Terry Bond Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Thanks to a forum member, I now have this great little pin in my collection. Like all things I have collected, it's always great to know more about items, but I've not been able to find anything about this. The pin is from "The Maple City to Detroit" tour in 1910. I've learned there is a Maple City near Travers City Michigan, but it's a very small unincorporated community and had a population of only 270 people according to the 2010 census. Doesn't seem to me like the kind of place where a tour might originate, especially one that would justify producing such a nice souvenir pin. A little further digging indicates that the city of Laporte, Indiana (located very near Chicago) was known as "The Maple City." So, rather than "Maple City" being an actual place, I'm thinking the phrase "The Maple City" on the pin might more properly indicate the tour originated in Laporte, Indiana. I have contacted the Laporte Historical Society in hopes they might have some info, but if anyone out there is AACA Forum-land knows anything about the event, I'd love to learn more. Thanks Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Nice pin, is there a Maple City somewhere in Canada? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 26 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: Nice pin, is there a Maple City somewhere in Canada? Bob I was thinking that as the maple leaf is an iconic symbol up here right across the river from Detroit. Its a long shot but who knows. There is a Maple north west of Toronto. Now Terry if you came on the AACA National Vintage Tour in Kingston On. I would have given you a pin that we gave out on that tour. Edited January 19, 2020 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Maple,+Vaughan,+ON/@43.8509091,-79.665269,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x882b29035d80589d:0xe9c39e17ba1ddefd!8m2!3d43.8517618!4d-79.5272836?hl=en Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 Thanks Joe, sorry to have missed the tour. We had a local conflict, but I know good friends from here Mark and Marion, thoroughly enjoyed their time touring there. I am thinking that since the pin reads "THE Maple City" it is a nick-name rather than an actual place name. Could be wrong, but if you dig up any info about an auto tour from Canada to Detroit it would be a good possibility. Anxious to learn what the Laporte Historical Society has to say. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Terry Bond said: I am thinking that since the pin reads "THE Maple City" it is a nick-name rather than an actual place name. Could be wrong, but if you dig up any info about an auto tour from Canada to Detroit it would be a good possibility. Anxious to learn what the Laporte Historical Society has to say. Terry Chatham, Ontario has the nickname of The Maple City, and not all that far from Detroit. There was automobile production in Chatham at that time. Edited January 19, 2020 by 3macboys (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, 3macboys said: Chatham, Ontario has the nickname of The Maple City, and not all that far from Detroit. There was automobile production in Chatham at that time. There you have it I googled it cut and past. 3macboys was right Chatham, since 1902 and courtesy of Mayor George W. Sulman, has been known as the Maple City. There are, of course, some negative brands applied. Toronto is often called Hog Town.Mar 15, 2018 cxgvd is in Chatham and is hosting a 5 day tour in the area with the AACA Snappers called Fields Factories and Firetrucksur with Gary and Bev in the Maple City area. RM / Sothebys head office and restoration shop is in Chatham. Edited January 20, 2020 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) It seems plausible that, in 1910, this was a fun outing for an automobile club, and possibly not a long-distance endurance tour. So it's likely that the distance between towns, by today's standards, is small. Chatham, Ontario therefore seems more reasonable than faraway La Porte, Indiana. Edited January 20, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) They would have taken Hwy #2 that is the Old Kings Hwy about an hr. drive in a modern car. We used Hwy #2 on the AACA Vintage tour from Trenton headed back to Kingston. Read the last three lines and there may be a link between the tour and the Chatham Car Co. History on the Chatham car co. The company was created in 1906.[2] Investors included Joseph T. O'Keefe and Thomas A. Drew (partners in the O'Keefe and Drew pork retailers),[3] T.K. Holmes (who became company president). W.J. Taylor (vice president), D. N. McMullen, Thomas Dillon (secretary-treasurer), J.F. Dillon (general manager).[4] They established a factory in a two-story building on Adelaide Street, about halfway between McGregor Creek and King Street,[5] previously used by Hyslop and Ronald to build fire engines.[6] The plant had 40 employees.[7] The company built only one model, the Chatham, right-hand drive[8] five-passenger tourer with a 20 horsepower (15 kW; 20 PS)[9] (later 25 horsepower (19 kW; 25 PS))[10]watercooled four cylinder engine.[11] The Chatham was priced at C$2500,[12] when the Colt Runabout was priced at US$1500,[13] the FAL US$1750,[14] the Enger 40 and (in 1905) the Ford Model F were US$2000,[15] while the high-volume Oldsmobile Runabout was US$650[16] and (in 1907) the $700 for the Ford Model S was US$700. Chatham did not build its own bodies, instead, they were subcontracted to William Gray & Sons, a local carriage builder.[17] The car earned the loyalty of its buyers, but the company suffered financial difficulties, and in 1907, it was sued by a Detroit creditor and ultimately liquidated. Chatham dentist G. W. Cornell bought the company's assets and resumed production.[18] In 1908, a new Chatham appeared, the Chatham 30, with a new 30 hp (22 kW; 30 PS) engine and "tulip-style" body.[19] The new car was entered in endurance trials and scored some successes.[20] One example was driven 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from Arcola, Saskatchewan to Chatham by J.B. Stauffer.[21] The company sold only 35 cars, mainly to Chatham's wealthiest residents, before shutting down in 1909.[22] The factory was purchased by Detroit's Anhut Motor Car Company in 1910,[23] which continued to manufacture badge engineered Chathams under its own brand.[24] The factory building still stood in the 1960s.[25] Edited January 20, 2020 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 Lots of good guesses so far, but nothing firm. I'd not considered the possible Canadian connection ( the Maple Leaf). I'm still thinking however, a souvenir like this badge would not have been produced except for a fairly significant event. Narrowing it down to a specific location would lead me to a local historical society or newspaper archive that might have more info. Still waiting to hear from the Laporte Historical Society. