The Big Commute

Everyone asks about the truck the Hoffman family used to travel the Yellowstone Trail.

The timber hauler in the book was based on the Standow Hauler, which was made by K. WM. Manufacturing Co., Inc., Springfield, Ohio. Sandow intially produced a line of trucks, but eventually moved into specialty vehicles and produced a line of taxicabs until the 1930s, By mid-century they were specializing in specific machine parts and are still in business today!

An example of the Standow Hauler the Hoffman family might have used in Opal & Grace

Photo credit: Americanautoemblems.com

The Standow Hauler was a big, awkward vehicle that would have been arduously slow. It was likely unwieldy on the rutted wagon tracks that served as roads at that time. It was outfitted with a flatbed and guard rails for holding large logs on the bed, and had to be adapted to hold the family belongings and benches for seating.

It was surprising to learn that in the early 1900's there were over a hundred manufacturers making cars and trucks. We typically think of the big guys...Ford especially, because they lasted into modern days, but back then, any manufacturing company could produce a vehicle, and they all seemed to want a place in this new auto industry. Most companies were eventually squeezed out of auto production and moved into specialized parts or other modern machinery.

As automobiles became more prevalent, more families took to the road to seek better opportunities in the West, which had previously been prohibitive for an average family. The Hoffmans would have only missed the transcontinental highway by about 5 years. Their trip would have been much easier had they waited a few years!