Wisconsin Stories
is a partnership
of the Wisconsin
Historical Society
and Wisconsin
Public Television.

Unless you're
over 100 years old
automobiles have always
been part of your life.
Cars get us
where we're going.
Most of the time!
They're one of our
most expensive purchases.
Second only
to our homes.
The type of car you drive
says a lot about who you are.
Whether you
like it or not.
Hi, I'm Debbie Kmetz--
four-door, American-made
station wagon.
I'm Tracy Will.
I've got a black
two-door with fins
"mechanic special"
in the parking lot.
It's the "Car Show,"
tonight...
on Wisconsin Stories.

Funding for Wisconsin Stories
is provided in part
by an advised fund
of the Community Foundation
of Southern Wisconsin;
the Estate and family
of Lois Backus;
the Halbert and Alice Kadish
Foundation;
and Philip J.
and Elizabeth B. Hendrickson
��
encouraging you
to support history
on Wisconsin
Public Television
and to visit Wisconsin's
treasured historic sites.

§ §
1917.
The mammoth Mitchell Motors
plant in Racine, Wisconsin
��vering more than 45 acres
upon which are located
more than 50 factory buildings
equipped with
the latest modern machinery
for manufacturing
automobiles.
When working at normal capacity,
the Mitchell factory
employs 6,000 workers.
Kmetz:
Mitchell Motors Company
was an industrial giant in 1917.
Today, it is gone
and forgotten.
But just down the road
in Kenosha
there was another company
building cars.
When the Thomas Jefferey Company
introduced its Rambler in 1902
it was only the second
mass-produced auto
in the country.
The beginning
of a long heritage
now being celebrated
at the Kenosha History Center.
Bob Fuhrman:
This piece in the lobby
is really a pride piece
for our Rambler
centennial display.
This is an original
1902 Rambler
that would have produced
by Thomas B. Jefferey
here in Kenosha.
It is on loan to us,
a five-year loan
from the Museum of Science
and Industry down in Chicago.
We're really tickled
to have this piece here.
This is
what starts it all.
Kmetz:
This the first piece?
This represents
one of 1,500
in that initial year's
production line.
Jefferey, basically
had a background
in bicycle manufacturing.
You see some bicycle
hints in some things.
You also see
the wagon maker's art
with the springs,
and what have you.
The body work, here
this looks like it came
right off of a buck board
the seating.
Kmetz:
How fast
could this go?
Not really fast.
It's got
a 12-horse power
engine.
You might see
25 miles an hour.
How did you
steer this car?
It's steered
with a tiller.
Now, from
what I understand
originally, Jefferey's
design had a steering wheel
but people
didn't like it.
When it came to production,
he went with the tiller model.
It wasn't until
a few years later
that he went back
to the steering wheel.
Cait Dallas:
We've got Rambler Magazines
a publication done
by the Thomas Jefferey Company.
There are issues
that are devoted
to people
who already have Ramblers.
And they're filled with articles
about the joys of people
driving their Ramblers
across the country.
But he also aimed material
at dealers.
He had established
a network of dealers
for his bicycle
Rambler line
in the 1880s and '90s.
And what he did when he went
into the automobile business
was to latch onto this
established dealer network
That's what this number
is devoted to.
He's telling them how best
to advertise to his customers.
He's telling dealers
about what other dealerships
are doing across the country.

Will:
The Mitchell three-passenger
Deluxe Roadster.
Note the smart lines.

The Mitchell
four-passenger Deluxe Sport
equipped for long tour.

Mitchell.
Now generally known
as the "car complete."

This is the Rambler
Legacy Gallery.
This is our largest
display space
here at the Kenosha
History Center
and our first
display in here
which you're seeing
the initial grouping of.
What we've done here
is started out
with the oldest ones
in the display
and kind of worked them
chronologically around.
So, over here,
you'll see a '47
That's
quite a car.
It's just gorgeous.
To think that we're going
to have people come in
who actually
worked on these cars
is just kind of a neat thing
for us as local historians.
The thing with the car
is this is the final product.
It's been
lovingly restored
by a collector.
But the actual experience
of making the car
standing on that line
day after day
putting the same part on,
hundreds of times a day
that's lost to us
in a lot of ways
except through the people
who are still surviving.
We hope to eventually tap
onto some of those people
and find out what the experience
was like in the plant.
What else
do you have?
I see lots
of things.
We have some
 Ke-Nash-A Club News
When does the word
"Nash" get involved?
Charles Nash had worked
in the automobile industry
for a number of years
with General Motors.
He comes to Kenosha
and purchases
the Jefferey Company
from Thomas Jefferey's son,
Charles, in 1916.
It became Nash-Kelvinator
a little bit later on, in 1937.
What happens is that
Nash-Kelvinator merges, then
with Hudson Motor Company
and becomes
American Motors Corporation.
Kmetz:
So, have you
had continuous
automobile production
in Kenosha
right back
from Jefferey's?
Since 1902,
I think we could say.

