Early Stutz in Nebraska

Looking for info on an early Stutz. John P. McNichols owned the Stutz that was, at the time, recognized as the "1st Car in Atkinson, NE". John P is part of my Wife's lineage (Great GrandFather).

John was a local businessman who was well known and regarded in Atkinson. I have found a few bits about the car, mostly highlighting the fact that it was the 1st car in town. One article states the Stutz was 1st and a REO was second.

There does not seem to be any family history about the Stutz.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

1911 was the first year for Stutz. It would seem unusual for a 4 cylinder Stutz of 1911 to be the first car in any town. Think about it. There was a whole decade worth of cars built in the US prior to 1911. While most were East of the Mississippi, you would think there would have been at least one 1 or 2 cylinder cars in the area. But.....Looking at where Atkinson, NE is on a map however, it is certainly in a very rural area, partially surrounded by Indian Reservations. The closest major city is Sioux City, IA which is almost 150 miles away. So who knows, maybe you are correct. What year is the article from? If you wanted to scan and post copies of the articles you have, we would love to see copies of them.

This article was written in/about 1930 at the time of his death. There are other versions of the same info out there. The Holt County Museum in O'neil, NE confirmed the Stutz angle when we visited last year.

Thanks

Joe

Do you have an approximate year he would have purchased the Stutz? Also, was it new?

I'd guess the nearest Stutz dealer was in Omaha or Sioux City. Unlike mass market models, every small town would not have had a Stutz dealer. You might try an old City Directory (probably at the Omaha library or historical society) to see if/when there was a Stutz dealer in the area.

If he was a family man, the car would have likely been a touring car....not a Bearcat or Roadster. The model line up changes from year to year, but in the pre-1920 era the firm made a line of 4 and 6 cylinder touring cars that were even more expensive than the $2000 Bearcat.