18 -Broward Legacy

THE FIRST REGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLES IN BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA OCTOBER 1915 TO by Kenneth J. Hughes

EARLY MOTOR Fort Lauderdale became a boom­ road when Broward County came TRANSPORTATION IN ing agricultural town with the ini­ into existence in 1915. Notably, the BROWARD COUNTY tiation ofEverglades drainage in the Bryan family had arrived on New In 1893, when the horseless ­ early years ofthe twentieth century. River during 1895 and were some­ riage was going through trials of ac­ New and fertile farmlands dotted the what responsible for the com­ ceptance, Frank Stranahan riverbanks, but roads were non-ex­ munity's success with their hotel and established a ferry and a trading post istent. In effect, the Studebaker other business ventures. Growth along the banks ofNew River. Here, wagon was king. Yet, times--they was inevitable, and Fort Lauderdale a small community emerged from the were changing. Roads were im­ was incorporated in 1911. The new pine woods. And in 1896, when com­ proved, and the automobile soon be­ town was small, and the first auto­ petitive automobile manufacturers came the preferred mode of travel. mobiles were sold through agents were making sound investments in The first automobile in Fort Lau­ from Miami. , Henry Flagler's railroadwas derdale was a Glide, purchased by In 1911, H. Gilbert Wheeler completed to Miami, bringing new Reed A. Bryan in 1906. Itmust have opened a garage on Brickell Avenue settlers and shipping produce to been a grand new convenience for in downtown Fort Lauderdale, ap­ northern markets. Since that time, the owner and a unique attraction parently in conjunction with his new the development of the automobile on the unpaved avenues of down­ mercantile establishment. Reed A. and its positive effects on south town Fort Lauderdale. Local records Bryan purchased his first REO from Florida have been a storybook affair. indicate Reed's Glide was still on the this establishment. Later in the de­ cade, the Broward County Garage and Automobile Company operated Established in 1915, the same year the Dixie Highway opened down the Florida east coast, Broward County grew up with the automobile. The at or near the location of Wheeler's county's first motor vehicle registration record, covering the period from Garage. It is uncertain if H.G. October 1915 to July 1916, provides an abundance of details on the types Wheeler had an affiliation with the of vehicles operating, their owners and uses. By analyzing this data, as Broward County Garage and Auto­ well as contemporary newspaper articles, advertisements and physical mobile Company. Neither can we artifacts, Kenneth J. Hughes reconstructs the automotive history of find proofthat Wheeler sold automo­ Broward County's first year. biles after 1912. Nevertheless, in­ Mr. Hughes, a former Broward County Historical Commissioner formation in the Fort Lauderdale and contributor to several past issues of Broward Legacy, has done Historical Society archives regarding extensive research, both historical and archaeological, into the county's R.A. Bryan's REO purchase indicates past. This article is an abridgement of his booklet by the same name, that H. Gilbert Wheeler was the first which is available from the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society gift shop. automobile dealer in present-day Broward County. Summer/ Fall 1998 - 19

Fort Lauderdale's first automobile, Reed A. Bryan's Glide, with New River Inn in the background. ca. 1910. The baby is Reed's nephew, Perry Bryan. county seat. During this transition, A NEW COUNTY AND Fort Lauderdale merchant new civil records were established MOTOR VEHICLE H. G. Wheeler. and maintained. These responsibili­ REGISTRATION ties included the licensing of motor cense plates recovered in present-day In 1914, the communities of vehicles. In 1918 the licensing pro­ Broward County, could be verified. Deerfield and Pompano were in Palm cess became a state responsibility, We are very fortunate to have Brow­ Beach County, while Dania, Davie, but before that date, all auto licenses ard County's Automobile Registra­ Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale, and were maintained and issued by tions still intact. Progresso were situated in Dade Florida's counties. From these records, the reader County. The border between these The actual licensing of vehicles can determine the county's most two jurisdictions followed an east­ in Broward County was acknowl­ popular sources of transportation. west trail