That was fun!
Kmetz:
How important do you think
cars have been to Kenosha?
I don't think
you could
overstate
their importance.
And in a lot
of different ways.
Obviously, there's
this economic impact
that when "The Motors"
as they would call
American Motors
was doing well,
the town's doing well.
It really was
so vitally important
to what was happening
in Kenosha
in the 20th century.
Today, of course,
we don't build cars here.
But the automobile legacy
continues on
because there is
a Chrysler--
Daimler-Chrysler,
excuse me--
engine plant still
very much active here.
I think of other
facets, as well.
I understand
that there was a time
when American Motors
was looking for workers
where they actually
did some recruiting
in the American south.
Black workers
migrated to the north
to take those jobs.
So, for a time, there was
a little Mississippi newspaper
that had a large
subscribership in Kenosha.
And it's just
little things like that
that I don't think you can
over-stress the importance
of the industry
to the community.
Dallas:
What's really
special about these
is that many of them
take place in the foundry.
This is really
exciting for us
because one of the biggest
challenges here
has been collecting
everybody's story
not just the story of certain
groups in the community.
And this collection
does it.
Kmetz:
They're really wonderful
documentations of work.
The U.A.W. was quite
a force in desegregation.
Dallas:
Right.
Ooh!
Kmetz:
I've always been
struck, that, you know
people say,
"unskilled labor."
But it's hardly
unskilled.
I mean, moving
that much hot metal
I'd call it skilled.

Kmetz:
You're all finished.
How does it feel?
Fuhrman:
It feels great.
It's hard to believe
that we got things done.
And what's the last
car that came in?
The last one that came in
is right behind me, here.
This is a 1962 Rambler
American Convertible.
It's the actual car
that was featured
on the TV show,
 Third Rock from the Sun.
One of the creators
of Third Rock
actually bought the car
for the series.
He wanted
something "quirky"
for this family of aliens
visiting Earth.
They picked a Kenosha car
as a quirky car?
Well, they picked
a Rambler as a quirky car.
What's the most
important thing
you've learned from
putting this together?
You start
to appreciate it more
when you actually
work with it
what cars
meant to people.
So, taking it out
of its ordinary
time and place
and putting it
in a museum
maybe sparks memories
or sparks
reflections.
I think it does.
I guess that's one
of the wonderful things
that you're looking at cars
that are made in the thousands.
There are hundreds of thousands
of the same model car made.
But from that commonality
when Joe Public
comes in off the street
that Pacer
means as much to him
as far as
sparking his memories
as the original one he drove
when he was in high school.
They're just
kind of neat that way.

