<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was 1915 when tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone first coined the name \u2018The Vagabonds\u2019 for their little troupe of travelers.\u00a0 It was during that golden age when people were just beginning to see cross country travel by automobile as a new form of recreation.\u00a0 The nation\u2019s roads were still a long way from the highways and byways we enjoy today and demands for better roads would be driven by the explosive growth of automobile sales.\u00a0 Like any great adventure, there were a few mistarts before The Vagabonds got (ahem) their wheels under them.\u00a0 Before we get too far ahead of the story, we need to go back to Fort Myers, Florida where the town was all abuzz about the visitors who would arrive on February 23, 1914.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Thomas Alva Edison, perhaps the most famous inventor, if not American, of his time would venture south each winter to escape the New Jersey winters.\u00a0 In the year 1914, he was accompanied by a couple of acquaintances.\u00a0 One was naturalist \/ author John Burroughs whose writings inspired readers to visit areas he wrote about like his native New York state and Yellowstone National Park.\u00a0 The other visitor arriving on the Atlantic Coast Line train was noted automobile maker Henry Ford.\u00a0 How they became traveling companions is a rather long story, but this visit to Florida to spend time at Edison\u2019s winter retreat had a dual purpose.\u00a0 Edison had been coming to Fort Myers since 1885.\u00a0 He had attracted a lot of attention to the area and hopes were high that the laboratory the Wizard of Menlo Park established there would result in more inventions and thus bring more acclaim (and perhaps tourists) to Fort Myers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Edison promised to import a massive dynamo\/generator system to electrify this backwoods community.\u00a0 When the lights were first turned on at the Edison estate, the entire population gathered and could only wonder in their amazement what it would be like when the rest of the town was wired and ready to glow.\u00a0 Health issues and a falling out with one of his then business investors left the project unfinished until another rich resident paid to import the necessary generator in 1897.\u00a0 When the Edison family returned to the area in 1901, he offered no explanation why he had forgotten his promise or why they had been absent so long.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t exactly welcomed back with open arms, but his return to Fort Myers was accepted with the hope his presence would (again) attract interest in the area.\u00a0 When rumors of Edison\u2019s return in 1914 in the company of Ford and Burroughs were put in play, there was some skepticism in the local population if any of them would show up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The group finally arrived and to their horror, a crowd awaited them.\u00a0 A good deal of hoopla would occur before they got to the Edison estate and they were not in the mood to take part in any sort of community celebration.\u00a0 In Spite of their reluctance, a parade of 31 cars delivered them all to the heart of town.\u00a0 Edison and Ford were not fans of this sort of affair, but they smiled, waved, and let the local officials do their thing.\u00a0 Edison and his guests had more important things on their minds, namely an adventure into the Everglades to plan, but there was time.\u00a0 The local guides they employed to get them there warned the northerners about the perils of this wild, undeveloped country.\u00a0 Even locals who know the country, they told the Vagabonds, have entered the Everglades and never returned.\u00a0 Nonetheless, they packed their gear and servants (more on that in a bit) and headed into the wild until they ran out of what little road there was.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ford had taken similar outings up north.\u00a0 They took a caravan of cars loaded with equipment and family, people to set up camp, and a chef to cook.\u00a0 To them, this was \u2018roughing it\u2019.\u00a0 Thinking they were prepared for just about anything, the group took their guides’ warnings lightly\u2026until it rained.\u00a0 An Everglades filling rain of Biblical proportions that would have made Noah cringe took some of the swagger out of the whole affair.\u00a0 With their tents flooded and everybody soaked from head to toe, all they could do was wait out the storm, build a fire, and try to dry out.\u00a0 By now the women began to regret that they had insisted on coming along and the crew was pretty unanimous in its desire to limp back to Fort Myers.\u00a0 Once dried out and rested, they began to find some humor in their mis-adventure.