The Spanish Revival Wattles Estate, looking southwest towards smaller homes, farms and orchards in Hollywood and what is now West Hollywood, ca. 1910. Source: LAPL The forty-nine acre estate known as the Wattles Estate includes a mansion, known as "Jualita," and large formal garden and was developed by Gordon W. Wattles, a wealthy banker and railway company president from Omaha, Nebraska. The home and garden are the work of architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey. The property is bounded on the south by Hollywood Blvd. and on the west by Curson Avenue and the east by Sierra Bonita Avenue. The rise of the property from the south to the foothills in the north is 1000 feet. The gardens were later turned over to Hollywood Heritage, Inc., which rents the building for private functions, such as weddings, film shoots, and family celebrations.
C. H. WILLS - 1878-1940 Childe Harold Wills had been employed by Henry Ford as a metallurgist and chief engineer. Forever known as a perfectionist, Wills was the inventor of Vanadium steel, a metal known for its strength and durability and molybdenum steel alloys. Every model of Ford's cars was made of this time-tested steel and proved to be the leading material in Henry Ford's automobile production. The infamous Ford logo, still present on all Ford vehicles today, was designed by C.H. Wills and like his Vanadium steel, it has withstood the test of time. Wills had accomplished much when employed by the Ford Motor Company which was still in the early stages of producing world class automobiles. Wills left the Ford company on his own volition in 1919 to pursue designing and manufacturing his own automobile. WILLS ST. CLAIRE AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION 1926 Phillips Bodied Cabriolet Roadster Feeling his creativity unnecessarily restricted, Mr. Wills resigned in 1919, cashed in his Ford stock for $1.5 million, and set off on his own, explaining, "I am anxious to do something worthwhile and this seems the opportunity to start." Taking some Ford people with him, Mr. Wills founded C.H. Wills and Co. and announced plans to build the Wills Sainte Claire, a somewhat futuristic automobile that used state-of-the-art engineering concepts and materials. Wills St. Claire Northern Goose logo During World War I demand spurred rapid development of a huge, very low grade molybdenite deposit being mined by the newly formed Climax Molybdenum Co. at Bartlett Mountain, Colo. The mine did well during the war, but when it ended the molybdenum market collapsed and the mine was closed. In 1920, Climax consisted of a president, Brainerd Phillipson, an entire mountain of molybdenum and a huge stockpile, but no market for the metal. Mr. Phillipson soon met Mr. Wills and sold his stockpile to the auto mogul " for next to nothing. " When the first Wills Ste. Claire Model A-68 rolled off the Marysville, Mich., assembly line in the spring of 1921, virtually every component subject to even minimal stress was made of molybdenum steel, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, camshaft, gearbox gears and shafts, propeller shaft, frame, springs, front axle, steering knuckles and wheels. Available in three standard colors, "Lady Mary Maroon," "Newport Blue," and "Liberty Green," the Wills Ste. Claire was pure luxury. The Wills V-8 produced 67 hp at 2,700 rpm, more than enough for contemporary performance standards. Criticism focused on the length of the wheelbase and the car's 3,115-lb. 1,413-kg) body - all less than the competing Cadillacs, Packards and Pierce Arrows. C.H Wills Company Workman's Badge (found in the St. Clair River) The car didn't do well. A post-war depression and an imposing 3,000 price tag meant a rough start. By November 1922, the Wills Co. was $8 million in debt and forced into receivership. Refinanced, the company resumed production in 1923, introducing a 6-cyl. engine and new touring and roadster models. This time Mr. Wills made molybdenum a prominent part of his advertising to promote the car's image of advanced metallurgical durability. The Wills Ste. Claire was promoted as "The All Mo-lyb-den-um Car." To make it easier to pronounce and spell, the name was broken into syllables and hyphenated. At the same time Climax mounted its own advertising campaign, which took advantage of the established link between the Wills Ste. Claire, molybdenum and automotive durability. The company used the Wills Ste. Claire to promote its own molybdenum. Its most effective ad, which appeared in such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, showed a drawing of a Wills Ste. Claire superimposed against Bartlett Mountain, the "Mountain of Molybdenum." It touted moly steel as the "The American Super-Steel." The link with the Wills Ste. Claire gave moly steels their first industrial acceptance. In 1925, the U.S. Bureau of Mines published Molybdenum, Cerium and Related Steels, the first government paper to accept molybdenum as an alloy metal. More important, the Association of Automotive Engineers formally recognized moly steels as standard alloys. By 1925, increasing demand warranted the reopening of the Climax mine and mill. The Wills Co. didn't enjoy the same success. First, the Wills Ste. Claire was too expensive. Second, Mr. Wills interrupted production to implement every conceivable improvement. The company didn't survive the 1926 recession and was forced into liquidation the following year. Wills St Claire Home Page - WILLS SAINTE CLAIRE AUTO MUSEUM OF CLASSIC AUTOS (willsautomuseum.org)
I was hoping someone would have added context to the photo by now - I'm curious, but don't even know WHAT combination of words would find an answer. Anybody?
before they had reverse they push or pulled dragster back to starting line, he's groaning cause he pulled it back over his foot !!!!!
Grazie, @verde742 !! didn't think of that, and I knew they were too far up the line for him to be helping with the burnout. hahahahaha!
Zelienople PA The Zelienople PA fire department has had car raffles for probably 70 years, and here is one of their early ones.
This image was published in the April 1910 trade magazine American Motorist issue. The image supported an article concerning the first race meet at the first board track in the United States - Playa Del Rey. Other sources reported the meet spanned April 8 through April 17. For coverage of other days of the meet, you can take a look at the links to articles on First Super Speedway. https://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/photo-gallery/henshue-playa-del-rey-1910 The Apperson racer from the Kokomo, Indiana company of the same name created the big news from day three of racing - but not for the best reason. The car, driven by Harris Hanshue, endured a spectacular accident. The riding mechanic was Carey King. Both were thrown from the car, which reportedly rolled over several times. Despite being unconscious when rescuers reached them, they quickly came to and were deemed uninjured. Of course, no one gave much thought to concussions in the day. The car was called an Apperson "Jack Rabbit." #kokomo
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