Old Images Research Archives

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1953 Post Kaiser-Willys Merger Ads

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

These three Kaiser-Willys ads demonstrate a national campaign ad offering to dealers who wanted to share the news that Kaiser and Willys vehicles were being sold under the same brand. Though the purchase was announced in the spring of 1953, the ad campaign was introduced until the fall of 1953 after the sale was completed (See the June 1953 ad at bottom that introduces a new dealer, but doesn’t mention Kaiser).

The imagery and order of the blocks is interesting. Though Kaiser purchased Willys-Overland’s assets, for the extensive network of Willys dealers the experience was the opposite; they were adding Kaiser products to their Willys sales portfolios. I expect this explains why the Kaiser block is pictured being added to the Willys block rather than the other way around.

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This ad was published on November 05, 1953, in The Times out of Shreveport, Louisiana, by Dixie Kaiser-Willys.

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This ad was published on October 08, 1953, in the Birmingham News, out of Birmingham, Alabama, by the Roy Bridges & Co., Inc.

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This ad was published on November 15, 1953, in the Great Falls Tribune, out of Montana, by Robinson Motor Co.

A June 5, 1953, full-page ad out of California introduced Haley Motors, a new “Willys” dealer. Though the merger had been announced, it wasn’t finalized until the fall of 1953; this likely explains why there was no mention of Kaiser in this ad.

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Reprint Photo of Medic Jeep in France & A Brazilian Medic Jeep model

• CATEGORIES: Artists/Drawings, Features, Models, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Steve shared this photo. Though it is an undated reprint, it’s one I hadn’t seen. The photo is only 5″x5″. I’m surprised it isn’t reproduced as a 8″x10″ photo.

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“This is a nice reproduction of an original World War Two photo showing US soldiers in a Jeep reading a sign prepared by French citizens expressing gratitude for the liberation of France from the Nazi’s. Great photo! Size of photo is about 5″ x 5″.”

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The photo above sent me on a quest to find another example of a medic/ambulance jeep with a cross painted onto the grille. I finally found one on a model, one built to replicate a Brazilian Expeditionary Force jeep ambulance from 1944 Italy. The author of the post did a good job retelling the history of the jeep (and didn’t fall for some of the incorrect history on the internet).

http://panzerserra.blogspot.com/2013/04/jeep-14-ton-4×4-ambulance-brazilian.html

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This illustration is one of the inspirations for the model.

 
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1953 Article on 1/2 Scale Jeep for Daughters

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

Andy McIntyre built this model jeep with ingenuity and scavenged parts to help teach his two daughters, Ann and Phyllis, how to drive and use hand signals. He also planned to introduce them to local law enforcement. Eventually, he wanted to teach all the kids how to properly drive, as he noted in the article “Children of today are born into an age of speed … Everyone needs to sharpen his wits to keep step with this age of machines.” It sounds like Andy and his wife raised their girls to be tough and independent!

It sounds like the family had a third daughter, Joy, who passed away in 2008, proceeded by the deaths of her parents Andy and Cora McIntyre. The older sisters, Ann and Phyllis, were still alive as of 2008.

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August 16, 1953, article in The Independent Record, out of Helena, Montana.

 
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1953 Photo of Mighty Mite w/Helicopter

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

This photo appeared in the August 19, 1953, issue of the Dayton Daily News (Ohio). Interestingly, the original press photo does not have the helicopter in the background …

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PHOTO CREDIT: August 19, 1953, issue of the Dayton Daily News (Ohio)

Here’s what appears to be the original photo:

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“Photo is 10″x 8″in size.”

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Old Photo (Negative) of CJ-2A w/ Wilt Ranch Lettering

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

This photo sold recently on eBay for $15.49. I tried to learn more about Wilt Ranch, but was unsuccessful.

“1940s era photo Negative Willys Jeep AUTO Car WILT RANCH Owner gives TOUR.”