later known as Floranada edged at an organizational County Although the source of this informa­ Road. Commission meeting on September tion, now in the Broward County By 1915, with the opening of 19, 1915. Besides the agenda of re­ Historical Commission archives, does drained Everglades lands, these com­ modeling the courthouse and order­ not indicate the year each vehicle munities hadincreased in population ing jail cells, William Q. Bryan, the was manufactured, it does list them sufficiently enough to gain voting tax collector, filed a list of required by manufacturer, or sometimes, by strength. This happened during a supplies: one Register for Automo­ crucial era in south Florida history biles and Motorcycles, auto applica­ when much local political interest tion blanks for licenses, fifty "To centered on expenditures and prohi­ Hire" automobile license plates, 250 bition. One particularly divisive is­ "Owner's Use" automobile license sue concerned the taxation of Fort plates and fifty motorcycle license Lauderdale area citizens to provide plates. Subsequently, it was deter­ for a deep-water port at Miami. mined that the new county of Brow­ When Miami area leaders blocked ard had less than 300 automobiles, initial efforts to create a new county trucks and buses, and not more than from the northern portion of Dade, fifty motorcycles. This information Fort Lauderdale interests promoted was most likely obtained from the county-wide prohibition. Since the previous Dade County Automobile Miami hotels and tourist resorts License Registration records. Sev­ wanted unrestricted alcohol sales, eral recent inquiries by historians this tactic paved the way for the cre­ and license plate collectors have ation of a new county. failed to locate the whereabouts of Thus, Broward County was es­ Dade County's registrations. If tablished on , 1915 from these records were located, this sup­ parts ofDade and Palm Beach Coun­ position, as well as the identity ofthe William Q. "Quince" Bryan, first ties. Fort Lauderdale became the few surviving 1915 Dade County li- Broward County Tax Collector. 20 -Broward Legacy model name. For example, any Ford satisfactory to the welfare of their no need to worry about traffic jams, automobiles on the road between taxpayers. They recognized that it traffic lights or fuel shortages. Nev­ 1915 and 1918 were most likely would be unfair to charge a "Private ertheless, road conditions presented Model Rs, Model Ns or Model Ts. Use" automobile owner the same li­ a major concern. Other manufacturers provided simi­ cellsing fee as the owner who used lar designs to compete against Henry the vehicle for taxi service or trans­ THE FffiST ROADS IN Ford. A few examples were porting produce. Subsequently, BROWARD COUNTY 's Baby Grand and Four county vehicle licenses were also The first road through what was Ninety, Mr. Willy's Overland, and classified on the basis of "For Hire" to become Broward County was a Dodge Brothers' Touring Car. Most and "Motorcycles." mere trail cut through the pine were powered by four or six-cylinder Broward County also charged li­ woods in 1838 by Major William engines. censing fees based on vehicle qual­ Lauderdale's Tennessee Volunteers In contrast, some motor vehicles ity, measured in tonnage. A Ford and Lieutenant Robert Anderson's were rather uncommon and usually owner who used the vehicle for "Pri­ Third Artillery Pioneers. It was manufactured in small, unsuccessful vate Use" in 1916 was charged $5.00 mapped by Lieutenant Frederick quantities. Some, known as cycle­ per year, while a owner paid Searle of the U.S. Topographical , had only one or two cylinder $10.00. Motorcycle owners were usu­ Corps. This mule trail was improved engines and rode on motorcycle tires. ally the most fortunate, having to for the passage of military supply One example ofa cyclecar registered fork over only $2.00 per year. By wagons in 1857, during the Third in young Broward County is the 1917, commercial vehicles were pay­ Seminole War. At the same time, the Grant. This and similar vehicles had ing $20.00 per year. first stationary bridge in what we a short production span ranging from The standard wage for common now call Broward County was con­ 1910 to 1916, and were eventually labor in 1915-17 averaged about fif­ structed across the upper reaches of phased out by improved development teen dollars per week. Thus, most the Hillsboro River by CaptainAbner and price reduction of standard au­ everyone's great-granddad had to Doubleday--the legendary inventor tomobiles. pay one-third of his weekly