Bicycles, plows and Buick … these and more all came from the city of Jackson.

THE city had a rich, diverse, and dynamic industrial economy before and after it challenged Detroit to the title “Motor City.” But the highwater mark for its auto industry took place in February of 1915.

That was when Jackson, Michigan, hosted the North American Auto Show. The mammoth repair facilities of Temple Garage where street cars as well as trucks and automobiles were repaired was the focal point. On display were the latest models from several Jackson based manufacturers as well as other companies operating in the city such as Hayes Wheel and Lewis Spring and Axle.

But Cortland Street was auto row and so there were new cars from numerous manufacturers on display all along the street. There were also driving demonstrations and representatives from banks to finalise loan applications for auto loans.

The first locally produced automobile in Jackson took to the streets in 1897. That was the year that Coe S. Reeves, a moderately successful bicycle manufacturer, modified a buggy by attaching a single cylinder gasoline engine and bicycle wheels at his factory on Pearl Street.

It was, however, another bicycle manufacturer that set the cornerstone for the city’s auto industry. Byron Carter made a modest fortune with bicycles, but he was an inventor with vision. And so, he began experimenting with transmissions for automotive applications before the turn of the century.

A decade later he would begin producing the friction drive Cartercar in Jackson. But his first foray into automobile production was in partnership with Charles Lewis, owner of a spring axle company that was the largest employer in Jackson. The third partner in the enterprise was George Matthews, one of the largest buggy manufacturers in south central Michigan.

The Jackson Automobile Company established in 1902. The company started with modest production, big dreams and a conflicted vison of the future that would result in Carter leaving the company within a few years.

The first vehicle was the steam powered Jaxon. Shortly after its introduction the company added a gasoline powered model and the slogan that would carry the company until its demise in 1922. “No Hill Too Steep, No Sand Too Deep."

In the decades that followed, the company would develop a well-earned reputation for durability through participation in grueling events such as the Glidden Tours. And they also diversified. During the late teens the company introduced a line of sturdy, heavy duty 4 x 4 trucks as a competitor for the Jeffrey, after 1917 the Nash, Quad.

The Jackson Automobile Company was but one of more than twenty manufacturers that operated in Jackson between 1902 and 1930. Some of these companies were innovative. Others were a flash in the pan. And some simply changed hands and names on a regular basis.

A hint of what might have been is found in a decision made by William C. Durant, founder of General Motors, in 1904. He was manufacturing Model F Buicks in the former Durant Dort Carriage works in Flint but needed to expand as sales were exceeding capacity for production.

So, for two years he operated a subsidiary factory for Buick production in Jackson. During this period there were discussions and negotiations as Durant evaluated the feasibility of relocating the entire operation to Jackson.

Durant was also diversifying his business endeavors. Also manufactured in the Jackson plant used to manufacture the Buick were Whiting and Janney cars. This was a short-lived endeavor that was abandoned when Durant consolidated operations in Flint.

In an ancient industrial complex on Hupp Street that also includes a topless bar in a former automobile manufacturing company stands a non-descript brick building that exudes age. David Buick manufactured automobile components in this building. Benjamin Briscoe, the man who initially bankrolled David Buick and who partnered with Jonathan Maxwell to establish Maxwell Briscoe built the Argo there as well.

And for a short time, Horace Hackett built the Hackett in this building. This car was a hodgepodge of components as each car was built from parts Hackett purchased from defunct automobile companies.

Between 1911 and 1915 this building was the factory for Standard Electric Car Company. Two models were offered, a closed, coupe-brougham model, the Model M, and the Runabout. One Model M is known to survive.

By all contemporary accounts it was a well-built car. But it was also primitive compared to more conventional vehicles being produced in Jackson. And with the introduction of the electric starter on the 1912 Cadillac, sales of electric vehicles plummeted. So, the company never turned a profit.

Promotion claimed that the Standard could travel 100 miles between charges. Instead of a steering wheel the driver used an antiquated tiller. Built on a 96-inch wheelbase the cars used tires manufactured by Goodyear on Hayes (another Jackson company) wheels, and Westinghouse motors.

The history of automobile manufacturing in Jackson is confusing. It also provides a window on the rapidly evolving American auto industry in the years before WWI.

The Ames-Dean Carriage Company was launched in 1909. With adequate funding, a board of directors that included veteran automobile manufacturers, engineers, and bankers, the company should have been a success. Only three cars were completed before production was stopped because of litigation over patent rights.

The Steel Swallow was more go cart than automobile. It is estimated that fifty vehicles were produced between 1907-08. Even though it was undercapitalized the Steel Swallow Company attempted to diversify with the manufacture of a more conventional car, Globe, in 1907.

The very successful Fuller Buggy Company attempted to transition to automobile production in 1907. With George Matthews, formerly of the Jackson Automobile Company at the helm, the Fuller automobile began rolling from the factory. With little fanfare the company closed its doors in 1910.

Roots for the Cutting Automobile Company were in the manufacture of plows and farm equipment. The Cutting was a large automobile marketed with the slogan, “Surpasses the rest by actual test.”

The company was a subsidiary of Clarke Carter Company, a pioneer in the development of hydraulic powered heavy equipment. They also launched CVI to produce touring cars.

By the mid-1920s, Jackson’s auto manufacturing industry was on the cusp of becoming an historic footnote. But the city remained a manufacturing powerhouse for another half century. In 1927, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce noted that more than half of the city's 18,000 registered workers were engaged in the manufacture of auto parts.

Jackson’s rich automotive and industrial heritage is preserved at Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor, Michigan. The collection amassed by Lloyd Ganton includes cars representing more than sixteen of the Jackson based automobile manufacturers. And he recently added a Jackson built Buick to the collection.

Written by Jim Hinckley of jimhinckleysamerica.com