Wagon Manufacturing Locations?

[jeds55]

This morning around the pot belly stove at the barber shop the topic of Studebakers came up. One old timer said that, "Studebaker made wagons in Grand Rapids, Michigan." The only detail he could add was that the building was on Pearl Street down by the river.

Does anyone have information that will support these comments?

Thanks Jim

[BobPalma]

I don't know about that, Jim, but I'm glad to see someone posting what may be the first real Stove-Huggers topic! <GGG> BP

[Ray Stewart]

Grand Rapids...don't know anything about that. I live in Breeding, Ky (not making this up) but work in Burkesville, KY. At a car show this last summer one of the fellow car club members told me that part of the building I work out of was a "Studebaker Dealer." I told him I couldn't understand how since the biulding had a cellar, hand cut timber floor, etc. He said no...not vehicles...but wagons. He brought me a copy of a post card showing the town square, horses (no cars or tire tracks) ...the sign on the building does say "Studebaker Wagons". The post card itself was a pre-1914 vintage.
Hope you do find out about the Grand Rapids store.

[Chris Pile]

Perhaps they were dealers, not manufacturers.

[Chris_Dresbach]

The only other wagon plant I can think of that's releated to Studebaker is when studebaker converted to automobile production only, they sold all the horse and wagon tooling to another company. It was mentioned here a while back, but I can't remember the name of the company or where it was located.

[bridgegaurd]

This morning around the pot belly stove at the barber shop the topic of Studebakers came up. One old timer said that, "Studebaker made wagons in Grand Rapids, Michigan." The only detail he could add was that the building was on Pearl Street down by the river.

Does anyone have information that will support these comments?

Thanks Jim

I have a history book by A R Erskine published in 1924 History Of The Studebaker Corporation 1852-1923
It is not well written and often drifts off and then back to a certain subject. And is sometime subject repetitive with slightly differt versions.
It shows that wagons were built first in PA. near Gettysburg, then Ashland, Ohio. Then in 1852 South Bend as H&C Studebaker blacksmiths and wagon builders. Sometime around 1869 they opened branch houses in Salt lake City, SFC,Ca. and Portland. In 1870 a branch house was also opened in St. Joesph, Mo. 1885 The Studebaker Repository in Chicago. It give no years but soon after the western ones were opened they also had branch Houses in Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas, New York City, 1870 an assembly plant in Sacramento, and without saying where it simply states AND ELSEWHERE. It is also noted that the chassis for the electric wagons were built in Michigan and then shipped to South Bend for completion. So it is possible, it's also possible that this was one of many dealers who reassembled and sold wagons that were shipped to them from South Bend. Of course one might get more info if they had a copy of actual company records or John Studebaker's diary after he returned from Old Dry Diggins later renamed Hangtown if he kept one.

I'm no expert on the matter, i'm sure there are others who have more facts than what is in this book.

[2moredoors]

The only other wagon plant I can think of that's releated to Studebaker is when studebaker converted to automobile production only, they sold all the horse and wagon tooling to another company. It was mentioned here a while back, but I can't remember the name of the company or where it was located.

I think that company is now "Kentucky Trailer" in Louisville Kentucky. used to be Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing.

[clonelark]

My wagon was made in Los Angeles, but its a 1955.

[raprice]

I always thought that all the horse drawn wagons were built in South Bend and, initially, cars were built in Detroit.
Rog

[studeclunker]

Carriages and wagons were generally completed then broken down and carefully packed for shipping. The reason was they would take up less space, were less prone to damage, and the company could pack more of them into a box car. Then they were re-assembled at the various distribution centres. The Studebakers called these, 'Branch Houses,' and they were located in; Salt Lake, San Francisco, Kansas City, Portland, Dallas, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Denver. Doubtless there were other locations as well. Thanks to the Trans-Continental Railroad, they could ship coast-to-coast and now around the world from New York, Portland, and San Fransisco.

If anyone's interested there's a very good treatise on the company here: http://www.stude100.com/stu/Pg1/pg1.php

By the by, Studebaker did not make wagons in Grand Rapids. They modified them, perhaps. There were any number of Job-shops nation-wide, not affiliated with Studebaker or any other manufacturer, that did custom work on wagons and carriages. Hundreds of them in fact. The one in Grand Rapids may have specialized in Studebakers (I know my Great-Grandfather bought several wagons from them), but they didn't actually build them there.

[(S)]

The days of the Studebaker Bros MFG CO had places scattered.

One ad I have from 1870 says they were at the 'new brick shop on 4th St in ST Joseph, MO'


Main Dealers/and some Assy to about 1903 were:

7th and 48th ST, NY city
378-388 ST Wabash Ave, Chicago, ILL
corner of 15th & Blake, Denver, CO
157-159 ST Salt Lake City, UT
317-319 ST Dallas, TX

Factory and General offices were in South Bend Indiana

There were many Locations, This list is directly from one ad I have on the wall here.


NOTICE: the address At a few locations went a whole block or 2 or 3. These locations were large.

[studeclunker]

The days of the Studebaker Bros MFG CO had places scattered.

One ad I have from 1870 says they were at the 'new brick shop on 4th St in ST Joseph, MO'


Main Dealers/and some Assy to about 1903 were:

7th and 48th ST, NY city
378-388 ST Wabash Ave, Chicago, ILL
corner of 15th & Blake, Denver, CO
157-159 ST Salt Lake City, UT
317-319 ST Dallas, TX

Factory and General offices were in South Bend Indiana

There were many Locations, This list is directly from one ad I have on the wall here.


NOTICE: the address At a few locations went a whole block or 2 or 3. These locations were large.

Interesting. I had no idea that any of them (except Chicago) were really that large. A few buildings side-by side, but nothing like South Bend where they went for blocks. Then again, it would make sense. Often Carriage shops were very roomy and well lit. That is to say, lots of windows. The workers needed to see what they were doing so that the finish would have that characteristic mirror perfection, and the other components would need to be just as perfect. So, I suppose it would follow that the Branch locations would be large. The building in New York was mentioned in a thread last year, as it was in the news about its demolition. I don't know of any others that have survived as long. Perhaps someone in the mentioned Branch Office cities could look it up with the local Hysteri... uh, historical society?