wages, ofbaseball. Notably, this survey indicates minimum, to keep the old lizzie on Most travelers who visited south that Overland, , Chalmers and the road for one year. By today's Florida in the later part of the nine­ Studebaker automobiles lagged be­ standards, the licensing fees for teenth century followed the sea route hind Fords in popularity--all were keeping motor vehicles on the road or the Florida East Coast Railway to running a close race for second place. during 1916 were expensive. In ad­ their destinations. Yet, after the The Chevrolet, rather new on the dition, south Florida's economic con­ turn of the century, some wealthy market in 1915 and 1916, was not ditions must have made such a northerners did travel by automo­ well known or well rec~ived in Brow­ payment doubly painful to great­ biles to their winter homes in ard County; only two were registered granddad's wallet. Although the Florida, creating a demand for im­ during the first licensing sequence. had launched full proved roads. The first automobile While other manufacturers were steam into the industrial age, south road through today's Broward concerned about establishing a com­ Florida lagged behind. The region's County was certainly not extraordi­ petitive edge with Ford, Henry Ford agricultural base was susceptible to nary. Constructed in 1906, it ex­ was attempting to increase the mar­ the whims of nature, and tourism tended more than sixty miles from gin. He was experimenting with al­ was only beginning to play a major Palm Beach to Miami. Very often, cohol in developing a new fuel from role in Broward County's economy. the road was narrow with wooden which he had hoped to attain in­ In the coming decade, south Florida bridges crossing picturesque creased performance. Imagine the would experience a crash and depres­ streams. The road was rough, but irony ifthese experiments were suc­ sion years before the rest of the na­ passable. However, it required con­ cessful. Young Broward County--a tion. stant maintenance. county created in part on a "dry" no­ One may also be surprised about The term "Rock and Roll" is not alcohol platform--might have had the low number of registered motor as new as some may believe. As a 37.8% of its motor vehicles, these vehicles on Broward County roads road building term, it has been being Fords, powered by alcohol fuel. between 1915 and 1918. However, around for quite some time. Early Even the less popular manufactured these numbers paralleled the small roads were packed with rock or simi­ vehicles, which were quickly follow­ population. We must assume that lar material and rolled or compressed ing the path of the dinosaur to ex­ perhaps not all vehicles were regis­ for hardness. Many roads in north­ tinction, might have been tered--especially those tucked away ern Florida were packed with co­ rejuvenated with a better grade of on remote country farms. In a re­ quina shell material. In what is fuel. gion best known for agricultural re­ today northern Palm Beach County, Regardless of the popularity or sources, it is quite possible that the oyster shell from ancient Indian the notoriety of a motor vehicle, mules and horses still outnumbered kitchen middens served as suitable south Florida counties were inter­ the horseless carriages. For what­ material for both railroad beds and ested in establishing licensing fees ever reason, our early motorists had roads. Farther to the south, lime- Summer/Fall 1998 - 21

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(';,r ;..:,!I I,f Si:-:. t!,,, ~irst !'IflilJlnl'nt inl." I:rllwarrj STURDY AS THE OAK ('t"mty. w"l arrivf~ In II f,··.... d::;,·". $975.00 f. O. B. fl Lauderdale WilL S. BULLOCK, Jr., Agent. The Sensible Six I'rcscllt hJl:aticm With th·· G",al Power and Ulhl Weilhl. EJlechol Unu.ual Performance. Econom¥ .nd Comlort F'r. L.\Cl,l.l:lJ.\J.I~ G,,':.\':I;'\: ~I.\' 111:;1. I ". Forty-oneHo... Power at 2500 R. P. M. \,\Ieilhl 21~O pound~. .SlY.. poun~. '4' wei..ht to every bone power. Wheclbaoe ! 12 ,nCh... Ove'r.•;.e Tire. J2z04 inChea. Non..kicJ. .ear. Tumlnl Clfele 38 f~. Undenlubl' Semi-elliptic.rea. Sprin... ' J inChealonl Genuine Leathe: Uphol.lel, plealed type. Delen· Starlinl' Ulhlin~ and .",irion. pooirive Labricahon IndicalOl\. Pilol Ught on daah. Marvel Carbu­ retot. Sttwart Vacuum Feed complete ~uipmeDt.. "TWENTY MILE5 TO EVERY GALLON OF GAS Green & High Auto Company.