\u00a0 Even though they still had all the equipment necessary to give it another go, not one of them suggested it was worth a try.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Henry Ford had actually worked for one of Edison\u2019s companies eighteen years earlier and held the elder inventor in awe.\u00a0 When he was finally introduced to Edison, he told him of his own experimentation with \u2018quadricycles\u2019 – four wheeled contraptions powered by internal combustion engines.\u00a0 Edison encouraged Ford in his efforts but personally thought electric motors would be a better way to go.\u00a0 Ford founded two automobile companies that failed before he succeeded on his third attempt.\u00a0 The next time they crossed paths would be in January 1912 when Ford was invited to visit Edison\u2019s home and workshop in New Jersey.\u00a0 The now successful car magnet was so awed by Edison, he invested nearly a million dollars in Edison\u2019s work to develop a storage battery suitable for an electric car.\u00a0 The project was a bust but apparently Ford never thought worse of his idol for not making a go of his investment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Forming a friendship with John Burroughs wasn\u2019t as natural a fit as it had been between Ford and Edison.\u00a0 In fact Burroughs wasn\u2019t a fan of automobiles, writing drivers would, \u201cseek out even the most secluded nook or corner of the forest and befoul it with noise and smoke.\u201d\u00a0 The popularity of Ford\u2019s Model T was, for Burroughs\u2019 \u2018the beginning of the end\u2019 and he described the vehicle as \u2018a demon on wheels\u2019.\u00a0 Ford was not one to tolerate negative opinions from outsiders or employees, but he gave Burroughs a pass on his anti-car rhetoric.\u00a0 To open a dialog with the naturalist, Ford wrote him a letter praising his works (particularly on birds, one of Henry\u2019s passions).\u00a0 Ford also offered to send him a Model T.\u00a0 He thought maybe actually driving a car would help change John\u2019s perception about the evils of automobiles.\u00a0 Burroughs accepted as long as the arrangement was not used for any form of publicity purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Driving may or may not have had the desired effect on Burroughs, but certainly meeting Ford in person did.\u00a0 According to author Jeff Guinn (<\/span>The Vagabonds – The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison\u2019s Ten-Year Road Trip <\/span><\/i>Simon & Schuster (2019)), \u201cBurroughs was impressed by Ford\u2019s sincere interest in ornithology and, in fact, most things about nature.\u00a0 Ford, in turn, was starstruck by another person he\u2019d previously admired from afar.\u00a0 They took nature hikes together.\u00a0 In September of 1913, Ford convinced Burroughs to take a car trip with him to see where the philosophers the naturalist had introduced him to (Emerson and Thoreau) had lived.\u00a0 Edison was invited but could not make it.\u00a0 When Burroughs shared that he was afraid they were about to lose their family farm in New York due to the hefty mortgage payments, Ford bought the property outright and deeded back to the Burroughs family.\u201d\u00a0 The generosity Ford showed to his new friend made a bond between them that laid the framework for future traveling adventures.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Akron, Ohio tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone became part of Ford\u2019s inner circle of friends, something not all of the automaker\u2019s suppliers could claim.\u00a0 When early autos transitioned from hard rubber to pneumatic tires, Firestone was able to provide the quality and quantity of tires needed for the growing number of Model T Fords being sold.\u00a0 As the yearly Vagabond tours evolved, Firestone became the ringmaster.\u00a0 Ford would finance everything and Firestone would outfit the vehicles with the necessary equipment and staff.\u00a0 Edison, Ford, Burroughs, and Firestone\u2019s version of \u2018roughing it\u2019 included staff to set up camp, cook the meals, and deal with problems.\u00a0 Harvey was also the one who kept tabs of where essentials like gas and garages for emergency repairs could be found.\u00a0 Should the weather become a factor, Firestone would always have alternative lodging in mind.\u00a0 Each year, a different excursion would be planned with the exception of 1917 when WWI made it impossible for them to take to the road.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another crucial factor in these outings involved press coverage.\u00a0 Henry made sure Ford dealerships would let the local press know they would be coming – it was a great advertising tool.\u00a0 Having Edison along always attracted the national press.