R.E. Olds and Industrial Lansing

Images of America: Michigan

by Michael Rodriguez

An engaging history of the beginnings of Lansing's R.E. Olds. Upon the dedication of a new Capitol building in 1879, the city of Lansing was just beginning to emerge from the swampy wilderness of its recent past. As industry began to take root along the banks of the Grand River, Ransom Eli Olds brought his father's motor shop to national prominence with advancements in gasoline and steam engines, and then horseless carriages. By the early 20th century, Oldsmobile became the world's first mass producer of automobiles and Olds had moved on to found a second car company, making Lansing the first Auto City. Through these efforts, Olds rose to become one of the nation's greatest industrialists and entrepreneurs. Using primary documents and historical images, this book traces the industrial history of the Capital City within the context of one of the 20th century's greatest entrepreneurs, R.E.

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2004

Reviews

[David Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of photos from Lansing's history. A few things that stood out to me:

1. R.E. Olds kept count of the number of auto manufacturers who had tried and failed by the years nearing the end of his life - approximately 1,000! Who could name a thousand auto companies? As the text says - we remember only the very few companies that survived the Great Depression.

2. The motto of the Peerless Motor Company of Lansing - "There are others, but none so good."

3. How much indeed "new" products look like their predecessors - the photographs of early gas lawnmowers look like manual lawnmowers that somebody stuck an engine on top of. And of course early automobiles look a lot like carriages. ("Why is there a couch on that car?")