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1947 Photo of Nita Electric “House Jeep”

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

Steve spotted this photo from the University of Kentucky’s archives. It shows a modified MB/GPW with a ‘house’ over it for weather protection.  I assume the owner of the jeep was also the owner of Nita Electric. The image below shows only the jeep; you can view the full photo here.

Someone spent took some care to do a nice refurb of this jeep. The bolt details on the rims and frame look really good.

 

 
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The “Jeep Club” of El Paso, Texas

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

A January 18, 1953, article in the El Paso Times shared the story of seven young men who formed “the jeep club”. There was no fancy name attached to it. They guys liked to explore the surrounding mountains, hunt jack rabbits, trap coyotes, and play with their jeeps.

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On the same page as the jeep article was an article about the first mail route in the United States, one that operated between Roswell and Torrance, New Mexico. The mail (and the occasional passengers) were ferried on the YELLOW DEVIL, an assemblage of discarded auto parts; that kind of sounds like a few jeeps I’ve known.

Obviously, this article was written before the aliens reached Roswell, because, rather than known for “progress of modern development (was it really known for that?)”, it’s pretty much famous for other-worldly visitors.

Make sure to reach the final story, one in the far right lower corner. Need rats for an experiment? One scientist discovered an easy way to get them …

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A CJ-2A Joins the Circus Ballet

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

This photo from July 04, 1946, in the Portola Register (out of Portola, California) shows famed clown Emmet Kelly helping Aileen Darnay step out of a CJ-2A, a jeep that was new to the circus. I wonder if the “WILLYS JEEP” painted on the hood was a form of advertising that reduced the cost of the jeep to the circus?

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1945 Photo Gen. Omar Bradley and Mar. Ivan Koev on eBay

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

UPDATE: Here’s a second version of this press photo.

Also, Thanks to Lester (who found a front view of this same jeep in the Concord Armor At War series # 7058 titled The US Army Jeep at War by Steven Zaloga on page 70) we also now know that the inscription reads: To the Commander of the First Ukrainian Army Group from Soldiers of the American Armies of the 12th Army Group ….  Lester believes the same thing is painted in Russian on the hood. The jeep also has the insignia of the major formations of Bradleys command on the cowling between the hood and windshield. Finally, apparently the picture in the book clearly shows the two extra holes in the front bumper making it a GPW model.

Here’s another press photo that captures the gift of a jeep by General Omar Bradley to Marshal Ivan Konev of the Russian Army. Six days later, Marshal Konev responded in kind with the gift of a horse to General Bradley, the inspection of which was captured in the latter half of this video.

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“This is an original press photo. Bradley, Omar (General) (United States of America). General Omar Bradley, commander of the United States Twelfth Army Group, presents an American carbine and jeep foreground to Marshal Ivan Konev of the Russian Army following banquet celebrating the victories of their troops, near Berlin, May 5. This photo was taken by William C. Allen Associated Press Photographer with the wartime still picture pool. Photo measures 10.5 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 5-5-1945.”

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Here’s another photo of the two with the jeep from Pintrest, which originally found it within the Truman Archives. The there are other jeep photos in the archives:

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Marshal Koniev (foreground, second from left) receives a United States Army Jeep as a gift from General Omar Bradley (foreground, left). General Bradley, commander of the United States 12th Army Group, had crossed over into Russian lines to meet Marshal Koniev, commander of the Russian 1st Ukrainian Army Group’s headquarters which was then located southeast of Torgau. All others are unidentified.

This photo is part of a series of photos shared by the families of famous Russian/Soviet families. There are other photos on this page that captured the first documented meeting of Russians and Americans on April 25,1945, near the German town of Torgau on the Elbe river.

========================== Continue reading

 
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1957 Article on Wheeler-Walker’s Printshot

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

This April 30, 1957, article highlights the speedy service it’s red-themed jeeps and other delivery vehicles make possible. Attempts to learn more about this shop were unsuccessful, as there is a singer from the region named Wheeler Walker, so his stuff dominates the search returns.

