Madd Doodler/The Studebaker aficionado/Studebakers

The Summer of ’42

Posted on March 18, 2010 by madd doodler

by Paul Revell

The bright summer sun shone through the cottage window. Rose, a young girl of 20, opened one eye, then the other. She sat up, then picked up a book. Hemingway.

School was over and summer was time to spend a very relaxed holiday with her grandparents. He grandfather had been a prosperous merchant and had bought some land beside Chautauqua Lake back in the 1880s. He hand built a wonderful cottage on the lake front for generations of her family to enjoy. Chautauqua Lake was one of a few lakes in the area and due to it's size and splendor it became the place to be for the rich, famous and powerful. Families including the Rockefellers, Kennedys and the Studebakers built mansion-like cottages in the area. She knew them all. She went to the same churches they did. She went to the lavish parties and weddings held at the hotel. She went to the same schools they did, both in the winter in New York, as well as taking in the summer studies at Chautauqua.

This year was different. Normally her parents would join her for part of the summer, but this year, because the US had recently entered World War II, they were very involved in the war effort. To appease her they bought her a shiny new 1942 Studebaker Champion coupe. It was one of the last vehicles made by the factory before the change over to military vehicles. This car would see constant use over the next few years.

Somewhere off in the distance she heard the boat whistle. The ferry would bring many visitors and residents to the community because the roads to the lake were still not very good and vehicles were discouraged to enter the complex. Having been built in the late 1880s the roads were narrow and there was very little planned parking space.

Why this story? On September 23 – 25, 2000 the Revell family trekked to the Chautauqua Institution for a very beautiful and very interesting tour hosted by the Kinzua Region Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club. There were members in attendance from the Kinzua Region Chapter, the Ontario Chapter, Ohio Region Chapter, Allegheny Chapter and the Hamilton Chapter as well. We had a delicious pot luck dinner Friday night under a picnic shelter on the shore of the lake. AT night we gathered on the large front porches and shared tales. Unfortunately the weather was wet most of the weekend. However, because the venue was simply so spectacular, there was considerable discussion that this should become an annual event.

And Rose? Yes, she really does exist, because I could see that same twinkle in her eye she had when she raced around the neighborhood in that very nice red 1942 Studebaker with her friends. I know because I talked to her some 58 years later outside that same cottage built by her grandfather. I know because I helped her in with her groceries. I know because I was there when she prepared her cottage for it's winter sabbatical. I know because I could see the dread and sadness in her eyes as she faced the prospect of leaving her beloved cottage on the shores of Chautauqua Lake for the summer and returning to the bleak apartment in New York for the winter. And even though I didn't really ask her name, she really did own the red '42 Coupe.

~~ The end ~~

Paul Revell is a member of the Ontario Chapter, SDC and wrote this tale after his family's first visit to Chautauqua. The Chautauqua weekend has become an annual event and has been well attended each year. Everyone enjoys the time spent there and the relaxed mood of the setting. This coming September we will be returning for our 11th year at the Institution. Many of the regular residents look forward to the "Studebaker weekend" so they can see the old cars and talk to their owners. The Studebaker family owned five homes on the grounds all of which still stand. This year's weekend is planned for the 3rd through the 6th as several people now stay over till monday since it's Labor Day.

The photo shows the "Studebaker House" at the Chautauqua Institution with several Studebaker vehicles lined up in front of it. This house was built by Clement Studebaker for his daughter.

Out of the Past

Posted on March 13, 2010 by madd doodler

Studebaker had a long and interesting history. The company was more than the cars and trucks we all enjoy driving and tinkering with though… Studebaker was diversified toward the end adding a variety of companies under it's corporate belt. There was machinery, cleaning equipment, mowers, generators, an airline and more right up to the blossoming space industry. However diversity was not new to Studebaker.

In the early days they were well known for making farm wagons but they also make buggies of all types, hearses, street sprinklers, military wagons and even the harness used on the horses.

It was the sturdy farm wagon that helped build the company into the transportation giant it was in the late 1800s. To a farmer in the 19th century a good wagon was every bit as important as a pick up truck is today. Studebaker built thousands of these wagons well into the 20th century. Built for rugged work and terrain the familiar green wagons with their red and yellow trim became a moving advertisement in all areas of the United States.

In Kokomo Indiana, a Studebaker agency challenged a Webster wagon agency by the remark that the Webster wagons were poor haulers because the spokes of their wheels were made of Ash. That set the spark and the Webster dealer remarked that the Webster would haul a heavier load no matter what the final weight. The Studebaker dealer agreed to a contest in the public square.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the Webster wagon was piled with 258 bushels of wheat and the mules hauled the load without a mishap. Studebaker jumped the load to 272 bushels, but halfway around the square one of the spokes in a rear wheel cracked. The Webster dealer smiled gleefully although the Studebaker wagon was able to continue around the course.

It appeared, amidst all the betting from the onlookers, that the Webster had won but the Studebaker dealer did not feel it had been knocked out of the contest yet. The Webster wagon's load was increased to 280 bushels. The mules could haul the load only a short distance but thew wagon held the weight. Undaunted the Studebaker crew tallied a load of 314 bushels. Webster jumped the load to 321 bushels, but on making a turn to the right the weight proved too much for the wagon and the front axle cracked in the center, but the iron trusses, braces and supports held the load.

The Studebaker dealer claimed honors for his wagon but the Webster dealer would not concede. He called for more wheat. None was left so flaxseed was used. And so it went on. Finally the Studebaker wagon carried a weight of 21,025 pounds and the mules hauled the load 25 feet. At that time the judges had declared the contest finished. The Studebaker had only suffered a cracked spoke. The Webster suffered small breaks in the front axle, the sand bar, in three of the cast iron truss rods and the rear axle. If nothing else the contest did prove the tough competition among wagon manufacturers of the time.

The story of the wagon contest was told in "Wagons by Studebaker" by Anthony A. Amarai in the Summer 1968 issue of Old West magazine.