\u00a0 With the newly emerging coast to coast wire services sending stories near and far, they got a lot of bang for their buck.\u00a0 There seemed to be no end to the fascination this traveling band of famous men (and on many occasions, children and wives) held for the general public.\u00a0 Ford had become so popular a figure that he was on the ballot for a senate seat in 1918 though he ran without campaigning.\u00a0 There was also talk about him running for president in 1920, but neither he nor his wife were keen about entering politics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Over the years, Edison\u2019s second wife, Mina, grew to resent Ford.\u00a0 She felt he used her husband more as a publicity tool than as a friend.\u00a0 Ford idolized Edison and they both knew the power of the press, yet both were reluctant to step forward to speak.\u00a0 Every town they passed through would plan some form of celebration when they were coming and it was Firestone who was usually pressed into service as the spokesman.\u00a0 Ford, Edison, and Burroughs would sign autographs, wave, and shake hands, but it sometimes took some coaxing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Previous stories I have read about both Edison and Ford held they had definite opinions on a host of subjects.\u00a0 Both jumped at taking part in helping America gear up for their entry into WWI, but neither was anxious for the US to join the conflict.\u00a0 Once Uncle Sam was in, they felt it was their duty to support their country.\u00a0 In the wake of WWI, both spoke in favor of a League of Nations, the precursor of the United Nations.\u00a0 Ford was anti-union, but had angered other automakers when he first introduced an eight hour \/ $5 per day wage to entice his factory workers.\u00a0 Ford felt it would compel them to do their best work and stay with the company.\u00a0 Ford was also a supporter of immigrant workers as his factory employed many in the repetitive jobs many American workers disliked,<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One thing I had not read much about were the decidedly anti-semetic leanings of both men.\u00a0 Burrough\u2019s idolatry of the two took a serious hit in 1919 when Ford and Edison discussed how the world\u2019s woes were being caused by, \u2018Jews or Jewish capitalists\u2019.\u00a0 Everything evil that had occurred from the Civil War to WWI, to them, had been stirred up by Jews. \u00a0 The source of much of their distrust and misinformation about Jews was a book entitled <\/span>The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Guinn describes <\/span>Protocols <\/span><\/i>as, \u201cA malicious manifesto of Jews conspiring to gain control of the world through infiltration of business and government.\u00a0 It had long been proven to be a forgery but Ford (and many others) persisted in believing every word because it reinforced their own prejudice.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Protocols<\/span><\/i> had begun in Russia as a deliberate smear campaign and the lies spread by this work of fiction were embraced by groups like the KKK (not to mention Hitler).\u00a0 When the two men singled out railroad magnate Jay Gould as an example of a typical Jewish capitalist, Burroughs had enough.\u00a0 He pointed out that he and Gould had been childhood friends and the railroad man was actually a Presbyterian.\u00a0 These anti-semetic stereotypes even found their way into the <\/span>McGuffey Readers <\/span><\/i>that were used extensively to teach children\u2019s moral guidelines:\u00a0 \u201cThe books [often] relegated Jews to the role of swarthy villains opposed to white, moral Christians.\u201d\u00a0 Hitler would later use Ford and an example of a great man who understood \u2018the Jewish Problem\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ford\u2019s views would become common knowledge and many excused this \u2018one flaw\u2019 in the otherwise famous man.\u00a0 To help his own cause in a lawsuit against a large Chicago newspaper, Ford purchased the small <\/span>Dearborn Independent<\/span><\/i> to use as his own newservice.\u00a0 When the paper\u2019s circulation failed to grow as Ford thought it should, he followed misguided advice to make it more sensational.\u00a0 The paper became a platform for even more anti-semetic rhetoric that increased circulation.\u00a0 Ford also insisted his dealerships include the price of a subscription with the sale of each Model T.\u00a0 It would not prove to be one of Ford\u2019s better business decisions.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the national flames of hate being fostered toward minorities in many parts of this country were fanned by such a high profile figure spreading more untruths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ford had owned the <\/span>Independent <\/span><\/i>for eight years and it had lost him $5 million.