§ §

§ §

Kmetz:
Early manufacturers
wanted customers to know
that their cars
were tough.
Because once you got
outside of town
the roads were tough,
if there were any roads at all.
That's why groups like the
Yellowstone Trail Association
were formed to help travelers
get from town to town
clear across the country.
The Yellowstone Trail
has been gone for 70 years now.
But rediscovering its path
through Wisconsin
has become the passion
of John and Alice Ridge.
Alice Ridge:
John's father
used to tell the tale
of going to the Yellowstone
Park, following the trail--
no numbers, no maps--
And when you came
to a fork in the road
you had to look
for the yellow marker
in order to move
in that direction.
This is fascinating.
We all have
interstates today.
Can you imagine traveling
that way in those days?
So, I guess
we got hooked.
How far did the Yellowstone
Trail actually extend?
Well, eventually
it went from Seattle
to Plymouth, Massachusetts
because
their motto is:
"A Good Road From Plymouth Rock
to Puget Sound."
This was a big idea.
Oh, it was
a big idea.
Alice Ridge:
You couldn't get
across a county.
Imagine driving along the road
and all of a sudden
there's a barbed-wire fence
because the farmer has decided
that no, that's his field,
that's not a road.
So, the idea
of using a county
to build a road
across the county
and then the next county
to join up with that road
and create
a connectedness
was the contribution
of the Yellowstone Trail people.
Connectedness
was a new idea.
Everybody wanted roads.
There was mud
everywhere.
They said, "You know,
if we got tourists to come..."
Towns would be interested
in housing and feeding them.
So, let us make this
a tourist route
as well as
for the residents.
So, they sold memberships,
if you will
in the Yellowstone
Trail Association
to each little community
along their
proposed route.
The communities were
just dying to get on this road.
John Ridge:
And the poor person
or at least the non-rich person,
could afford to travel.
It surprised me to learn
that it was
no more expensive to own
and operate
an automobile
than to own and operate
a team of horses.
And that's one of the reasons
that it caught on so quickly.
Kmetz:
Do you see
the Yellowstone Trail
as having a democratic
component to it?
Oh, absolutely.
Heavens, yes.
Camping was one of them,
the great democratizer
and of course,
the auto was, too.
Yes, the rich person
could afford a bigger auto.
But the bigger
or the smaller auto
in the same mud
at the same time.
They were in
the same campground.
The "Tin can tourists."
They were opening
the same cans of beans.
And they found
themselves communicating
with each other.
Because you
were not a good camper
unless you had a better story
than the next guy
about how long you were stuck,
or where you got lost
or the bear that attacked you,
or something like that.
And they would have
the campground site spelled out.
So, if you were a tourist
you would want
one of these folders
from the Yellowstone
Trail Association
And it would tell you
everything you needed to know
about your route.
Kmetz:
And so, you could
find this route
all the way from Plymouth Rock
to Puget Sound?
And where's Wisconsin?
Here's Wisconsin,
right next to Lake Michigan.
There's Wisconsin.
Kmetz:
There's so many towns
listed on here now.
All of them were part
of the Association?
Yes, they were.
And that's why
they were listed?
They had representatives
in the Association.
We could
name you names.
Yes, "Trailmen,"
whose job it was
to watch out for the trail
in their little village.
Hi!
Hi!
I'm Debbie.
Hi, Deb, I'm Bob.
Nice to meet you.
You ready
for a ride?
Oh, I am!
So, we're stepping
back in time.
Yeah, I guess we're on
the Yellowstone Trail.
Okay!
We'll turn on the gas,
turn on the switch...
( engine starts )
There we go.
Okay, we're on our way.
Alice Ridge:
Now, how did people get along
and get around without numbers?
No maps, no numbers!
Kmetz:
How did they do that?
Well, they did that
by following what was called
the Automobile Blue Book.
Look how thick
this thing is!
And in order
to travel at all
someone had to ride shotgun
next to the driver
and read how to get
from one place to another.
Kmetz:
This is interesting.
In Amherst: "Four corners;
bank on left; turn left;
cross the railroad."
And that's
your directions.
That's it!
Can you imagine
trying to drive
and hear, "There's a bank
on the right.
"There's a church
on the left.
Turn left
in one-tenth of a mile."
Oh, my!
John Ridge:
This makes finding the exact
route of the trail today
very, very difficult.
Because old barns
and trolleys are all gone.
So, you're missing some
of these important landmarks
that you're tracing.
One of the interesting spots
in Wisconsin is in Owen.
Alice Ridge:
There's a bar in Owen.
And it used to be
called Twink's Bar.
Kmetz:
Twink's Bar?
Alice Ridge:
And it has
a bright yellow "R"
on the side of it.
That meant that if you're
on the Yellowstone Trail
and you're driving
through Owen
and you've got
to the end of the street...
Which way would you turn
if you saw a yellow "R"?
It's a test.
To the right?
Right!
And that does remain today.
Kmetz:
You've been able to trace
The original route
through Wisconsin.
Yes, we had to do
a lot of sleuthing
some guessing
and a lot of computer work
in order to re-create
these old roads.
We found that
they were wrong sometimes.
Did you?
Mm-hmm.
Sometimes,
they would direct you
to go right into
a bluff.
They were wrong!
But here,
we have a jeep.
We have
four-wheel drive.
We have
air conditioning.
Eighty years ago
people venturing out
onto that very same road
they had no services.
And they had tires
that had the life span
of a fruit fly.
And they had, you know,
not enough gasoline.
The tanks were
smaller, and so on.
The shear guts
that people must have had
traveling 80 years ago.
John Ridge:
The difference is, of course,
that they helped each other.
If there was a car
that broke down
everybody stopped
and you got it going again.
You simply expected
to have trouble.
And people
went with it.
They rode with the tide
because they
were adventuresome.
They accepted this.
If they weren't,
they would be on the train.
So, it was
the pioneers
in the pioneer spirit,
the "can-do" spirit
that really
built this road.
John Ridge:
Now, what's interesting
is the Yellowstone Trail
got enough use
to justify it being
the first highway in Wisconsin
to be completely
paved with concrete.
Hi!
Hello, there!
How was your trip?
Oh, it was
great!
It was good.
And you were on
the Yellowstone Trail.
Did you notice
the concrete?
I did.
This is part of old
original Yellowstone Trail.
We are in
Chippewa Falls.
We think this is
the original concrete.
We don't know
any different.
So, one time, though,
this was very modern.
Oh, absolutely.
Can you imagine driving on this
compared to a dirt road?
So, following
this road
you could get all the way
to Yellowstone Park?
And beyond.
And beyond.
Should we go?
I think
we should!
( all laugh )
Alice Ridge:
When the state of Wisconsin
numbered its roads--
the first state in the nation
to number its roads, in 1918--
The only thing
that would be allowed
on Wisconsin roads
was the triangular
Highway Department numbers.
And the Yellowstone Trail
yellow signs were still allowed
because it was such
a tourist draw.
It was so clearly marked,
that it was allowed to survive.
Kmetz:
It sounds like it was
a very vibrant time.
Alice Ridge:
Yes, it was.
And it was a shame
that the Depression came along
and did away with all that
vibrancy and creativity.