--=-.J lmm52SZSl5lSznnsm51SUZSZ51SlSlS25lSZSlSUlSmSZSUlnsz5>525uznsz2 22 -Broward Legacy Owing to the maintenance neces­ sities ofmotor vehicles, a few repair garages emerged in young Broward County. Perhaps the first body re­ pair shop inthis county was attached to the local paint company, the Fort Lauderdale Mercantile Company. These industrious entrepreneurs hired a paint expert formerly em­ ployed by Dodge Motor Works in Chi­ cago. Repair garages in Broward County between 1915 and 1918 in­ cluded the following: Broward County Automobile & Prisoners building a Florida road, ca. 1906. Garage Co., Brickell Avenue, near North River Drive, stone was plentiful and therefore preparing to oil Southwest Third Fort Lauderdale substituted for this purpose. Road Street and Brickell Avenue and did Broward Sales Company, building offered convict labor a not want to contend with the traffic. Andrews Avenue South, healthy outdoor alternative to their He stretched a rope across the road Fort Lauderdale. confinement. to cordon off the accessible perim­ Dania Garage, Dania. Notably, one of the first tasks eters to his work. Unfortunately, the Fort Lauderdale Garage & undertaken by Broward County's cyclist did not see the rope--but felt Machine Company, commissioners was to establish it across his neck. In this particular Andrews Avenue South, bonds to meet the many requests by accident, the results were obvious. Fort Lauderdale. the citizens to build roads through­ The motorcycle continued a bit far­ E.E. Hardy, Pompano. out the new county. Better roads ther down the road while its rider, C.M. Ingalls, Hallandale. meant improved traveling speed. without a choice of his own, quickly Leaird & Pellett, Andrews Likewise, quicker travel resulted in changed his direction oftravel. Yet, Avenue North, a higher risk of accidents. he was much more fortunate than Fort Lauderdale. newlyweds who flipped the car--be­ ON EARLY MOTOR VEmCLE ~ ing able to retrieve his ride and pro­ <00 ACCIDENTS ceed onwards with only a few Gate City Garage 0 Whether caused by horseplay or scratches. lack of horse sense, accidents oc­ In Dade County, a Broward citi­ :: AND :: curred just as quickly in 1916 at zen lost his life in a bicycle accident thirty miles per hour, as they do to­ during 1916. He was visiting that Machine Comp'y day at fifty-five miles an hour. For county, preparing his properties for example, a young newlywed couple, the real estate market. He rode a bi­ Ruby and Emet Rogers, only a few cycle to his son's farm to tend to the C :::;:::>0 hours into their new lives, were in­ horses, and on his return, fell into Automobi1ea Stored and Re­ volved in an accident at the Dania the path of an oncoming vehicle. Al­ paired. railroad crossing on Dixie Highway though accidents were rather remote in April. It seems the chauffeur de­ in the late 1910s, they did occur­ Machine Work of AU Kind. cided to race against a motorcycle. and sometimes, they were fatal. He was unfamiliar with the danger­ Sheet Metal Work and Tanka ous road transition across the tracks, EARLY AUTOMOBILE Built to Order. REPAIRS and the vehicle flipped over, injur­ Buggy and Wagon Repaira. ing the driver, the bride and three Once upon a time, Henry's Fords others. and other automobiles were easy and HORST? 4ND MULE In October 1915, an unidentified inexpensive to repair. Many repairs SlIOE/NC. youth received the surprise ofhis life could be accomplished at home. Di­ when he was clotheslined at An­ agnostics were simple too, but rather drews Avenue and Southwest Third effective. Often, a vehicle in need of Street while riding his motorcycle to repair could be diagnosed simply by FISSEL & RANDAll I school. At that time, Fort Lauder­ listening to it. This writer's grand­ dale streets were unpaved, therefore, father once had such a job in Miami. Fort Lauderdale, FIft. it was a practice to oil them down in He took the vehicles on the road, de­ NORTH BRICKELL AVE. an attempt to reduce the dust and to termined their problems and relayed I keep them packed. A workman was this information to the mechanics. ------

j .. " as thorough as conditions allowed. On the other hand, the register re­ flects numerical inconsistencies. It is obvious that a few applicants were allowed to select their own number. An example ofthis selectiveness among the license applicants is re­ corded in October 1915 when Will­ iam B. Snyder registered his "Chalmers." On the register, motor­ cycle license plates are listed inter­ mittently among the automobile registrations, but numbered sepa­ rately. Among the listings on page two for automobiles and trucks is Snyder's out-of-numerical-sequence license issue number 100, sand­ ,/ wiched between Sol Bevill's license / ," f number fifty-four and H. T. Hobbs' number fifty-five. Snyder