Peering at the Past – Model T’s Assembled at the Spring Grove Depot

First of a series

In the early 1900s, there was a throng of men in front of Dave Schleich’s saloon, promoting a petition be presented to the village council, to prevent automobiles from being driven on the streets of Caledonia. During those horse-and-buggy days, newfangled motorized vehicles scared the horses, which would bolt away, thereby endangering the safety and possibility the lives of those on horseback or on foot. 

Nevertheless, motor cars were there to stay in Caledonia. In 1912, the city hosted an unparalleled assemblage of automobiles, part of a celebration in Spring Grove (Halling-Stevne), which included a caravan of 54 cars making a June 14 trip to Caledonia. After a drive around the county seat, the motorists enjoyed public remarks in front of city hall before filling the street in front of Palen’s photo studio, for a group photograph. There they were served coffee and sandwiches. This hospitality was greatly appreciated – “de var god kafee ser du.”

That same year, J. M. Wilberding, proprietor of the City Auto Livery and Garage, advertised in the 1912 Senior Class Book for Caledonia High School, “Careful drivers, reasonable prices, auto oil and supplies, steam vulcanizing a specialty. Let me give you my price on auto drivers.”

In the phone book about 1916, Rice Auto and Team Service advertised, “We cater to the business of the traveling salesman. Phone 14 for 1st-class auto and team service. 

Early automobile driving was mostly a warmer weather activity, due to issues with oil thickening in the cold and battery technology at the time. A 1919 Caledonia newspaper advertisement for City Garage read, “Automobile overhauling. Winter is the logical time to have your car overhauled and have it in good shape for the next seasons use. All cars brought in now for overhauling may be left until spring without any storage charges. Storage batteries charged, overhauled and stored for the winter.”

A Houston newspaper noted in the autumn of 1913, “There are 44,000 automobiles in Minnesota, with seventy-five to one hundred machines added daily. Before the year is up, there will be an auto for every 40 persons in the state.”

The next autumn (1914), the same periodical noted, “L. H. Julsrud has beaten all former records in automobile driving in this village (Houston). On last Monday he drove to Caledonia in 35 minutes, making all hills on high with his 35 horsepower Overland.”

The garage or repair shop at the Caledonia Wagon and Iron Works had a pit dug in the floor so that a mechanic could work beneath an automobile. Gasoline was drawn from a barrel or an above-ground storage tank and taken in gasoline containers to fill the car’s fuel tank.

In 1908, a Model T Ford won a well-publicized race from New York to Seattle. The 1908 Model T was not Ford’s first car, but it revolutionized the auto industry. Due to mass-production on an assembly line and offering only one color (black being the most cost-effective), the Ford Motor Company was able to offer vehicles for $260 to $850 (In 1913, purchasing power of $8,300 to $27,000 in 2024). That resulted in the Model T Ford open touring cars and a seated roadster being the most economical choices, compared to Packards, Buicks or Cadillacs. In the early 1920s, Ford introduced glassed-in coupes and sedans. 

In Caledonia, the first automobiles were delivered directly to buyers by drivers hired by manufacturers. Remaining for a few hours, the driver provided instructions on operating the magnificent machinery. One source says Hokah received its first shipment by rail in 1914.

It was certainly exciting news in Spring Grove when the town’s first automobile dealership was opened in 1908-1909 by Oliver Onsgard and former railroad depot agent E. J. Foss with a sales territory that included all of Houston County. A year later, Foss bought out his partner. By 1918, the operation was known as Foss and Son, with the son, Owen Foss, becoming a partner at age 12. Owen spent two years at St. Olaf College in Northfield before graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business before he became an active partner.

In 1920, E. J. announced he was building a garage and showroom, but a newspaper reported, “Owing to the scarcity and high price of materials, E. J. Foss has decided to build only the basement of his garage this year. The first floor will be added in a year or two.” The upper level was eventually added in 1929.

The first Model T Fords they sold were actually assembled in Spring Grove. About 10 of them arrived in pieces, stacked in a single railroad boxcar. The vehicles were quickly assembled at the loading dock and then driven to the dealership where the finishing touches were added. Owen told about one customer that was so eager to get his car that he drove it out of the shop before the fenders had been attached and even before the mechanic was able to get out from underneath.

Later, the automobiles were assembled in St. Paul before being driven to Spring Grove. In time, completely assembled cars were shipped to the dealership on a transport truck. Foss and Son also sold farm equipment, including the first combine sold in Houston County. The farm machinery was marketed in a nearby separate location, because Ford did not want autos and farm implements sold from the same building.

During World War II (1941-1945), automobile production was nearly halted. Rubber tires were available for vital equipment but not for passenger cars. In the meantime, Foss and Son sold Purina Feed as well as farm equipment. An obituary for E. J. Foss noted he had held the Ford dealership for 47 years.

In time, other dealerships came to Spring Grove – for Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. At one point, there were five dealers in business at the same time. Owen closed in 1965 as the 10th oldest Ford dealership in the nation. The last new car dealership in town closed in 1978.

To be continued with additional adventures behind the wheel…

Sources: Soil, Timber & A Spring, the Story of Spring Grove, Minnesota by Jane Briggs Palen (1991); Caledonia Pride, 1854-2004 edited by Alan Fleischmann; the Fire Department, and Life in the Houston Area, Vol. I by Michael Olson