( high-pitched roar
 of race cars speeding past )
I know this was
an early horse track.
Then a dirt track.
Then they paved it,
what year?
1954.
Will:
The legendary Milwaukee Mile
is one of the most famous
and beloved race tracks
in America.
And track historian,
Al Krause
knows everything
there is to know about it.
Krause:
To me, the Fair Park
is the greatest race track
I've ever been to.
And I've been to
more than a few of them.
Will:
How long have you
been coming here?
I've been
coming here since--
My first race
was March 5, 1936.
You've been here
every year ever since?
Every year, and
I've got every program
from the time
I started coming here.
You tell me a date
that you want
and I'll bring you
the program.
How long have
they been racing?
1903.
So, this is nearly
100 years old?
Is this the oldest?
This is the oldest
race track in the country
from the standpoint of
continuous annual service
or from any service.
In the world?
In the country.
Well, I don't know
in the world--
There may not
have been that many
closed courses
that were running
that ran then, too.
So, this is
a pretty special place.
Oh, this is a gem.
They've built
on tradition here.
Exactly.
And this is what
you've got to have.
If you want tradition,
come right here.
Bring a knife along
and I'll even cut it.
It's so thick, you can
cut it and move it out.
( laughs )
This is a piece of history
that most people don't realize.
Henry Ford brought two
of his very famous cars here
and they raced them.
One was driven by a man
by the name of S. Frank Day.
His time to qualify came
and coming out
of the north turn
a tire peeled off
and the car skidded.
The wheel caught
on the fence
threw it up
in the air and...
( whistles softly )
Day went right off,
over the top.
And of course,
he was killed.
Really, he was
probably only doing
45 or 50 miles an hour.
But back then,
an open car?
Oh, my gosh!
And so, that ended.
So, that was our
first fatality we had.
And this track has been
relatively free of that
so let's not
talk about that.
Because so many innovations
were coming about
in the cars
and the track, here
and racing, in general,
the metamorphosis was--
It was getting bigger.
Will:
Was Harry Miller
designing cars?
Barney Olfield drove
one of Miller's cars.
And Miller said, "These guys
are getting bounced out."
So, he built a race car,
the "Golden Submarine."
This is one of the
Harry Miller cars?
The first one.
Now, Olfield
was in there.
What Miller
didn't count on
the engine generated
a lot of heat.
And Olfield just...
He's cooking
in there!
He was sweating
like a hog!
A 16-valve Miller.
Will:
Harry Miller got better
after that beginning effort.
Oh, man, does
that sound great!
In fact,
this Wisconsin native
became one of the greatest
automotive designers in history.
And his race cars
continue to hold center stage
at the annual
Vintage Indy Cars event.
Now, how did
this event start?
Dave Uihlein:
Well, the event started
because I have several
friends around the country
who are Miller
collectors
or if you really want
to call,"Miller Freaks"
that appreciate
and love the great talent
that this man had.
So, I thought, why don't we
get a Miller Club started
then we can
attract a few more
which we have.
Then, we decided
that we should not be
quite so stringent
on our requirements
which was
pre-World War II.
So, now we've opened it up
to post-War Indy cars.
Now we're going to go
and dust off that Mercedes.
How many of these
cars do you own?
Sometimes that's a secret,
but I can answer it this way.
Bill Harrah,
out in Reno--
He has 1,400!
1,400?!
And we
only have 30!
( both laugh )
What's the thrill
of collecting
these cars?
Oh, the thrill is in
the great accomplishments
of many of them
and particularly
Harry Miller
who came from
Menomonie, Wisconsin
a little town
above Eau Claire.
And he was,
you know, a genius.
At least we think so.
He couldn't draw two lines
on a piece of paper
but he had
wonderful ideas.
He was
inspired!
You bet!
He was great at surrounding
himself with talented people.
And Leo Goossen,
he could take Miller's ideas
and put them on paper
and do it well
and improve it a little bit.
And then, the had,
over in the corner
Fred Offenhauser
who was a great
German machinist.
And he manufactured
the bits and pieces.
And then they
put these cars together.
