Twenty Indiana-built cars and trucks plus almost 100 people gathered around the south side of University Park for the departure of Indiana Automobile Manufacturers’ Association Indiana-Pacific Tour on July 1, 1913. At that time, the IAMA Tour was one of the largest transcontinental tours attempted in the United States. Planning for this 3,600 mile trek took over eight months to coordinate all the logistics for the 20 vehicle caravan from Indianapolis to Los Angeles.
The trek was more than an adventure. It was making history. At the time, most travel was in urban areas with nicely paved streets. Otherwise, the odds were that a motorist would get mired in the deep ruts of the rural dirt roads.
Elwood Haynes, president of Haynes Automobile Company conversing with W. S. Gilbreath, secretary of the Hoosier Motor Club at University Park
The auto industry would only grow when travel by road was made easier. But, investment in roads would only occur when people showed more interest in the automobile industry. IAMA members envisioned a way to help make that happen—a cross country tour to build the country’s interest in automobiles, particularly Indiana’s products, and better roads.
At 2 pm on July 1, More than 70 people in the caravan stood ready to head west. The tour would take 34 days to cover the 3,600 miles and allow for propaganda work and sociability. They would pass through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California.
The Lincoln Highway sponsored Marmon was one of the tour participants that made it to California. Left to Right: Capt. Robert Tyndall, Carl G. Fisher, Charles A. Bookwalter, and Heine Scholler.
They lined up for the start and the heavens christened participants with a thunderstorm. “How Dry I Am” was the band’s selection as the tourists broke out the side curtains and raised windshields to keep out the driving rain. They finally departed University Park in a heavy rainstorm.
As the rain poured down, the tourists were accompanied by the truck-mounted brass band.
Nearly 100 filled the cars, including escorts, that traveled down Meridian Street, around Monument Circle to Washington Street and then west on to the State Capitol—yet another stop before leaving Indianapolis.
Leaving the Capitol, departure was marked at one minute intervals by the booming of a cannon in the hands of Battery A, Indiana’s crack artillery company. The tourists proceeded south on Senate Avenue to Kentucky Avenue, southwest to Oliver Avenue, then on to River Avenue, right on Morris Street, and then north to Washington Street, and then west to Terre Haute, the first night control point.
The G & J Tire Company of Indianapolis’ truck keeping up the pace with the touring cars.
The Hoosier tourists had to endure thunderstorms, crossing the Rocky Mountains and the Western deserts in primitive automobiles that are hard to imagine 100 years later. Nearly every vehicle accomplished this trek and arrived in Los Angeles after never being more than 24 hours behind schedule.
Ray Harroun in the Henderson Motor Car entry at California State Capitol in Sacramento
The 1913 IAMA Indiana-Pacific Tour served as a model of promoting Indiana-built automobiles and generating interest for building roads, like the proposed Ocean-to-Ocean Rock Highway later to be known as the Lincoln Highway. This road was the impetus to the start of our Federal Highway System.
Previously all roads were developed and maintained by local governments. The first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, showed the federal government the opportunities brought by linking good roads from coast to coast. We were to arise from the mud onto paved roadways.
Today we can dash across interstates, from city to city, state to state. This modern-day convenience owes a great deal of thanks to the 1913 IAMA Indiana-Pacific Tour.
Who knows or even had a class with Ralph Gray, either at IU-Kokomo or IUPUI, who is perhaps the most informed person about Elwood Haynes? Ralph Gray was a member of the class of either 1955 or 1956 at Hanover College [Pam Patterson, now also Morford, was in the class of 1956].
Jan Everett, also from Hanover, was Ralph’s first wife and died at a relatively young age. Ralph managed to see to her care, as well as work full time as faculty at IUPUI. His second wife is Beth Greene who had been involved in state government. They now live in Bloomington. Someone on the south side of Marion county or in Bloomington or points between should contact Ralph for info on Elwood Haynes. I am rather certain that he has authored a book, perhaps more than one of Haynes.
My memory is that Haynes tested his first car on Pumpkinvine Pike, a road leading off southeast from Kokomo, near the first shopping center on the “bypass,” [sic].
Darilite, a gold colored table ware, may have been another of Haynes’ creations.
There is still a Haynes house that can be visited at Kokomo.
All of the above is from memory, and subject to review and change by Ralph or anyone else who has worked with Ralph and “knows the facts.”
Thank you Norm:
Ralph Gray’s book about Elwood Haynes is “Alloys and Automobiles” published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1979 and republished in 2002, ISBN 1578601231. He did a great job telling Haynes’ impressive story.
The Elwood Haynes Home and Museum is at 1915 S. Webster in Kokomo. The City of Firsts Automotive Heritage Museum in Kokomo has some Haynes automobiles. The historical marker commemorating the first Haynes run is at the northeast corner of East Boulevard and Goyer Street. This is east of US31 about ¼ mile.
Haynes had been building automobiles when he entered two cars in the IAMA Indiana-Pacific Tour in 1913.
Dennis
Dennis, I have enjoyed your articles about the Indianapolis auto business. My great uncle was born in 1875 and lived in Indianapolis his entire life (93 years) He had some of the earliest cars after reluctantly giving up his horse. He had a 1936 Ford which I remember him driving until 1952 when he bought a Chevy, which lasted the rest of his life. My question is about his sister’s ex-husband named Charles Paine. He was in the car business before World War I. The only thing I know is that he drove the newest, most stylish cars and traded often. Unfortunately, he and my great aunt divorced after 1918, and he moved California, But I’ve often wondered what he did in the business here. Do you have any information on him? Thanks again for you interesting articles. LaRue
Hi LaRue:
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, I am not aware of Charles Paine. You might want to try the Indianapolis Star 1907-1922 database located at imcpl.org. I have found a lot of information by searching on people’s names and company names. Good luck.
Dennis