When Ford Model Ts were made in Regina
Lots of people know that General Motors used to have an automobile assembly plant right here in Regina, at Winnipeg Street and 8th Avenue, which turned out Chevrolets, Maple Leaf trucks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs — on and off — from the late 1920s to the late 1930s. The GMC building is still standing today and is used by a variety of companies.
But did you know that Ford Model T automobiles were assembled in Regina a decade before General Motors built its assembly plant?
In the summer of 1919, a new Ford Model T was rolling off the Regina assembly line every 20 minutes. It was news in the Regina Morning Leader newspaper, with the headline: ASSEMBLY PLANT OF FORD CARS IS A REAL FEATURE.
But production of Model Ts in Regina lasted just one week — because it was only a demonstration at the Provincial Exhibition in July 1919.
The demonstration was put on by staff of the Ford assembly plant in Winnipeg, which had opened in 1916 and turned out Fords for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Ford decided to show how their cars were made at the Provincial Exhibition in Regina because Saskatchewan was such a key market for Fords.
The Regina Ford dealership in those days was the Saskatchewan Motor Co. Ltd. Mainly because of the Model T, sales about doubled every year during the First World War era. In 1914, the dealership sold 825 cars. In 1915, that increased to 1,600. In 1916, sales jumped to 3,200 and in 1917 sales almost doubled yet again, to 6,100 units sold. Across Saskatchewan, Ford was the dominant automobile. In 1917, there were 31,474 cars licensed in the province, and twothirds (20,474) were Fords. And most of the Fords were Model Ts.
The Model T was affordable, practical and durable and could be used for both work and pleasure. With the rear wheel jacked up, it was a source of power for a saw or water pump on farms. On weekends, the trusty Model T provided transportation for farm families to visit neighbours and nearby towns. Businesses and governments also soon found that it was cheaper and more practical to replace the horse and buggy with a Model T.
Car shoppers in Regina had plenty of choices, with various dealers handling such makes as Chevrolet, Cole, Hupmobile, McLaughlin-Buick and Maxwell. But Ford was easily the sales leader when it decided to set up the temporary assembly line at the Provincial Exhibition.
“From a simple frame consisting of a couple of tied steel girders to a completely equipped automobile operating under its own power, within the brief span of twenty minutes, is the remarkable story of the assembling of the Ford car which is being daily demonstrated in the old winter fair building,” said the Morning Leader on July 29, 1919.
The newspaper said the demonstration was as near “as possible under the existing conditions to the process adopted in Winnipeg” and would prove to be one of the biggest drawing cards at the summer fair.
“The work is performed in a dozen major operations, the growing car, as part after part is added, moving slowly without a stop towards the door whence it presently emerges in all the glory of a brilliant shine and ready for the street with motor cranked by a self-starter,” said the Morning Leader.
In all, there were 20 workers at the demonstration. The article explained that the scaled-down Regina temporary assembly line had a conveyor belt that was powered by a Ford tractor. Another Ford tractor was used to run a compressor for power tools.
While the Regina line turned out a Ford Model T every 20 minutes, at the much larger and faster Winnipeg plant, a new Model T came off the line every three-and-a-half minutes.
Ford also ran half-page ads in the Morning Leader about the display. One of them said “Down the Track — a Ford Car In Twenty Minutes” in the heading. The copy said “Unique, Entertaining, Educational! That describes the Ford Motor Company at the Regina Exhibition. The assembly of the Ford car is shown just as it is done in the Ford factories …. Now is your opportunity to see how it is done — how each Ford part is made to fit — how complete the Ford car is. At the Exhibition every afternoon from 2 o’clock to 6 o’clock, under supervision of Winnipeg and Regina Branches.”
Another ad said “you have read or heard about the phenomenal system of Ford assembling, now is your opportunity to see it for yourself … Our assembly performance is the most unique motor car exhibit ever put before the public at a public exhibition. From rear axle to a Ford car complete with electric starter and lights. Not only an interesting exhibit, but one of rare educational value. You miss the big point of the Regina Exhibition if you miss the Ford Exhibit.”
During the weeklong exhibition, 72 cars were built and delivered to the Regina Ford dealership.
Ford’s plant in Winnipeg opened in 1916 to meet increased market demand, especially in Western Canada. Production in Winnipeg peaked in 1926, at about 25,000. The plant was shut down in 1941 and after the Second World War the building was bought by the Government of Manitoba and was used for a time as the Manitoba Technical Institute — the forerunner of today’s Red River Community College. The former Ford plant is still standing at Portage Avenue and Wall Street, about four kilometres west of Portage and Main. It’s now known as the Robert Fletcher building and is used by Manitoba Education.
If the Ford Motor Company is looking for an interesting display on the summer fair circuit, how about a temporary assembly line, just like at the 1919 Provincial Exhibition in Regina?