1926 at Lees Ferry on Colorado River

[RimrockRandy]

We appreciate this forum so much. It's been awhile since we've asked for help to ID a vehicle (or two). Your help when we were in the thick of our US 89 project was incredibly valuable, helpful, and remarkable.

We are especially interested in the sedan. It appears the people near the vehicles are well dressed for that location. The photo is said to date from 1926. That year would be just before Lees Ferry became part of US 89. Knowing the year, make and model of this vehicle will hep us "attempt" to track down what it might have been doing in that truly remote location. 

 

Thank you for your help.

 

John Parsons

Idaho Falls

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

The cars are both Franklins, a make unusual in using air cooling. I was interested to see the one in front with its hood open. I have not had anything to with Franklins and had not seen one with its hood open.

 

The 'horse collar' model dates from about 1922-24 and the one with the bars on the grille is the model that followed it from about 1925. I think that one is an early example of the model because it is on tall skinny tyres.

 

A Franklin expert will be more precise on the models. 

 

[Guest]

It looks like a '25 or '26 Series 11 Franklin. The front car could be a series 10.

[RimrockRandy]

Many HUGE Thanks to nzcarnerd & Tinindian for helping me ID those vehicles. It's utterly fascinating those two air-cooled vehicles were in that location at that time. The water level in the Colorado River (as indicated by the dog at the edge of the sandbar) indicates a probable late July time frame--easily the hottest time of the year.  Temps at Lees Ferry in July are well above 100.  The Franklin was very lightweight and that helps explain how it cold have been driven across the Paria River as well as that muddy sandbar without bogging down and getting stuck.  We put together a post using the two photos plus two more we found here:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/US89Team/photos/?tab=album&album_id=682764762197391

[28 Chrysler]

At about the same time period, or just a bit before, the Franklin car company did a tour of Death Valley.

This was to show how well the air cooling worked in their cars well above  the 100° mark.