served as a real estate broker. His brother, Samuel P., was a road contractor and vice-president of Bryan and Snyder Company. Many other community pioneer First page ofthe Broward CountyAutomobile License Register, 1915. names embellish the registration book, for example, first Fort Lauder­ dale Mayor William Marshall, Sher­ ing these lists are the countywide to­ iff Aden W. Turner and Ft. LIST OF MOTOR VEHICLES tals. Lauderdale's prominent pioneer, REGISTERED IN The original 1915-18 Broward Frank Stranahan. Ifit satisfies one's BROWARD COUNTY County motor vehicle registration curiosity, Stranahan owned a Buick. OCTOBER 1915 • JULY 1916 process did not separate the appli­ He was issued license number fifty­ The Broward County Automobile cants from each community. It ap­ one. Register lists seven communities as pears that applications were The following data represents the locations for owners' motor ve­ recorded on a first-come, first-serve Broward County's first vehicle reg­ hicles. In addition, there are several basis. It is highly unlikely that ap­ istrations from , 1915 to listings for "City," which refer to Fort plicants from other Broward County July 1916. No additional registra­ Lauderdale applicants. All "City" communities protested their coming tions were recorded for the rest ofthe registrations are combined under the to Fort Lauderdale to register their fiscal year, from July to the end of Fort Lauderdale registrations for the motor vehicles. After all, it was September. Registrations were sub­ purposes of this breakdown, as are much closer than the Dade County sequently recorded beginning at the those for "Colohatchee," an unincor­ Courthouse. It is also quite possible start ofeach fiscal year, October 1 of porated townsite at present-day Wil­ that, in former years, Dade County 1916 and 1917. The last entries in ton Manors and the surrounding brought the registration books to the the registration book were logged in farming district, which included por­ New River community and other . After that date, the tions of today's Oakland Park and towns to insure that all motor vehicle State of Florida maintained state­ northern Fort Lauderdale. Follow- taxes were collected. Or, a north wide vehicle registrations. 24 -Broward Leg:-a..-:cy~ _ Motorcycles: Harley Davidson ~fit "U"IffIII IffIII'"fit fit '"Of'" Iff'"'"III'" fit", III'"'" ill~"~ " 1; Indian 2. No.~1 "n"'" S-0~§III'" E '-_ FOR PRIVATE USE Trucks and Buses: Indiana § QtUlltltl! AlitUlltUhilC illiCClt5C .~ Truck (one ton) 1; (1000 ~ - pound) 1. C~UNTY STATEorrL~~I~~ Total automobiles = 30 I or DADE 1912 I Total motorcycles = 3 ~ - Total trucks and buses = 2 ~ In consideration ofthe sum of ~~~---. - .Dollars ~ #W~' ~ {~ Countywide Motor Vehicle Totals E: 1.It. r.. Colin'0'.:27:::"" 2,- Slttu 01 fJorld4. /, E· -~ - . Addrl!~f-~~~_ CS Automobiles: Allen 5; Argo 1; t:: uIt" btl Lk.".~,. II"'''', IA_. ?ZUf4l'tOb ~..~"tH ~Iow (., 1Il.".n.I co,..,.,_"t"'- ar,ob., "t. '''1. _I'HI :::: ::: ."JI", S.",.,.,k, JOIA. "11. ~ , r "3 Auburn 1; Buick 15; Cadillac 5; := Kindu{Cur ~- --L-",._~ /{or31? Puwer ~7 =: Chalmers 10; Chevrolet 2; Cole 1; _~ 4~,~~~~ E Dol.d J/~ /D(J ..191 V _Lid 2Jlr;.. .§ Detroiter 2; Dodge 4; EMF t:: I ..._,.... / r ,.. r__ :::: (Studebaker) 4; Flanders 5; Ford 76; ~ lU 111111mIIi11IlUIII III llUUIU £II III IU III 111 III 11111III1IUIlllllgI'H1IU 11111111UII ~II ~ Grant 1; Glide 1; Henderson 1; Frank Stranahan's 1912 Dade County license (courtesy ofStranahan Herschoff 1; Hudson 5; Hupmobile House). 5; King 1; Marathon 1; Marion 1; Maxwell 3; Metz 2; Mitchell 1; Oak­ THE LIST land 1; Oldsmobile 1; Overland 19; Marathon 1; Maxwell 1; Metz 2; Packard 1; Rainier 1; Rambler 1; Dania Motor Vehicles Oldsmobile 1; Overland 8; Packard Regal 1; Ress Hupp [Rex HupmobileJ Automobiles: Buick 1; l' Rainier l' Saxon 5; Schoks 1; Saxon 7; Schoks [Schacht] 1; Chalmers 1; Chevrolet 2; Detroiter [Schacht] 1; S~lden (five passenger) Selden (five passenger) 1; Stoddard 1; Ford 16; Hupmobile 1; King 1; 1·, Stoddard [Stoddard/Dayton] 1; [StoddardlDayton] 1; Studebaker 8; Maxwell 1; Overland 5; Saxon 2; Studebaker 3; Velie 1. Velie 2; unrecorded 1. Studebaker 2. Motocycles: Excelsior 3; Harley Motorcycles: Excelsior 10; Motorcycles: Excelsior 2; Davidson 5; Indian 7; Miami Harley Davidson 8; Indian 16; Mi­ Harley Davidson 1; Indian 1; Pope (Merkle) 2; Thor 8. ami (Merkle) Motorbike 2; Pope 1; 1; Reading Standard 1. Trucks and Buses: Buick (1000 Reading Standard 1; Thor 9. Trucks and Buses: White (one pound) 1; Commerce (1000 pound) 1; Trucks and Buses: Buick (1000 and a