The tale of the trusty old Studebaker

[rkapteyn]

http://www.hngnews.com/deforest_times/opinion/columns/article_2c21a57c-de97-5615-a925-9efdcd4d6bd4.html

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Like a faithful if somewhat ornery pack mule, eh?

[Mark L]

Since this was "around 1954", it would be interesting to know what model it was.

[Commander Eddie]

Reminds me of a book a read about a couple of young fellows after the war who decided to drive up to Alaska to pick up a Studebaker US6 that had been used in the building of the ALCAN Highway and was one of a fleet of them that were surplus and being sold off. They took the trip in a 1941 Studebaker Commander. After getting to Alaska they found the truck had been misplaced, or something and they ended up finding work up there for a couple of months to earn money for the return trip. I can't remember if they intended to bring the truck back but they did not. One of the young men went back home early, the other did not start back home in the Studebaker until November. Way too late he was told for such a trip. He headed out anyway and the book describes his adventure on the snow covered ALCAN highway. Spoiler alert... that Studebaker got him home to everyone's surprise. These were sturdy, dependable vehicles that could go almost anywhere.

[55s]

There were several times when my dad's twin traction GT was the first car out of our unplowed street to the main plowed streets. A couple of us kids would sit in the trunk to provide a little weight.

There was also a time when the three brothers-in-law had brand new cars, and there was some pressure applied to buy a new car to keep up appearances. Then there was a cold snap. The GT was the only car that started when all four cars they were away on vacation in the middle of nowhere at a small hotel. It saved all their buts, and he drove it for many years after.

[studeclunker]

Like a faithful if somewhat ornery pack mule, eh?

That sounds a lot like both of my pickups! They might complain a lot, but they will get the work done!

You know, five or six years ago (edit: gosh, come to think of it, maybe it was eight or nine years ago) the brother of the fellow who owns the property I live on bought a new Land Rover Discovery. Beautiful thing it was. He came up one February day to visit us in Fawn Lodge and we had three feet of hard snow on the driveway. That mile and a half, along a cliff with a creek at the bottom driveway. He got in just fine. However the worst part was going back up the incline from the creek to the level of the highway. About a fifty-foot vertical climb over about five hundred feet. We were behind him in my '56 wagon and I stopped at the base of the climb to wait for Russ to go up. That Rover slewed, and skidded, and fishtailed all over the driveway clawing it's way up the hill. I backed up over the bridge and a hundred feet or so past it. George asked me what I was doing. 'Gathering momentum,' I told him. Then put the old girl in first and pottered my way serenely up the hill. Ol' Bess didn't skip a beat going up to the highway. Russ watched us thinking we wouldn't make it. He was floored how that old wagon handled the hill with serene aplomb. No dramatics, she just chugged right up to the road. I told Russ to keep off the accelerator and keep it in first next time. I didn't even have chains on the Parkview. Just street tires.

By the by, snow doesn't bother the Champs either.

[WinM1895]

Reminds me of a book a read about a couple of young fellows after the war who decided to drive up to Alaska to pick up a Studebaker US6 that had been used in the building of the ALCAN Highway and was one of a fleet of them that were surplus and being sold off. They took the trip in a 1941 Studebaker Commander. After getting to Alaska they found the truck had been misplaced, or something and they ended up finding work up there for a couple of months to earn money for the return trip. I can't remember if they intended to bring the truck back but they did not. One of the young men went back home early, the other did not start back home in the Studebaker until November. Way too late he was told for such a trip. He headed out anyway and the book describes his adventure on the snow covered ALCAN highway. Spoiler alert... that Studebaker got him home to everyone's surprise. These were sturdy, dependable vehicles that could go almost anywhere.

There are 2 very rusty US6's in the Glenallen Roadside Museum, 3 more in the AK Transportation Museum in Wasilla, and a private collector has about a dozen.

Studebaker US6's were used during the construction of the ALCAN Hwy and the first vehicle to drive the completed highway was a US6.

There's a book on the ALCAN, so...there are plenty of pic's of Studie US6's.

[jeds55]

ALCAN Highway Memorial

ALCAN Highway.....Rest Stop / Memorial.

[StudeRich]

I checked out the Deforest Tribune Paper and as always with these Local Papers the people that subscribe to them and or read them on line KNOW where they are, but I being from somewhere else always have to search many places and stories to finally find what the heck STATE they might be in!

I finally found a story about the Local Weather, and they did mention the Weather in that part of "Wisconsin" so I guess Deforest is there.
I never understood why these Papers never put their State in their Front page Header, maybe it is like I said, everyone who cares knows where they are!
But with the Internet the rest of us can read it, but are confused without a lot of research.