Old News Articles Research Archives

To Top

Transport Motor Company

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

UPDATE: I’ve added information to the bottom of the post which discusses the shift of employees from the Transport Motor Company to the Kurland Motor Company in late 1948.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to export this topic further, but Barry Thomas is doing research into California’s Transport Motor Company, which was the earliest supplier of Willys farm equipment in California. If anyone has more info about the company, Barry of would like to know about it. Comment below or email me at d@deilers.com and I’ll connect you.

Transport Motor was already a strong Willys reseller by the time WWII started, so they were were well positioned for post-war sales and service. This ad was published in the October 19, 1941, issue of the Oakland Tribune as part of a larger article:

1941-10-19-oaklandtribune-transport-motor-co

After the war, the company pushed Willys Jeeps and the associated farm equipment, though it is unclear which specific models/manufacturers of the equipment was being sold, as evidenced by this October 27, 1946, classified ad in the Oakland Tribune:

1946-10-27-oaklandtribune-transport-motor

This article from the March 28, 1947, issue of the Ventura County Star claims that Transport was the first company to make farm equipment especially for the jeep (I would need to see more evidence to believe that):

1947-03-28-venturacountystar-transport-motor-company

For unknown reasons, in late 1948 many key personnel from the Transport company left Transport for a new Willys dealer, Kurland Motors. Whether Transport survived this event is unclear (perhaps the Transport company was already defunct by this time).

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1968 Article on Baja Race Jeep

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

This race jeep was modified with one-ton axles. Note the wider rear axle with an added fender well. The racers note the Jeep has 24-forward speeds. Maybe that means a six speed with an overdrive and transfercase? The article appeared in Roseville’s (CA) Press Tribune on October 23, 1968.

1968-10-23-press-tribune-roseville-racejeep

 

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1960 Calvacade Changes to Multiple Weekends

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

One more article on the Colorado Calvacade, this time from the July 23, 1960, issue of Grand Junction’s The Daily Sentinel. The newspaper reported that the Cavalcades had escalated in popularity to the point that instead of one grand event, it was divided into four weekend events.

1960-07-23-the-daily-sentinel-calvacade

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1959 Jeep Cavalcade Article

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

When looking over the 1960 Jeep Cavalcade brochure, I noticed it was the 3rd annual event. However, the 1959 brochure doesn’t mention it being the 2nd annual event. A newspaper clipping from 1958 solved that question. It turns out there was a 1958 advance trail exploration in 1958 to prep for the 1959 event, though it seems to have been more of a low key event when compared to the 1959 and 1960 cavalcades. This short newspaper article in the June 1, 1958, issue of the Fort Collins Coloradoan explains it:

1958-06-11-fort-collins-coloradoan-jeep-cavalcade

This article appeared in Grand Junction’s Dailys Sentinenl on August 23, 1959:

1959-08-23-daily-sentinel-gj-colo-cavalcade-lores

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1964 Photos at California’s Oceano Beach

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

These pics came from the September 05, 1964, issue of the Santa Maria Times. They were taken at the Fourth Annual State Jeep Rally at Oceano State Park, near Santa Maria, California. The dune buggy ambulance looks especially unique. I searched Google for more pics of it, but had no luck. The owner, Arnold Teague, was President of a local dune riding club.

1964-09-05-santa-maria-times-sand-dune-jeeping

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1951 Article Introducing the Hy-Rail Wagon

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

On November 18, 1951, the Times (Shreveport, LA) welcomed the new Hy-Rail Jeep Wagon to the Kansas City Souther-Louisiana and Arkansas railroad. The article provides quite a few details on the vehicle and how it operates.

1951-11-18-the-times-shreveport-la-hyrail-jeep-wagon3-lores 1951-11-18-the-times-shreveport-la-hyrail-jeep-wagon2-lores

1951-11-18-the-times-shreveport-la-hyrail-jeep-wagon4-lores

As this September 26, 1952, article in the Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) points out, by the autumn of 1952 there were 35 Hy-Rail jeeps operating on 21 railroads throughout the US.

Continue reading

[fb_button]
 
To Top

UPDATED: March 1946 U-Drive ‘Jeep Joint’

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

UPDATE: It turns out that the U-Drive business first started right after the war continued into the 1960s, as this article from the June 1960 issue of the Honolulu Star-bulletin points out:

1960-06-26-honolulu-star-bulletin-u-drive-photo-lores

1960-06-26-honolulu-star-bulletin-u-drive-page1-lores

1960-06-26-honolulu-star-bulletin-u-drive-photo2-lores 1960-06-26-honolulu-star-bulletin-u-drive-page2-lores

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

Original Published October 20, 2020: A March 29, 1946, article highlighted a Jeep U-Drive business that opened in Honolulu. The first surplus jeeps sold could only be bought for business use by veterans. Roy L. Mongeon, from Hampton, Massachusetts, who was stationed in Hawaii, decided to purchase twenty jeeps. After a number of soldiers asked to drive his jeeps, he decided to open a jeep rental business.

1946-03-29-honolulu-star-bulletin-jeep-u-drive-hawaii-lores

[fb_button]