Clipping from The Miami News - Newspapers.com

 
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2 Photos Showing CJ-6 at Hell’s Half Acre on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
Hellís Half Acre Marker

Hell’s Half Acre Marker, Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming … this photo was posted to the Historical Market Database, which I didn’t know existed.

The following two Polaroid photos show a CJ-6 available for a jeep tour of Hell’s Half Acre in Wyoming. The tour was located at Hell’s Half Acre’s post office, which opened in 1940. This page contains a photo of the post office from 1947; souvenirs were available, but no jeep tours at that time. The post office appears to have been leveled sometime in the 1990s or later.

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“2 Original Vintage Snapshot Photos Hell’s Half Acre Post Office & Hamburgers “
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There is also this partial, color slide from 1960 that was likely taken about the same time:

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Chimpanzees and Battery Powered Jeeps

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

UPDATE: A newspaper article from May 20, 1950, published in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, provides more information about the jeep-driving circus chimp named Nero. He passed away later in the year.
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Originally Posted January of 2013: This 1950 postcard shows some chimpanzees driving a battery powered jeep.  They were part of a Chimpanzee show at the St. Louis zoo started in 1925. Chimps were taught to ride bicycles, tricycles, motorcycles, ponies, a Great Dane, and more. You can learn more about them in the January 8, 1951, issue of Life Magazine.

“VINTAGE POSTCARD – CONDITION: VG. DATE/ERA: 1950s-60s. Standard Size 3.5×5.5.”

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You can view some additional pictures at Jalopy Journal (scroll part way down the page). The quality seems good enough that they may be from Life Magazine, but I tried, but failed to locate their original source. Here is one of the images.

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On December 13, 1950, several newspapers announced that Nero had passed away. Here’s an article from the Southern Illinoisan:

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1961 Photo of a CJ-2L(?) Pest Control Jeep

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

This 1961 photo of a lengthened CJ-2A pest control jeep with a sprayer unit can be found in the Wyoming Digital Archives. Given CJ-2L’s, those extended CJ-2As that appear to have been modified in Spokane and sometimes re-stamped as CJ-2L, were sold out of both Spokane and Montana (see ad examples at the bottom), it is highly probable this could have found its way from either location.

This particular jeep likely has a Porter-Reed aluminum half-cab.

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View the photo in the Wyoming Digital Archives.

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View this example at the Wyoming Digital Archives.

CJ-2L long-wheel-base and CJ-2A extended ads:

This January 1953 ad seems the clearest in terms of a long-wheel-base CJ-2A. Other dealers in the Spokane and Missoula areas carried “lengthened”, “extended” or “long-wheel-base” CJ-2As as well. I believe the ‘extended’ jeeps were likely ones with extended rears, though whether that meant a permanent extension or a bolt on extension is not clear to me.

Fields Motor Company was in Dishman, Washington, which has since been absorbed by suburban Spokane.

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January 19, 1951, Spokesman Review

Here’s an example from 1949. Sandifur Motors was profiled earlier this year:

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December 11, 1949, Spokesman Review

Here’s an example of one ad from 1951. Burhart was a dealer out of Spokane, Washington.

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February 18, 1951, Spokesman Review

 
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October 1945 Photos that Include a Willys MA

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

This October 30, 1945, photo coverage from the Rocky Mount Telegram, out of North Carolina, highlights the start of the 8th War Loan drive. It included a photo of a Willys MA leading a series of elephants.

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1951 Article w/ Jeep Helping Circus

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

This May 10, 1951, article  in the Abilene Reporter-News shows a newly acquired MB/GPW hoisting a circus tent for the Gainesville Community Circus. The jeep was modified to drive stakes, pull stakes, and hoist canvas. Though the circus had been active since the 1930s, this May event was the first time the circus had travelled outside the Gainesville, Texas, area, according to the article at the bottom of the post. Three years later, in 1954, the circus was destroyed by fire.

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Six months earlier, this November 11, 1950, article appeared in Billboard Magazine:

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FC-170 Photo on eBay

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

Steve spotted this photo. It looks like the FC is about to pull a camper shell out of a garage.

