First Automobiles in the Ozarks

   My dad was born in Pulaski County, Missouri, in 1910 and grew up there. I can remember him talking about the first time he ever saw an automobile, and, in fact, I think he wrote a short article about it one time. I'm not sure how old he was when he saw the automobile, but he was old enough to know that horseless carriages, as cars were sometimes called, were a new and strange phenomenon. So, I'm thinking this was probably the late 1910s. However, this was in the boondocks of Pulaski County, and I'm pretty sure cars were a little late getting to that neck of the woods. Anyway, I got to wondering about the first automobiles to appear in the overall Ozarks region and decided to do a little research on the topic.
   The first mention of automobiles I found in Springfield newspapers was all the way back in July of 1901 when Walter Major, "a high-toned and legitimate colored man," constructed a motorized vehicle and drove it through the streets of Fort Scott, Kansas. The Springfield Leader's detailed report of the incident praised Major, a mechanic, for his ingenuity while at the same time describing the episode in jocular, mocking terms. For instance, according to the Leader, a horse that happened to be standing nearby as Major approached a railroad track in his motorized contraption was unable "to suppress a giggle" when Major had to get out and pull the machine across the track.
   It was almost another ten years after Major's excursion through Fort Scott in his homemade vehicle before evidence of commercially-made automobiles started showing up in Springfield newspapers. The first automobile advertisement I could find in the city's newspapers appeared on April 3, 1910, in the Springfield Daily Republican. J. E. Atkinson, an authorized Ford dealer, advertised Model T's for sale at his garage in the 300 block of South Jefferson for $950.
   Just a month and a half later, on May 22, 1910, a-full-page ad appeared in the Daily Republican announcing a big car show featuring a full line of Studebakers that was to begin in Springfield a week later at the Stewart-Cowan block in East Walnut. The least expensive Studebaker, a Victoria, was advertised for $1,850, or about twice what the Model T was going for.
   Of course, early motorists faced a number of problems. The lack of adequate roads was the main one. Poor quality tires and overheating engines were two others. Even if you were wealthy enough to own a motor car, you were pretty limited in where you could drive it, and long-distance trips were rare or nonexistent. 

   The July 30, 1910, Springfield Missouri Republican announced that a local couple, along with a visiting couple from Iowa, would attempt the first overland trip in the Springfield area two days later. Starting on August 1, the foursome planned to motor all the way to Hollister, continue southeast along the White River and into Arkansas, and then drive west and return to Springfield by way of Cassville and Monett. "Autoists Plan to Make First White River Run," said the headline. A spokesperson for the group expressed confidence that they could make the round trip without difficulty, but I found no follow-up story to tell whether the adventuresome four did, indeed, complete the journey with relatively ease. Somehow, I kinda doubt it.