half ton) 1. Dart (three ton) 1; Ford (1000 pound) pound) 2; Commerce (1000 pound) 1; Total automobiles = 33 3; GMC (one and a halfton) 1; Inter­ Dart (three ton) 1; Ford (1000 pound) Total motorcycles = 10 national (one ton); Packard Truck 3; GMC (one and a half ton) 1; Indi­ Total trucks and buses = 1 (three ton) 1; REO (1000 pound) 5; ana Truck (one ton) 1; International Sampson (one and a half ton) 1; (1000 pound) 2; Oldsmobile (1000 Davie Motor Vehicles Selden ( pound) 1; White 3. pound) 2; Packard Truck (three ton) Automobiles; Chalmers 1; EMF Total automobiles = 115 1; REO (1000 pound) 6; Republic (two (Studebaker) 1; Ford 3. Total motorcycles = 25 ton) 1; Sampson (one ton) 1; Selden Motorcycles: Indian 1. Total trucks and buses = 20 Trucks and Buses: REO 1. (one and a halfton) 1; White (one and a half ton) 4. Total automobiles = 5 Hallandale Motor Vehicles Total autoInobiles 201 Total motorcycles = 1 Automobiles: Flanders 2; Ford = Total motorcycles = 47 Total trucks and buses = 1. 4; Herschoff 1; Marion 1; Overland Total trucks and buses = 26 1; Studebaker 3. Deerfield Motor Vehicles Motorcycles: Excelsior 5; In­ DESCRIPTION OF MOTOR Automobiles: Buick 1; Ford 2; dian 1; Thor 1. VEHICLES REGISTERED IN Hudson 1; Maxwell 1; Overland. Trucks and Buses: Oldsmobile BROWARD COUNTY, Motorcycles:Harley Davidson 1. (1000 pound) 1; Republic (two ton) 1. OCTOBER 1915 · JULY 1916 Total automobiles = 6 Total automobiles = 12 The early development ofthe au­ Total motorcycles = 1 Total motorcycles = 7 tomobile grew with leaps and bounds Total trucks and buses = 0 Total trucks and buses =2 between the 1890s and 1916. Early vehicles were manufactured with Fort Lauderdale Motor Vehicles Pompano Motor Vehicles one and two cylinder engines. These Automobiles: Allen 5; Argo 1; Automobile: Buick 5; Chalmers were improved to four and six cylin­ Auburn 1; Buick 8; Cadillac 5; 1; Dodge 1; EMF (Studebaker) 1; ders. Chain driven transmissions Chalmers 1; Detroiter 1; Dodge 3; Ford 9; Hudson 1; Hupmobile 1; evolved into shaft driven units. EMF (Studebaker) 2; Flanders 3; Mitchell 1; Overland 4; Rambler 1; Wooden wheels developed into steel Ford 42; Grant 1; Glide 1; Regal 1; Ress Hupp [Rex HupmobileJ wheels, hard rubber tires into pneu­ Henderson; Hudson 3; Hupmobile 3; 1; Velie 1; unrecorded 1. matic tires, and tiller steering into Summer/ Fall 1998 - 25 right and left hand steering wheel systems. Additional breakthroughs in de­ velopment included items which were once considered luxuries and, of course, were optional. Manual starters yielded to electric starters, and electric lighting systems made gas lighting obsolete. Spare tires, as well as jacks and tool kits, eventu­ ally became standard equipment. Automobile styling also took pre­ cedence in early development, al­ though there were many similarities among the different manufacturers. For example, competitively priced cars were usually available in two body styles--the two to four person roadster or the five to seven person touring car. Some companies pro­ ducing higher priced automobiles, such as Cadillac and Packard, offered unique features such as Landaulette style bodies, attractive grills and equally attractive lights and paint finishes. Tonneau tops of mohair were standard for the workingman's automobile. These could be substi­ tuted with demountable hard winter tops or permanently closed automo­ biles. Hence, many automobile com­ panies offered both open and closed models. If these were out of finan­ cial reach or simply did not satisfy our pioneer consumers, cyclecars were available. Cyclecars were manufactured in the United States between 1910 and 1916, and were comparable to bi­ cycles and motorcycles. They were lightweight with two-cylinder air­ cooled engines or four-cylinder wa­ Here's the Handsome Auto ter-cooled engines. Most were two-passenger vehicles. They used motorcycle tires, and some used belt drives, rather than the usual chains or drive shafts. Most were capable of traveling forty to fifty miles on a gallon of gas. These were the first economy cars. Only one other form of motor vehicle, the motorcycle, could guarantee improved economy. Early vintage automobiles are rare, but antique motorcycles are more so. The earliest this writer has seen in a private collection was a 1911 Indian. Between 1912 and 1917 motorbikes advanced rapidly in de­ That is going to a live Contestant sign, size and performance. Each represent beautiful gems, with their 26 -Broward Legacy own specialized features, unlike the Schull & Dillard, Farmers competitive models manufactured