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Terry Bond said: ...I'm still thinking however, a souvenir like this badge would not have been produced except for a fairly significant event... Terry, historical accounts make even small tours sound like big events. Consider this account of a 1911 twelve-mile tour, as related by a participant in the First Quarter 1947 issue of The Antique Automobile (our club's own publication). I reprinted the article in our AACA region's own newsletter. Their local club organized a car tour to another small town 12 miles away. At that time, it was stated, most people didn't know local roads more than 5 miles from their home, and no maps existed--so it was an adventure. About a dozen cars showed up and organized themselves at the courthouse square. They were each given a pennant for the event. At the neighboring town, "it seemed as if the whole countryside turned out to see so many horseless carriages in one location. We were made to feel welcome and were royally entertained." Just as today, we may issue dash plaques for small shows and tours, it's very possible that your Maple City tour was a "significant event" even though those brass cars didn't travel far. Edited January 20, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Terry, A search turned up that Goshen, Indiana is also called the Maple City https://cityonthego.org/maple-city-walk/home/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mark McAlpine Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 You could try searching the Detroit News newspaper archives (it was established in 1873) or Detroit Free Press newspaper archives (it was established in 1831). They operate jointly now, so I don't know if they've combined their archives, but there may have been something about the tour in one or both of the newspapers back then. (If you have access to Lexis-Nexis, you should be able to run a search of these two newspapers and others sources.) Another possible research resource would be the Detroit Historical Society. With nothing to base my opinion on other than geographic proximity, I lean toward Joe Konarowski's suggestion that the tour was from Chatham, Ontario, to Detroit. First, Chatham is only about 60 miles from Detroit. LaPorte, IN, and Traverse City, MI, are considerably farther. Obviously it was a different time in 1910 (I'm old, but not that old), but I remember taking day trips to Chatham with my parents and/or grandparents many times as a child. (We lived in Detroit and my grandparents lived in Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit.) Second, the maple leaf on the pin is pretty prominent--as a national symbol of Canada, I'd think that would be more reflective of the tour originating in Canada than in LaPorte, IN, or somewhere near Traverse City, MI. Good luck on solving the historical mystery, Terry. Let us know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 The only thing that I have been able to find so far is a regatta of powerboats from Detroit taking place in Chatham in 1910. I think that the Ambassador Bridge didn't open until 1927 and the tunnel in 1930, so in 1910 a trip to Detroit would have most likely have involved a ferry crossing of the Detroit river to add to the adventure. There was a lot of industrial connections between Detroit, Walkerville (now best described as a part of Windsor) and Chatham at the time. The Dodge Brothers come to mind and the border was far more porous in those days. I'm with Mark McAlpine above that there is bound to be a photo in an archive someplace recording this event where ever it originated. The Detroit Public Library seems to have an incredible collection of automobile pictures, now I just need to figure out how to search it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Ben - It says From the Maple City to Detroit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I reside near Chatham, On and I could try to get some local historians to look into this pin. As Joe K reminds us Chatham had a car culture, William Gray built bodies for Ford of Canada, there was the Chatham car and an active car club, though I have only seen pictures of the tourists at the beach for picnics, day trips. Detroit would have been overnight, maybe two, and would have involved a ferry from the end of Ouellette St in Windsor. Detroit is our major city, Hamilton, Toronto are at least twice as far, London is sixty miles away, perhaps the group wanted to catch a Tiger's game? Sorry for the delay, we have been on our own road trip and just returned home. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I may have the reason and the occasion for the pin found in a history text book called Romantic Kent by Victor Lauriston. On page 565 the author is reciting the activities and history of the Couzens family of Chatham, Ontario. I won't bore you with the details except to say their home and factory were located in a place which has become not very attractive today. In 1910, young Jim Couzens was working for the Malcolmson coal yards. I quote from the text " Through that he got in on the ground floor of the Henry Ford new motor enterprise. He ultimately retired a millionaire, to become the Mayor of Detroit and United States Senator. If not for his Canadian birth, he would have become President of the United States." I am going to have to put his residence as a stop on our Snapper's tour when we drive around Chatham in July in our 100 year old vehicles. Regards, Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Well, the Laporte Historical Society has nothing, and they referred me to someone else who was more specifically in tune with early automotive history, and again, nothing in Laporte. It was pointed out though that Goshen was also known as "The Maple City." Interesting to see the connection with Couzens from Chatham Ontario. As his birthplace, it indeed would have seemed logical to have a tour from there to Detroit. I'm sure there is lots more to uncover, but I don't plan to go to Detroit and spend a month reading old newspapers. Perhaps better coverage can be found in some of the automobile periodicals of the day - Horseless Age, Motor, etc. The search continues. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 (edited) Doing a little more digging, the Glidden Tour went through Detroit in 1910, so wondering if this pin was perhaps made as part of that tour? There's only 46,963 photos on the Detroit Library Archive site when I search Detroit Automobile Tour 1910, I think that I might need to narrow that search down a bit. Don Upon further checking might just be that the photographer for a bunch of the pictures was from Detroit - still looking Edited January 24, 2020 by 3macboys (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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