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“Pleased to offer an original 1950’s photograph. Photograph measures approximately 5 x 4 inches and has wear consistent with age.”

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Newspaper Delivery by Jeep

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

The Statesville Record and Landmark newspaper out of Statesville, North Carolina, described in the December 29, 1955, issue how up to eight jeeps are used to make sure rural customers received their newspapers, summer or winter, through rain, snow, or sleet.

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1965 Article on Jeeping in Colorado

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

A CJ-V35/U landed on the front page of the Leisuretime Magazine, published by the Gazette Telegraph out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on August 07, 1965. It looks like the  jeep has been modified with a taller radiator (and perhaps another engine), which apparently led to the lack of a hood.

For the story, the writer spent some time with the Mountain Airs Citizen Band Radio Club (not the catchiest of names). I didn’t realize that CB clubs were a ‘thing’, but there was even a magazine dedicated to that group of folks called S9. Here’s an example from 1966 (one in which the Mountain Airs’ name appears somewhere): https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-CB-Radio/S9-Magazine/S9-1966-05.pdf.

Below is the Gazette Telegraph article:

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1951 Photo of MacArthur in Jeep on eBay

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

It’s a good situation when you have people to remove your jeep’s chains….

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“1951 Press Photo Korea, soldiers remove tow chains from Gen. MacArthur’s jeep. This is an original press photo. Central Korean front — Gen. MacArthur flew to the Korean Central front today on his 13th visit since the war. Marines are pictured here removing chains from MacArthur’s jeep after it was towed from Hongchon R. when it stalled while fording river. Gen. Ridgway is in rear of jeep (back to camera).Photo measures 9 x 7inches. Photo is dated 03-20-1951.”

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1949 Article Sedan Delivery Wagons as Patrol Jeeps

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

This April 16, 1949, article in the Portland Press Herald highlighted critic complaints about several new sedan delivery wagons purchased for use as police vehicles. There was some concern that these new patrol vehicles would be unable to catch modern hot rods. In response, the police chief reminded his critics that this was an experiment.

You will note that there is a black blotch covering a small portion of the second part of the article, but I don’t think anything important is lost with it there.

Clipping from Portland Press Herald - Newspapers.com Clipping from Portland Press Herald - Newspapers.com

 
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1946 Plans for Electric Jeep in Mechanix Illustrated

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

UPDATE: I wonder if this electric jeep pictured in the November 05, 1943, issue of the Arizona Republic newspaper was the inspiration for the Jeep for Junior published in 1946?

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The post originally ran in 2014: These plans for an “Electric Jeep for Junior” come from a September 1946 Issue of Mechanix Illustrated Magazine.

Search ebay for original issues of the September 1946 issue of Mechanix Illustrated

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1965 Salem Jeep Club Article

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

This article from the May 24, 1965, issue of the Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, follows the Salem Jeep Club’s trip with the Yakima Mountaineer’s Jeep Club (I’m not familiar with that club name) into the Cascade Mountains, specially the Ahtanum area west of Yakima.

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January 1950 Pop Mechanics Sky-High Painter

• CATEGORIES: Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles, Magazine, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Gayland spotted this unusual setup for painting tall places from a jeep. This was published on page 114 of the January 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics. Just hope it isn’t a windy day!

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The is a better look at the rigging:

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And a close up of the jeep:

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1943 Photo of Sioux City’s North Junior’s Jeep Purchases

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

This April 02, 1943, photo highlighted Sioux City’s North Junior School’s purchase of not one, but two jeeps as part of the “buy a jeep” bond campaign. They were the first school to buy one (and the first to buy two) jeeps. The Secretary of the United States Treasury presented the school with an award for its efforts.

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April 02, 1943, Sioux City Journal

 
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Photo of Soldiers and Landing Craft w/ Jeep on eBay

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

The photo is dated May 5, 1985, probably because it was placed into a newspaper on that day. In my opinion it looks like a staged photo, given all the decorations on the jeep and the way the soldiers exit the landing craft, yet still provide the photographer a great look at the jeep. No description provided.

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