\u00a0 He was sued for libel by Aaron Shapiro in February of 1925 over his portrayal in the paper.\u00a0 Shapiro, the council for the American Farm Bureau Federation, sued Ford and the first verdict was a hung jury.\u00a0 When convinced he would lose the up-coming appeal, Ford settled with Shapiro for an undisclosed amount and a public apology.\u00a0 As Guinn recounted, \u201cFord described himself as \u2018deeply mortified\u2019 by the newspapers \u2018resurrecting exploded fictions\u2019 and pledged to ask [Jews] \u2018for forgiveness for the harm I have unintentionally committed by retracting so far as lies within my power and offensive charges laid at their door.\u2019\u00a0 Now that he knew about them, he\u2019d see that such offensive sentiments were never expressed in its pages again.\u201d\u00a0 Some accepted the apology outright, some were less enthusiastic about his statement, but by the end of 1927, he shut down the <\/span>Independent <\/span><\/i>no doubt hoping the memories of this episode would fade quickly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are photos in many publications and museums of The Vagabonds camping in Upper Michigan.\u00a0 Their fifth publicized tour and their first trip to the U.P. was actually planned for 1921.\u00a0 When the opportunity to travel east to West Virginia and thereby invite President Harding to come along materialized, the entire 1921 itinerary was changed.\u00a0 Ford and Edison wanted some time to lobby the President about some of their pet projects.\u00a0 When Harding\u2019s agenda shortened his stay to two days, things didn\u2019t exactly work out as they had planned.\u00a0 Indeed, most of the press centered around the Chief Executive and the famous Vagabonds became secondary to the stories that went out on the wire services.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Using Ford\u2019s luxury yacht <\/span>Scialia, <\/span><\/i>the Vagabonds were finally able to access islands and Ford\u2019s landholdings in Upper Michigan with ease in the late summer of 1923.\u00a0 Unlike other publicity driven adventures, they planned to get as far away from crowds and reporters as they could on this ramble.\u00a0 From various ports of call, they would caravan by car to inspect many of Ford\u2019s properties in places like Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Sidnaw, Alberta, and L\u2019Anse.\u00a0 Ford\u2019s wife Clara did manage to stir up a little press of her own when she chided some young girls at a Lake Michigamme campground for not being dressed properly.\u00a0 While he was still contemplating a run for president, the headlines from that day (\u2018Mrs. Ford Rebukes Women in Overalls and Short Stockings at Michigan Resort\u2019) were not the kind of publicity he was seeking.\u00a0 Later articles featured the camp counselors defending their charges for \u2018dressing appropriately for the environment they were in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Vagabonds remained friends after their touring days came to an end.\u00a0 The photos of them camped out in Sidnaw are some of the last taken as their decade of autotouring came to an end.\u00a0 Their last hurrah was centered around the historic Longfellows Castaway Inn in Massachusetts where they stayed (rather than tent camping) and made day excursions in 1924.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Model T (so named because it was the twentieth version of the car and the letter \u2018T\u2019 is the twentieth in the alphabet) would give way to newer models, the first upgrade being the Model A. The name of Ford would be forever tied to Michigan and his vast holdings in Upper Michigan are still here, but most are no longer part of his empire.\u00a0 The Vagabonds’ travels have also faded from memory but records\u00a0 remain in historical museums of the towns through which they passed.<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Jackson Brown form the R&*R Hall of Fame induction in 2004 – surely even Henry Ford’s Vagabonds found it hard to travel when they found they were Running on Empty!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was 1915 when tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone first coined the name \u2018The Vagabonds\u2019 for their little troupe of travelers.\u00a0 It was during that golden age when people were just beginning to see cross country travel by automobile as a new form of recreation.\u00a0 The nation\u2019s roads were still a long way from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3245"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3248,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245\/revisions\/3248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}