New Vintage Car Story, I Bumped Into Today

[keithb7]

I was sitting in a friendly restaurant in small-town Canada. Having a lumberjack breakfast with about 1,000 carbs in it. Visiting with my mother. Enjoying coffee and conversation. 

 

While we are chatting I noticed an old photo on the wall right above our booth. The subject was an old car and several people. 

 

I reconized the old Coldwater Hotel in the photo. It’s in Merritt, BC Canada. Mom and I were having our visit only a few blocks away from the old hotel. I knew the Coldwater was a pretty old hotel. The car appeared antique. I saw a gas lantern on the left rear fender. I guessed it was about a 1912-1915 ish car. The rear sign on the car reads “Halifax To Vancouver. All Red Route”. I was intrigued. 

 

The photo pose looked like a special occasion. I quickly snapped a few photos with my iPhone and planned to research it later. 

 

Later....

I learned that the car is a 1912 REO.  Ransom E Olds donated the car and an REO factory mechanic (Haney) for a publicity stunt. A writer was rounded up, Thomas Wilbey. The pair were the first to drive across Canada. (At that time Newfoundland was not part of Canada) The writer was likely submitting regular newspaper articles too I suspect. So a media company would likely have been a sponsor too.  The writer also completed a book about the adventure. The original 1912 trip, book can be read here:

 

https://archive.org/details/motortourthrough00wilb/page/n23

 

On Aug 27 1912 they left Halifax. 50 or so days later they arrived in Vancouver BC. The bottom line, to sell more REO cars. 

 

The trip was re-enacted 85 years later with a restored 1912 REO. They too wrote a book of their adventure. See here:

 

https://www.transportbooks.com/product/the-all-red-route-from-halifax-to-vancouver-in-a-1912-reo/?v=3e8d115eb4b3

 

The photos I show below here were originally taken in Merritt BC in October of 1912. Only a few blocks from where I was eating lunch today. The REO tem were getting close to Vancouver by now.  Today you can complete that journey from Merritt to Vancouver in about 2.5 hours driving time. Likely the 1912 REO team, was 2 or so days away from Vancouver when the pic was taken. They would have driven right through my current home town, Kamloops BC, the same day, or the day before the photo shown was taken. 

 

I’ve got some more reading to do!

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by keithb7

[Dodgeed]

Cool story; both today's, and yesterday's. Thanks for posting ?

[pflaming]

The shortest route today is 5900 Kim, by going through Niagara Falls. Estimated driving time 57 hours.

[Bobacuda]

These are great stories.  The first car to traverse the width of the US was a Winton, in 1903.  https://www.history.com/news/the-first-great-american-road-trip

 

The feat was repeated by the first woman to make the journey in 1922 in a Maxwell.  Hard to imagine how fast the roads and auto industry has developed.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/alice-ramseys-historic-cross-country-drive-29114570/