In a mere dozen years or so, the proverbial blink of the eye, old Dobbins was put out to pasture, the draft horse went to the glue factory, and the teamster, mule skinner, and wagon master were unemployed. They had been replaced by Buick and Maxwell, Ford and Mack. And almost every town in America from Enid, Oklahoma to Jackson, Michigan, from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Auburn, Indiana was vying for the title of "Motor City."  Changing times that continue to this day came to America with the dawn of the 20th century. 

It was a brief moment in time, just a few short decades. And yet in the proverbial blink of the eye the world was forever changed. Teamsters moved from freight wagons and mule teams to gasoline powered workhorse manufactured by Mack, Jeffery, and FWD. Dusty trails became highways. The truck began to replace the train. On this episode of Car Talk From The Main Street of America sponsored in part by Visit Tucumcari, America's storyteller author Jim Hinckley shares a tale of exciting transition, of innovation, and the dawn of a brave new world. 

It was the quintessential American success story. They were German immigrants with skill, talent, ambition and little money. They built an empire. Studebaker was the largest manufacturer of wheeled vehicles in the world - in the 1880s. They were a pioneer - in the manufacture of electric vehicles, in the use of diesel engines in trucks, and in automotive styling innovation. The Studebaker story is the American dream made manifest.

In an interview Montgomery Ward noted that the automobile was a fad children should see before it passed. A leading automobile manufacturer once paid for full page advertisements warning about the dangers of new hydraulic brake systems. Four wheel brakes were once an option. The future is never easy to predict. Glimpses of the future can be unnerving. On today's program it's a few future history stories, and a glimpse at the innovation that is making the future possible,

Are you having trouble adapting to a world transformed at the speed of light by technology? You are not alone and this is not new. Your grandparents suffered with the same anxieties. On today's program we look back to the dawn of the auto industry when people were making the transition from stirrup to throttle, and even the most remote community could become "Motor City."

Route 66. The US highway system. The American auto industry. They were all built on the bicycle mania of the 1890s. Today's episode of Car Talk From The Main Street of America brought to you by Visit Tucumcari NM is the story of innovation, the League of American Wheelman, and a fellow named Louis Chevrolet.