The first automobile to enter the state of North Dakota made its grand appearance on this date in 1897. The German-built Benz-Velo, appeared in Grand Forks to advertise a St. Paul firm that sold Carnation Cigars. The next day, the Grand Forks Plainsdealer reported, “The machine is propelled by a gasoline motor and has seat room for two persons. It is fitted with heavy cushion tires, and makes a speed of from twelve to fifteen miles per hour on good roads. It seems to be easily handled and can be turned inside of a very small circle.”
The earliest cars were actually horse buggies with a means of locomotion – leading to the very accurate term “horseless carriages.” In fact, one company that produced horse buggies, simply switched to manufacturing automobiles – that was the Studebaker Company.
The first cars had no closed cabs, no windshields, no electric headlights, no heaters, or even doors. Instead of the air-filled tires of today, hard rubber tires and wooden wheels made for a rough ride. To keep warm, passengers often brought along heated stones or bricks, just as they had with horse-drawn sleighs. Headlights consisted of kerosene lamps lit with a match.
A speed of 15 miles per hour was startling at first, and many debated the human body could withstand greater speeds … like 50 miles per hour.
At the time when cars first appeared, bicycles were all the rage, and the idea of a “horseless carriage” seemed a bit farfetched to most North Dakotans. In fact, the news from that same week in 1897 is full of articles on bicycle repairs, sales, and races.
The Grand Forks Herald was advertising its own cycling book, “The World on Wheels,” which contained special “hints and instructions for the beginner, the lady rider, and the tourist.” The book was touted as “a valuable acquisition to any cyclist’s library” and featured popular bike routes, advice on wheel repair, training suggestions, and “medical advice.”
One Herald article reported that Earl Kiser of Dayton, Ohio had won the “Thousand Dollar Bicycle Race” in Philadelphia. A thousand dollars was a fortune at the time, and more than 8,000 cycling enthusiasts attended the spectacle.
Many areas of North Dakota were far from suitable for either bicycles or automobiles. Not surprisingly, many greeted the auto with an air of skepticism. North Dakotans who actively embraced the foot-powered bicycle thought the gasoline-driven automobile seemed a bit ridiculous. However, the Grand Forks Herald reported the car that came to town that day in 1897 was proving “quite a novelty.” The writer realized the machine’s potential, noting, “it is quite likely that the horseless carriage will be a common every day affair.”
Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm
Sources:
The Grand Forks Herald. June 23, 27, and 30, 1897.
The Grand Forks Plainsdealer. June 29, 1897.
South of the Cannon Ball: A History of Sioux, the War Bonnet County. Hinton, May E., Washburn Printing Center, Grand Forks. 1984.
