Ribbons of light stretched north for miles. We inched our way up the road toward I-49’s Hopper Tunnel, following the reflective red lights of the cars in front of us. Accidents or stranded vehicles created traffic jams for miles. A century ago, it was impossible for me to even imagine how many cars existed in America, let alone nearly 300 million cars.
By the late 1800s, America was well on its way to developing a vehicle to replace horse-drawn carriages. Many of the first models were powered by steam and were probably more accurately called locomotives. Due to its limited range, it was quickly replaced by a more efficient gasoline engine. The first known automobile in Arkansas was owned by Little His Rock’s Levi Keyes, who took ownership on May 4, 1900. As Keyes drove it around town, crowds gathered and stood along the streets to admire the car. Within a few months, others purchased similar vehicles. The Federal Register published dozens of articles about the new vehicles, many detailing the dangers associated with the new equipment. The horse, panicked by the loud noise and the unusual appearance of the car, ran madly through the streets. Other articles have described the fractures and bruises on limbs associated with the crank needed to start the engine. As a harbinger of things to come, in 1902 Little Rock’s John McGuire suffered the first known car accident when he lost control of his car and crashed into a telephone pole. Other stories described car theft and fun rides, which are very familiar to many today.
The use of automobiles expanded rapidly, with northern factories producing hundreds of vehicles. William Drake, Clarence Ross, and Davis Hopson of Little Rock saw a great business opportunity and decided to form an automobile company to produce vehicles suited to the rough roads and terrain of the South. Incorporated as Climber Motor Company, it began production in 1919. He built a factory at 1823 East 17th Street in Little Rock and initially began producing his smaller Climber Trucks. Detroit automotive engineer George Schoneck was hired as lead engineer on an initial contract to produce 50 of his four-cylinder cars.
Initially, the factory could produce two vehicles per day, but efficiency soon increased and by the end of the first month it was producing five vehicles per day. Clearly, the Climber was a fine vehicle for its time and was able to handle the rough roads of Arkansas at the time. Endurance tests were carried out in the winter of 1919 and 1920. Under the supervision of State Highway Commissioner William Owen, the climbers started in Little Rock and covered 20,239 miles on some of the worst roads in the state. As further proof of its durability, the car raced up the steps of the state capitol and was advertised as “Made in Arkansas, for Arkansas roads.” A beautiful car, he was made of 20-gauge steel on a wooden frame, the colors were maroon, green and battleship gray, with a folding roof and multi-colored wheels.
During its first five years of existence, the company constantly battled financial problems. The Climber 6 sold for his $2,250, while Henry Ford was mass producing the Model T for $355. By 1922, there were only 96 Climber cars and eight Climber trucks in the state, but nearly 50,000 Fords. Unable to compete, Climber was forced to close its doors.
Climber produced a total of approximately 200 cars and approximately 100 trucks during its several years of production. Due to the quality and durability of this vehicle, you would expect to see many of it in car collections across the United States, but only two of his cars are currently known to exist. Both are at the Automobile Museum on Mount Petit Jean near Morrilton.
As I looked at the long line of cars in front of me and thought about the wait, I wished I had one of those climber trucks. I could imagine the journey to Fayetteville, turning off the interstate onto a dirt track, down a bumpy road down a hillside, and over the challenges of backroads made for climbers. “Arkansas Cars for Arkansas Travel”