Jeep-Willys-News 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.

1945-09-28-willys-war-news-vol-1-issue-1-page1 1945-09-28-willys-war-news-vol-1-issue-1-page2-3 1945-09-28-willys-war-news-vol-1-issue-1-page4

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December 1960 Jeep News – Pepe Movie

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

UPDATE: This dealer Advertising and Merchandising Bulletin from February 6, 1961, was sent to dealers explaining the Pepe Movie promotion and possible promotional tie-ins dealers could try. The package included a movie poster also. 

1961-02-06-advertising-and-merch-pepe

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Original posted June 29, 2020: Instead of the usual eight pages, the 1960 issue of Jeep News is limited to four pages. Still, there’s some interesting information inside.

First, the front page article on the movie to-be-release movie “Pepe” described the forty-jeep-gala ballet filmed in Las Brisas as spectacular. I tried to find some clips from Pepe online, but have yet to see any. The CJ-3B page does a good job describing the Gala’s role, along with a few pics, in Pepe: https://cj3b.info/Siblings/SurreyPepe.html.

Second, on page three the article about the Hy-Rail FCs contains a noticeable goof. The title refers to the FCs as “FC-170″s, while the pics and text correctly show them as FC-150s.

Third, there’s a good photo of an FC-170 flatbed with a Mobile Drill mounted on it, the first example of an FC with a mobile drill that I’ve seen and the latest reference to the sale of a Mobile Drill.

Fourth, the article on the Fresno Four Wheel Drive Club underscores why so many jeeps continue to emerge from the Fresno/Clovis area. As of December 1960, the family-friendly jeep club had more than 350 members, likely making it the largest jeep club in the US. The club even had a newsletter, which at that time was edited by Mr. Otto Traeber and called “Four Wheeler”; sound familiar? This newsletter was also shared with other jeep clubs. One year and two months later, in February of 1962, a new vehicle magazine was introduced to the public, published out of Southern California: Four Wheeler Magazine.

Photos Photos Photos

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UPDATE: February 1960 Jeep News

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

UPDATE II: wilpenney brought up an important point. Page 2 of the Feb 1960 issue of Jeep News (shown at bottom) distinguishes between the “Ashtray”, with the semi-circle whirly part that includes cigarette holders, and the “Hostess Tray”, which lacks the semi-circle part. (Perhaps I am the only person who didn’t realize the difference — I was calling them both ashtrays?)

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UPDATE: These two February 1960 documents reference the “Corner the Market” contest also referenced by the February 1960 issue of Jeep News, as well as the January 1960 issue and the April 1960 issue (I don’t have the March issue).

1960-02-15-corner-the-market-bulletin 1960-02-28-corner-the-market-bulletin

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Originally Published June 03, 2020:

This issue of Willys News shows that Jeep dealers were experience continued growth. This issue also suggests that the ashtrays and cuff-tie-links were introduced in 1960. Anyone have the full page 1959 Nieman Marcus catalog ad of the newly introduced DJ-3A Surrey mentioned on the last page?

Photos Photos Photos

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‘Grandpa’ Craig’s Pic of the Week: Jeep ‘Wagon’ Train

• CATEGORIES: Craigs Pic of the Week, Features • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Here’s is a postcard from White Springs (data unknown) that highlights the jeep-train-wagons. It appears the train was still being pulled by a 3B, but this color photo shows some black styling was added to the cow, giving it a Holstein look.

conestoga-wagon-train-jeep-white-springs-fl-postcard1 conestoga-wagon-train-jeep-white-springs-fl-postcard2

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Originally posted Jan 18, 2013: On the evening (2 nights ago) that Craig became a grandpa, instead of doing whatever grandpas should do to celebrate, he was busily scanning stuff for us!  It’s clear his Willys Sickness is far more advanced than I thought!  However, to his credit, this really is a cool picture. In fact, it’s so cool, that I managed to skip over the part where he said he became a grandpa! It wasn’t until I re-read it tonight that I felt like a total doof.”

This photo comes from the March 1957 issue of Willys News.  The jeep wagon train operated at the Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center – White Springs, Florida.

covered-wagon-CJ3B

Floridamemory.com has a variety of photos related to the wagons.  Below are a few of them.

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/41660

covered-wagon-CJ3B-floridamemory1

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/73660

covered-wagon-CJ3B-floridamemory4

This photo looks like the jeep is a CJ-5 rather than a CJ-3B.  State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/87462

covered-wagon-CJ3B-floridamemory3

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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:

1955-july-aug-willys-news-jeep-jeep-jamboree-1

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.

1955-july-aug-willys-news-jeep-jeep-jamboree-text

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1979 Spring Summer Issue of Jeep News

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

UPDATE: I had this as a 1978 issue, but I think it may actually be from 1979.

After a year of 20 page newsletters, this one and the next one were cut to twelve pages. This includes an extra flyer advertising jeep equipment. The readers letters section (pg 2-3) contains descriptions of clubs that match my memories of being in a club.

1978-spring-summer-jeep-news-page-1 1978-spring-summer-jeep-news-page-2-3 1978-spring-summer-jeep-news-page-4-5 1978-spring-summer-jeep-news-page-6-7

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