Standard Oil Company The Brush was powered by a one­ today. In local motorcycle advertise­ Tubbs & Johnston, cylinder, twelve horsepower engine ments, each manufacturer claimed Fruit Packer/Shipper and could travel fifty miles on a gal­ their product was the fastest, and W.C. Kyle, Broward County lon of gasoline. one claimed their product was the Bank This cyclecar, designed by cleanest. In reality, they could be White Star Auto Line Alanson R. Brush, sold for a price more economical and practical than Witheral & Okhurst ranging from $350 to $780. Later automobiles, owing to the condition W.J. Brandon & Son models had pneumatic tires and ofour early roads, unless, ofcourse, larger engines. Landaulette bodies COUNTY LICENSE PLATES one had to convey more than one per­ were available on the Brush and AND SUCH son or a large amount of cargo. manufactured as Titan taxicabs. The American trucks, from 1910 to In recent years, evidence ofearly Brush Company merged into the 1917, were simple in style and strong Broward County automania has U.S. Motor Works, which failed in in construction. Sizes ranged from been discovered during the redevel­ 1913. This vehicle represents an half and three-quarter ton delivery opment ofthe downtown district and early form of motor transportation wagons, to the six-ton Packard Haul­ adjacent residential neighborhoods. used in Fort Lauderdale at least two ers. Somewhere in the middle were The most recognizable artifacts are years before the formation of Brow­ the ever-resilient two-ton REO farm the early porcelain-coated license ard County. and cargo trucks. The early trucks plates. Otheritems include mechani­ In 1914, vehicle owners residing had single and dual sys­ cal parts belonging to automobiles, south ofpresent-day Floranada Road tems. These soon made way for the trucks and motorcycles, among these were issued blue Dade County li­ drive shaft designs. Some small such identifiers as vehicle manufac­ cense plates with white numbers and trucks inearly Broward County were ture plates and labeled, wheel grease lettering. In 1915, the Dade County converted automobiles. Several caps. plates were a bright yellow with manufacturers offered these conver­ Although such evidence is some­ black numbers and lettering. The sion options. The largest trucks in what scarce, Ford wheel caps are first Broward County license plates, Broward County's first automobile more common than those belonging with white numbers and letters on a registration weighed three tons. to early , owing to the pale green background, were most popularity of the former. A particu­ likely ordered from the supply list BROWARD COUNTY larly rare identifier surfaced re­ submitted at the September 19, 1915 BUSINESSES THAT USED cently along Brickell Avenue in county commission meeting by W.Q. MOTOR VEHICLES downtown Fort Lauderdale, when a Bryan. IN THEm TRADES grease cap was recovered from a How and when the first Brow­ OCTOBER 1915· JULy 1916 "Brush." The Brush was a cyclecar ard County license plates were is­ The numerous truck and heavy manufactured by Brush Motor Car sued remains uncertain. Because vehicle listings comprise another in­ Company and the Brush Runabout registrations for Broward County teresting reference in the automobile Company of Detroit between 1907 began on October 5, 1915, only two register. The records either indicate and 1913. Itwas a popular two-seat, weeks after the request for plates the owner's name or a business coil spring, chain-driven vehicle with was submitted to the County Com­ name. The latter is unique for it de­ solid tires and wooden frame axles. mission, it is possible that temporary fines Broward County's citizen work force, and reveals businesses of ne­ ======'===W=A=ll=AC=E=K=='N~ cessity during the county's earliest f W==.=C.=l=EA='R=O years. Businesses licensing trucks included: Aden Waterman Turner, Sheriff :I LEAIRD & KING iI Blount Brothers, Farmers I Broward Grocery Company Agents for C. Edwd. Dugall & Bros., Farmers ! Crown Bottling Company Thorand Indian Motorcycles Fairacres Stock Farm :l! Buy a Motorcycle on Payments---$50 down Fort Lauderdale Laundry Co. Hector Supply Co., Agriculture iI Lee J. Spear, Farmer I: In Berryhill Building Myers Michallo II: Andrews Ave. Ft. Lauderdale I New River Fruit Company Oliver Brothers Company \~:- .~--. _, --=:=.c==== -., _=::c-=:::-:=-=-=-=:::...--=_-_:..:c=--_-_-:..=.~~.:.::J!j Palm Beach Mercantile Co. Summer/Fall 1998 - 27

1915 Dade County license plate, discovered by the author and now in the collection of the Broward County Historical Commission.

