970.

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Howard & Ora Boyd’s Jeep Trip to South America

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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A photo from the May 30, 1959, issue of the Eugene Guard showing the FC-170 “EL Borrego” with the Boyds.

UPDATE: This series of articles was first published in 2015. I’ve updated with several additional articles and photos.

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(First published February 15, 2015) This interesting collection of news articles captures Howard & Ora Boyd’s 1958 trip in an FC to South America. The first article was published prior to the trip. The second was published during the trip. The third was published following the trip. I was only able to find one photo and it was poor at best. It may have been that the Boyd’s got the idea from the Schreiders, who did nearly the same route three years before them.

Howard Boyd died in 1993, but Ora Boyd lived until 2009, dying at the age of 106, meaning she was born around 1903. Living much of their lives near Eugene, Oregon, according to her obituary their year-long jeep trip was one of her all-time favorite memories. The obituary was published in the Talent, Oregon, Historical Society newsletter, so I’ve written them to see if we can learn more.

1. This October 31, 1958, EugeneRegister-Guard article discusses trip preparations. The Boyds had a custom camper built for their FC (though no articles mention the model of the vehicle — it looks to me like an FC based on the pic below). They named their jeep “El Borrego”.
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2. November 09, 1958 Eugene Guard .. brief article:

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3. December 14, 1958, from the Eugene Guard:

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1970s Era Local Jeep Races

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images, Old News Articles, Racing This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Jeep races used to be a near weekly event during the summer back in the 1970s. Below are examples of Pacific Northwest 4Wheel Drive Association (PNW4WDA) races held between 1967 and 1970 near my local Eastern Washington community.

It’s hard to believe gived the growth in the Tri Cities (an area consisting of three cities–Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, all separate by rivers) in southeast Washington that races were held near Columbia Point. Now, that area is either wetlands, parks, or homes. Here are several articles with names I’m familiar with. These races were held in conjunction with the annual Water Follies celebration, an event still being held, though without jeep races, though the unlimited hydros still run.

From the June 4, 1967, issue of the Tri Cities herald:

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An article later in the year contained some great images (July 16, 1967 Tri City Herald):

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The results of the race were reported in the July 24, 1967 issue of the Tri City herald:

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The July 20, 1969, issue included this pic from the racing:

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Two days later, the July 22, 1969, issue of the Tri City Herald published the results:

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1947 Ad for Poole Motor Co. Jeep Dealer in Steele, MS

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This full page ad for the Poole Motor Company out of Steele, Mississippi, appeared in the October 06, 1947, issue of the Courier News out of Blytheville, AR. It’s too bad the pics aren’t clearer.

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Nine months later, on June 01, 1948, the Poole Motor Co. published this ad in the Courier News:

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1965 Photo of New Jersey’s Smith Motor’s Jeep Franchise

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This photo shows the new Ken Smith Motors Jeep franchise. The photo appeared in the May 22, 1965, issue of The News, out of Paterson, New Jersey.

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Jan 1976 Vintage Northeast 4WD Racing Newspaper

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles, Racing • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Happy May Day! Below are all the pages from this issue of the newspaper.

This unusual newspaper that popped up on eBay the other day. It was the seventh issue of the Northeast 4WD Racing News. There was no publish date, but one editorial puts this at roughly January 1976. It’s 14 pages published in a full-size newspaper format, so the pics are big! I’d love to see other copies if anyone knows of any (or knows how long this paper lasted).

(The images are extra large to allow folks to read the small text. Click on the image, then most likely you’ll need to click on it again to expand it to full size)

This is the front page:

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Maine Willys Sales Company Bangor, Maine

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The Maine Willys Sales Co, appears to have launched in 1946 in Bangor, Maine. By 1949, the company was located in multiple Maine cities, including Bangor, Rockland, Lewiston, Portland, and Augusta. At some point, circa 1949, the Augusta branch sold six jeeps to the Forestry Department. The below image posted to the Forest Fire Lookout Association’s FB page documents this purchase:

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Here’s an ad from the March 30, 1949, issue of the Bangor News. Note that multiple cities are listed under Maine Willys Sales:

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It’s likely that 1949 wasn’t kind to the Maine Willys Sales Company, because the February 09, 1950, issue of the Bangor Daily News reported that Chrysler had taken over the Maine Willys Sales Company property, though nothing was mentioned about what happened to the company.

Later that year, on June 15, 1950, a large ad appeared in the Bangor Daily News, but only the Maine Willys Sales Company of Rockland appeared on this list of dealers.

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The above ad strongly suggests that Maine Willys had dwindled to just one city in Maine by the summer of 1950. The company’s name was rarely seen in the newspapers after this ad.

The last reference I found for the company was for a July 11, 1953, article in the Bangor Daily News that mentioned an accident where a driver backed into the Rockland Maine Willys Sales showroom, shattering two large windows.

 
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1945 Article on the Jeep’s Rough Ride

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old News Articles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

In his Conner’s Corner column for the Lewiston Evening News on October 16, 1945, Sam Conner didn’t have a “Kind Word For Jeep”, at least in regards to the pounding ride it offered. It was a fair complaint.

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