Incidentally, they won
the Indianapolis race 11 times.
Eleven times?!
Eleven times.
Now, this car, here, was
the first front-drive Miller.
Leon Duray
took the same type of car
went to Monthlery,
outside of Paris
and turned
147 miles an hour with it
15 miles an hour faster than
Bugatti, Mercedes or Alfa.
That must have
blown their minds!
And Bugatti's mind
was hard to blow
so he bought the two cars,
took them to Molsheim
and copied them.
Really?
Copied Harry Miller's
design.
So, Miller's
so influential
not only here in America,
but around the world.
But it took the Europeans
to wise us up.
Harold Peters:
This is a Miller Ford.
The interesting story
behind this was Tucker--
of the Tucker car fame--
Will:
They're
just beautiful!
Tucker was able to pitch
to Henry Ford the idea
of running some Ford-powered
cars at Indy in the mid-'30s
and convinced Miller
to design the cars.
Will:
160 miles an hour.
Name of owner:
Harry A. Miller, Number 10.
I'll never sit in anything
this cool, ever again!
So, do you
dream about it?
Oh, I would say,
"Who doesn't?"
Anybody who's got
some oil in their veins
dreams about cars
like this.
An interesting
thing is, though
that they seem to be
a bit of a forgotten legacy.
Miller was one of the greatest
auto designers in the world
not only in America.
That's not
that well-known
because he never
produced road cars.
He never had any major
auto manufacturer backing him
or any big money
backing him.
Money, for him,
came and went easily.
He poured it all
into the cars.
It didn't matter
what it cost.
Art and power?
Is that what you say
with his cars?
Art and speed, beauty
and technology.
You can
mix it all together.
He was so way ahead of his time
from an engineering perspective.
It's sometimes hard to believe
what you see here today.
We're seeing
"Perfect Circle Miller."
Tell me about that.
Frank Lockhart
drove that car
up to a world record:
172 miles an hour.
Pretty incredible.
Aerodynamic
styling?
Yes.
Only 18 inches wide.
Get a shoehorn
to fit in?
Exactly!
You really had to be
like a modern-day jockey
to get in to those.
Very aerodynamic, well-handling
for the era and well-built.
They just lasted
and lasted.
And when you see some people
sitting in these cars
you recognize that, really,
your head becomes the roll bar.
It would really hurt.
I'm always amazed that people
survived the crashes
that not everyone
was killed.
Have you
ever driven
one of these guys?
No, I've never
driven one.
I've been a passenger,
and it's a thrill.
It really is.
It's a rolling
piece of history.
It's a great part
of American history.
It's been forgotten
but we're
remembering it.
Exactly.
When you look at
these beautiful cars
you understand why
they ought to be remembered.
They're just
luscious!
They really are.
( high-pitched roar
 of car speeding past )
Will:
What's going on
behind us?
Krause:
They're now getting
ready for the big
225-mile CART
Championship race.
I think it's the
52nd Rex Mays Classic.
Why is it
called that?
Well, Rex Mays
was killed in 1949
at Del Mar, California.
But in 1948,
Rex had stopped.
He had spun his car out
in the south turn
and went up
against the wall
because Duke Dinsmore
was laying on the track.
He spun his car out
deliberately
ran up the track
and flagged the field.
They would've made
hash out of Dinsmore.
He was laying
at a right angle.
It would've just
bounced him around.
He was a great driver,
a tremendous man.
Did you
ever meet him?
Oh, yes,
I've talked to him.
He lent a dignity
to this sport
that some of these other guys
could take lessons from.
Right now,
I'm talking about.
But all the racing
at Milwaukee
has always been a big part
of the racing schedule.
The Fair Board,
they were racing people
because they were
the ones that made the money!
They told the horsemen
when they were going
to pave this track--
Oh, the motorcycle races--
They were tearing
their hair out.
Don McDowell, to his everlasting
credit, stood up to them
and said, "Gentlemen,
auto racing is big business.
"And you had better
get used to the idea
that auto racing
gets the call."
What a place, though.
What a history!

Who knew that Wisconsin
had such an illustrious
automotive history?
Drive carefully, now.
And don't forget
to buckle up!
Thanks for
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