Traverse City and the Automobile

In 1912, when this picture was taken in front of the Columbia Transfer Co., most transportation was horse-drawn. (Click Picture to Listen)

By: Daniel Truckey (with assistance from Whitney Nielsen and Erika Winter)

"Clip, Clop, Clip, Clop" were the sounds that once dominated Traverse City's streets (Listen Here: Windows Media | MP3).  Originally its avenues and lanes were simply skid rows made from logs being pulled by teams to the mill.  These rows became roads where shops, markets and homes were soon built.  Eventually log cuts were banded together to create a harder road surface but one that swelled when there was too much rain.  Bricks became the next road surface, followed, of course, by cement and asphalt.  

Along these roads and streets, it was the horse that was king for over 50 years.   People may have gotten to Traverse City by boat or train, but once here it was equine transport that brought them to their hotel or on their sightseeing tour.   The pounding of the blacksmith or farrier's hammer was also a common sound.  They repaired carriage frames, mended wheels and forged horseshoes.  Liveries lined Front Street, offering stable services for your horse or horses to rent if you needed one.  Farmers brought sweet Northern Michigan hay into town for the folks who didn't have their own pasture.  Street cleaners walked the streets, shoveling up the waste product.

Yes, it was a wonderful way of life, one that had been going on for centuries.  And it was all about the change...

Arms and Cole Plumbers driving along Traverse City's streets. (Click Picture to Listen)

In 1886, when Karl Benz in Germany introduced the first automobile, Traverse City was a decade away from having the horseless carriages driving down its streets.  This should be no surprise, given that it took awhile for commercially viable automobiles to reach out of the way places like Northern Michigan.  Also, at that time, there was not one paved road in the region.   

It wasn't cars that originally spurred the movement for better roads.  It was actually bicycle groups like the American Wheelmen, along with bicycle manufactures, who successfully lobbied for better road conditions.  However, the automobile would soon be the driving force behind not only road improvements, but also city planning.

R. B. Cobb of Charlevoix caused quite a stir on July 27, 1899 when he drove his automobile into Traverse City; it was the first time that one of these strange horseless contraptions had been seen in the city (Listen Here: Windows Media | MP3).  Automobiles remained novel for many years, and although they were impossible to drive through the heavy snow and ice, the number of automobiles in the area grew steadily.  A glowing article appeared in 1905 in the Evening Record, announcing that the "number of chug cars be will be greatly increased" in the city and listed which residents already owned cars and who was considering purchasing one.  At this time a handful of agencies in Traverse City sold automobiles, which had to be hauled from dealerships in Grand Rapids or Detroit.  By 1906, eight Traverse City residents owned automobiles.  And, in spite of the cost, the number of cars steadily grew.  

It was the introduction of the Ford Model A in 1903 that really spurred the growth of automobiles in Traverse City.  Ford specialized in marketing quality, inexpensive cars to the middle class.  One way he did this was through the development of Ford car dealerships in towns across America, a unique marketing concept for the time.  In Traverse City, Ford hired his brother-in-law, Milton Bryant to set up a model dealership for Ford.  Grand Traverse Auto was formed in 1911 and the business has continued to this day (under different ownership).  However, the growth and importance of the automobile service industry is often overlooked in the annals of history.  In an earlier generation, it was the blacksmith who kept the wheels of commerce running.  By the 1910s, the automobile service station had arrived and soon other offshoots such as tire retailers, car washes, and auto part stores would become part of everyday life. 

Almost as soon as automobiles appeared in Traverse City, people complained that they were going too fast.  As early as 1907, articles in the Evening Record complained of local "autoists" driving dangerously fast-20 to 30mph, when the legal speed limit was 15mph.  According to one concerned reporter: "The speed bug has taken such a firm hold upon some of the automobile owners of the city that scarcely a day passes that some one does not have a narrow escape from death." 

This classy touring car is a fine example of the automobiles produced by Traverse City's own Napoleon Motor Car Company.

By the late 1910s, not only had automobiles become part of the local scene, but also towns like Traverse City even began to manufacture them.  In  1917, the Napoleon Company of Ohio moved its car manufacturing operation to Traverse City and was welcomed with open arms by the community.  Initially four types of autos were offered by Napoleon: a six passenger touring car, a four passenger touring car, a four passenger roadster, and a ¾ ton truck, ranging in price from $1,085 to $1,285.  In truth these vehicles were only assembled and painted in Traverse City.  The parts were made elsewhere.  In spite of this, the factory was an important employer in the city, as well as a point of pride.  However, a financial recession in 1921 spelled the end of the company, which closed its doors in 1923.

Americans had a love affair with the automobile from its introduction, but after World War II the United States truly became a car-oriented society.  But why?  One explanation is that after years of being deprived, first during the Great Depression and then again during World War II, Americans wanted the lifestyle they had not been able to afford until recently.  With income they had earned during the war, middle-class Americans were able to buy a house in the suburbs, one or two new automobiles, new appliances, a television, and all the other consumer goods they had wanted for years. 

The automobile in particular was a status symbol which represented affluence, personal mobility and a focus on the nuclear family: values which defined the American Middle Class.  The idea of the Drive-In, and eventually the Drive-Thru, which was originally used by banks and was adopted by other industries, emerged from this fixation on the automobile.  In this era, the automobile would forever change how and where people lived, worked, ate and relaxed. 

"Vroom, Vroom" is the sound that now dominates Traverse City's streets.   Cars of every make and model cruise our avenues and boulevards.   The automobile is more than just a mode of transportation.  Cars reflect our personalities, status and represent our love of freedom.   It is the quintessential American icon.  As they used to sing in the commercial, "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet."

The automobile, for better or worse, has changed our way-of-life.  Even communities like Traverse City, which has always prided itself on its small town character, have been forever altered.   The automobile has made access to Traverse City easier and has increased the number of people who live outside the city limits and commute to work.  Every year Traverse City becomes more of a metropolitan area, where country lanes become commuting routes and small towns become bedroom communities.

Does Traverse City have a love-hate relationship with the automobile?   As much as we love our cars, nobody likes the increased traffic.   However, we also don't like some of the solutions to congestion.  Bi-passes, parking garages, four-lane highways and new commercial corridors have become major bones of contention in our community.  Where some might see this as a negative, such debate shows that Traverse City is aware of the need for smart growth and protecting what is special about this region.  

Where Traverse City has been changed by the automobile, the question is whether it has changed enough to accommodate our growing community's needs?   Or should we change our way-of-lives to help reduce congestion and traffic?  

What do you believe is the best solution?

Daniel Truckey is the Executive Director of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center as well as an accomplished a song writer and musician.