If you head toward Yellowstone, but it still remains closed (roads got his pretty heavily due to rains/flooding), you might detour to the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, Wy. This huge collection of military vehicles includes multiple jeeps.

George Bondora posted these to FB:

Bill shared this article by Tom Czekanski from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, a place I have yet to visit (“yet” being the key word).

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/shop-talk-three-jeeps

PHOTO CREDIT: 1941 Ford GP awaits assembly. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum.

Tom in Paris shared these two photos of jeeps he found at the Old Barthell Coal Camp and Museum.

Tom wrote, “The GPW is a 1942, missing some stuff and sitting on M151 wheels. The CJ2A is a 1946 with tool indents, with the shifter on the floor. They were parked at the old Barthell Coal Camp and museum, in Strunk,Ky. Barthell was owned by Stearns Coal and Lumber. The mining operations stopped in 1948.”

I was able to locate a stock photo that shows the GPW from a different angle:

PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-machine-shop-at-barthell-coal-mining-camp-kentucky-30673381.html

Nick visited the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage State Park, Long Island, New York, and took these photos for us.

Here’s a video from the Museum’s website:

Nick wrote, “Right when you walk in and scattered throughout with the heavy artillery are a number of well preserver/restored jeeps. The second vehicle you see when entering is a nice GPW. Then, there are blue and yellow newer-looking jeeps (looked like a 3a and an m38a1), which they drive and use around the park. The museum has a very nice OD m38a1 and an M-718 ambulance jeep. They also have an M-274 Mule, a Mighty mite, and an MB.

They have several volunteers that restore the vehicles and many are driven around. And, if you want to take a ride in a tank in an old battlefield setting, I believe you can for a reasonable donation (think it’s like $125).

Here’s a GPW:

This M-38A1 looks well restored:

This CJ-3A? may have an aftermarket hood. It looks like there’s possibly a “Follow Me” M-38A1 behind the blue jeep:

This appears to be an MB:

And another MB amongst a Commando car on the left and an M-151 on the right:

Jeep outside the museum (photo from Trip Advisor)

Mohamed Busamnoh, eWillys’ United Arab Emirates correspondent, reported on his recent visit to the newly opened Offroad History Museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Thanks for sharing! (check out another museum owned by the same sheikh with a giant flat fender).

“I passed by to the newly opened Offroad History Museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to check it out and it’s pretty impressive. It is owned by one of they royal family members who goes by the nickname “Rainbow Sheikh”. It is divided into 3 main sections:

1. A modified cars section where all his imagination goes and he builds the craziest cars.
2. Second is civilian production models,
3. And, the third is a military section.

He has more than 350 cars on display only in this museum. He also owns several museums around the world. From above, the main entrance is built as the letter H for his name, Hamad. He had what I believe is the only FC in the country besides mine or at least from what I have seen around. He also has all kinds of everything 4×4. All kinds of jeeps.

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UPDATE: A reader named Jim actually served on the USS Slater. He spotted this post from 2013 and had some insights into the real history behind the USS Slater jeep:

I was pursuing the many facets of ewillys when I found a page with our jeep (the USS Slater jeep) ! I got a good laugh when I got to the last picture of it (the plaque).

This is why:

First, this is our jeep a number of years ago in a parade.

Way back when, some “idiot” member of the board thought it would be an idea to auction off the jeep. No one knew what happened to it after that. Then, several years ago I went on a hunt for it. I found it! Where? The Chrysler Traveling Museum”! Apparently, the auction winner had sold it. (to a museum?)

Then, in the picture on eWillys I see on the plaque (last pic below) where it says “This particular vehicle was owned by the US Navy and served on the USS Slater”(during Korea).

Well just to correct their version of history, during the Korean War the Slater had already been given to Greece where she served for the next 45 years in the Hellenic Navy! DE’s (Destroyer Escorts) did not usually have jeeps. because they couldn’t fit them onboard!

My search for the jeep got me to Chrysler and I emailed them. Not that I would expect them to give it back, but…. Then I get this email back:

The funny thing is all this is happening just months after the posting on your site in October of 2013! I especially like how a so-called “historian” believed how it came to be!

Well, according to this letter they were still touring the country in 2014 (which answers your “where is it now” question from 2013)!

When I am finished with my jeep and she is all lettered up as the USS Slater jeep, I think Chrysler may have a little competition!