vehicle registrations were issued and white letters on a black background. ted to the State of Florida to begin vehicle operators continued using It is unknown if a 1918 Broward the new registration procedure, but the 1915 Dade County plates until County-issued license plate ever ex­ to date, no information has surfaced the new plates arrived. isted. Registration did occur from to verify the closing process. Subse­ The 1917 Broward County li­ to January 1918, and quently, we can only assume that cense plate consisted of yellow let­ these numbers represented the full 1918 porcelain license plates never tering on a black background while complement ofvehicles in the county were issued. neighboring Palm Beach County is­ including some new additions. It is sued a license plate consisting of possible that this data was submit- BIBLIOGRAPHY

"A Narrow Escape" [Motorcycle Accident], Fort Florida's Good Roads Building (magazine). The ofthe Motor Car and the Company (Princeton, Lauderdale SentiTUlI, , 1915. Automobile, February 22, 1906, copy in Brow­ N.J.: Princeton Publishing Company Inc., 1978). Anderson, Lieutenant Robert, Almanac, March 2, ard County Historical Commission Archives, ------, Standard Catalogue ofAmerican Cars, 1838, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. . Fort Lauderdale. 1895-1942 (2nd Edition, lola, Wisc.: Krause "Auto Accident near Dania," Fort Lauderdale Sen­ Fort Laurkrdale City Directory, 1918. Fort Lau­ Publications, 1989). tiTUlI, April 28, 1916. derdale Historical Society archives, Fort Lau­ Lester, Thomas J. & Steele, Irv, Handbook··Auto­ Broward County Automobile Registrations, 1915-18, derdale, Florida. mobile Specifications, 1915-1942 (Cashier, N.C.: Broward County Historical Commission Mu­ "Ft. Lauderdale County Seat ofBroward," "Hurray Lester & Steele Publishing Co., 1984). seum, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. for Broward County," Fort LauderdaleSentiTUll, Marshall, Mayor William, Biography Files, Brow­ "Broward Celebration--Largest Event on the East October I, 1915. ard County Historical Commission Archives, Coast ofFlorida," also "County Commissioners Georgano, G.N., (Editor), The New Encyclopedia of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Proceedings," Fort Lauderdale SentiTUlI, Sep­ Motor Cars, 1885-Present (New York: E.P. The Miami Herald, , 1915, , tember 24, 1915. Dutton, 1982). 1915. "Broward County Celebrations--A Great Day for Green, Chip, Notes Regarding Early County Li­ Notes Regarding the Formation of Broward Ft. Lauderdale, the County Capital," Fort Lau­ cense Plates, [Interview with a renowned col­ County, Fort Lauderdale SentiTUlI, , derdale SentiTUlI, , 1915. lector, Sept. 20, 1993] 1915, July 7, 1916. Bryan Family, Notes Regarding, 1896-1916. Biog­ Heede, J.L. (Sam), "Our Bryan Pioneers," Brow­ On Two Wheels-- The Encyclopedia ofMotorcycling, raphy Files, Broward County. Historical Com­ ard Leg(JJ:y, vol. 7, nos. 3 & 4 (SummerlFall Volume 18 (New York and :Marshall mission, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 1984),39. Cavendish Limited, 1976), Clymer, Floyd, Those Wonrkrful Old Automobiles Hough, Richard & Setright, L.J.K,AHistory ofthe Stout, WesleyW., "Came Here in 1906," The Beach­ (New York: Bonanza Books, 1953). World's Motorcycles (New York, Harper & Row comber, Fort Laurkrdale Daily News, August 21, Doubleday, Captain Abner, letters, January­ Publishers, 1966, 1973). 1953. March, 1857, Captain Justin Dimick letters, Jesup, Major General Thomas S., Papers, Febru­ "The Creation of Broward County," Broward January-March 1857, M108417, Record Group ary, March 838, [J-1838], M567/167, Record Legacy, vol.l!, nos. 3 &4 (SummerlFall 1988), 16. 393, [Microfilm], National Archives, Washing­ Group 94, National Archives, Washington, D.C. Wagner, James K., Ford Trucks Since 1905 ton,D.C. Kines, Beverly Rae, (Editor), Packard--A History (Sarasota: Crestline Publishing, 1978).