Totem Pole Tales- American Wood Rim Company Onaway Submitted by Nute Chapman From Onaway Outlook July 19, 2013

CAPTION #1:  THE CENTER hub cover shows that the wheel was most likely from a Lincoln.



CAPTION #2:  LOCAL BUSINESSMAN Brian Janeczek proudly displays one of his favorite pieces of Onaway history.



   All sales of all-wood wheels from 1921 to March 10, 1925.  Listed are the names of car companies sold to:


  
NAME
  
 NUMBER 
 
  
  


	Apperson	
	1,025	
	Bay State	
	31	
	Cadillac	
	31,379	
	Case	
	1,128	
	Cole	
	5,055	
	Columbia	
	810	
	Duesenburg	
	315	
	Elcar	
	394	
	Flint	
	26,030	
	Gemmer	
	728	
	Hayner	
	22	
	Hupp	
	12,550	
	Jordan	
	20,620	
	Kissell	
	2,777	
	Lafayette	
	325	
	Levine	
	350	
	Lexington	
	431	
	Long	
	900	
	Mcfarlan	
	414	
	Mitchell	
	100	
	Oakland	
	2,790	
	Packard	
	12,026	
	Paige	
	2,075	
	Peerless	
	15,762	
	Pierce Arrow	
	7,410	
	Premier	
	64	
	R. And V.	
	310	
	Rickenbacker	
	20,200	
	Ross	
	2,200	
	Rubay	
	50	
	Stearns	
	3,065	
	Sterling-Keiser	
	1,100	
	Studebaker	
	149,642	
	Stutz	
	1,700	
	Westcott	
	2,315	
	Willis	
	3,030	
	Winton	
	925	


   
   During this time period, the American Wood Rim Company was making truck wheels, walnut wheels with
aluminum spiders, small maple wheels for the Star Car, a special wheel for the Old Durant Four, the
Packard, Lincoln, Buick, Maxwell, Loco Mobile, The Flint Company,and many wheels were being made for
airplanes, boats and bicycles (yes, bicycles had steering wheels before handle bars).

   Lobdell's total wheel production for this time period was over 1,000,000 wheels per year.  An
interesting note here is that W. Ford did not use Lobdell's wheels, except the all-wood wheel on
some of the Lincolns.  Ford made his own wheels.  One has to wonder here, if you Ford collectors
out there with Model T's, Model A's or Model B's have a Lobdell wheel or a Ford wheel.  To show 
your "Tin Lizzy" at a car show and be all original I guess you would need a Ford wheel.


 -From The Onaway Outlook, July 19, 2013, p. 3.  
    

Retyped by J. Anderson.