Ciao for now,
Jim

==========================

Originally Published 2013:

Joe shot these photos back in May of 2005. He writes, “I visited this DiamlerChrysler Corp. traveling exhibit in Virginia Beach, VA back in 2005, photographed it and posted the story on the G503.com website back then. (when the ewillys.com concept was but a dream for sometime in the future.) I’ve included the link for you to read as background and to share with your readers. I found the follow-up comments by other G503 members the most interesting based on their expert knowledge/experience of the subject.”

Anyone know if they still run the traveling exhibit?

http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=61931

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Photos of this modified jeep located at the Auto & Technik Museum, in Sinsheim, Germany, were posted to the G-503 Facebook page. After some various guesses, Alexander Schingerlin explained how this was modified.

“Look what you see at the picture, a Lanz Tractor and a strange looking Willys. Gas was expensive in the years after war and someone put the complete unit – engine, transmission, in an Willys. Thats why the cooler is so high and the Engine so far in the front because of the long transmission of the tractor”

Joe Keefhaver shared this on Facebook. The Patee House Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri, is owned and operated by The Pony Express Historical Association. Inside you’ll find two miniature jeeps on display. According to the signage, the larger 3/4-size jeep was built from a 1950 Crosley Station wagon, while the smaller 1/2-size jeep was all custom.

This looks like a pretty cool place. Check out this exhibit: 

Jan posted this to her Facebook page. There is an M-38 located inside the “world’s largest truck stop” in Walcott, IA. We drove by that place and, had I known, we would have stopped and taken pics ourselves (that’s what we get for being in a hurry … grrrr).

This random video of the world’s largest truck stop is from a “wheretheheckarethealbans” video.

Joe-in-Mesa’s daughter’s boyfriend’s father (way to suck him in Joe!) took this photo of a 1943 GPW dedicated to the memory of the Echeverria Field near Wickenburg, Arizona, and donated to the Wickenburg VFW. Obviously, it’s not a perfectly restored vehicle, but it does help provide a tangible memory for VFW visitors.

Joe searched and found a few more photos online:

Here’s the VFW where the jeep is located, though Google did not capture the jeep outside:

Here is some location information about the air field. The location was not available via Google maps, so this is a hacked together location image:

1951 view of the former air field:

Some related links:

1. Web page on abandoned air fields in Arizona
2. Wickenburg VFW Facebook page
3. Ghosttown Arizona information on Echeverria Field
4. Echeverria Field on Wikipedia

UPDATE: Opening date for the Museum of Off Road Adventure was moved to Thursday December 6th.

Original post Apr. 20th, 2018: Ted spotted this article on Hemmings about a new Museum called the Museum of Off Road Adventure in Clay Township, Michigan.

You can read more here: https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/04/19/one-off-napco-chevrolet-brush-truck-becomes-first-acquisition-for-new-four-wheel-drive-museum/?refer=news

John also stopped by the MacArthur Memorial Museum in Norfolk, VA. The Willys MB shown in the pics below was donated by Chrysler (along with $100,000) and is supposed to be fully restored. There’s no indication that MacArthur used or drove in this jeep.

Joe saw yesterday’s photo from Seattle, which made him think of a similar period photograph. It hangs on the wall inside the offices at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, New York, showing a portion of Broad Street in Norwich. (Broad Street is the main street).

Steve reports that this jeep can be seen inside the Miami-Dade County (Florida) Transportation Building. It appears to be a militarized CJ-2A with some MB parts (frame could be MB) with some diamond plating added to the rear cargo area.

As you can see in this pic, it is claimed the jeep is a 1945 WWII jeep. But, the CJ parts suggest otherwise. It appears the jeep is on loan form the Miami Military Museum at Zoo Miami.

This pic is from Yelp and shows the sign on the jeep and more of the display.

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Gayland recently visited the U.S. Army’s Transportation Museum at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and shared these photos. Ann and I drove right past there, but didn’t have time to stop. I will have to visit there the next time I’m visiting my cousin in Virginia.

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One place I’ve yet to reach is Russell’s Travel Center, a gas stop on historic Route 66 along I-40, exit 369, Glen Rio, New Mexico. Don recently stopped in their to take photos of their 1948 CJ-2A, along with some other vehicles. This year, on my return trip, I plan to stop and see it!

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