Cars from the early 20th century

Hi Paul

My wife and I recently visited the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. The history of the cars, aircraft, and farm equipment collected by

Stan Reynolds is phenomenal and the Museum is definitely worth a visit. I am attaching photos of some of the rare cars on display.

Regards Tom Fogarty

Hi Paul,

I am sending a (tiff) photo that has been kicking around for over 100 years. It shows a vintage car driving along what was to become Mill Road in Grand Falls with the paper mill in the background. The year has to be 1909 (or earlier because by 1910 houses were being built on the street). Also, there were no other cars in Grand Falls until after the First World War. For all those years the photo was a minor mystery until recently

I chanced upon an excerpt from the St. John's Free Press of October 9, 1909 and “voila! Mystery solved!” The excerpt is superimposed on the photo. I am fairly certain the car is the Reid car mentioned. If it is the Reid car, it was one of the first two cars ever in Newfoundland. “The fetes at Grand Falls” refers to the official opening of the papermill on October 8-9, 1909.

Regards, Wilf Howse, Grand Falls

Paul:

In the October 7 edition of your Car Column, you published an object which was attached to a vehicle licence plate in the Town of Clarke’s Beach in 1974. Since then, a friend of mine, Ken Green of Mount Pearl, provided me with another one, as per above. I am

still wondering about the purpose of these plates. Perhaps your readers will be able to enlighten me. Thank you.

Burton Janes, Bay Roberts

Mr. H.D. Reid of the Newfoundland Railway sent his automobile out to Grand Falls by Thursday’s express to be at the disposal of Lord Northcliffe during the fetes at Grand Falls.

One of the very old and beautifully restored cars on show at the Reynolds Museum in Alberta. Note how similar this one is to the Reid Car shown in the Grand Falls photo at right! From the St. John’s Free Press, October 5, 1909: