Feature Truck for Fall 2003

REO TRUCK CONVERTED TO COVERED WAGON

FOR LINCOLN HIGHWAY CELEBRATION

by Norman Root, Lincoln Highway Association State Director and HATM Volunteer

Very few even know about the Lincoln Highway Boy Scout Safety Tour of 1928, let alone the Reo Speedwagon “covered wagon” in which the Scouts rode. But if a truck was involved in an activity, someone amongst the volunteer corps at the Hays Antique Truck Museum in Woodland (HATM) surely knows about.

At the end of March 2003, I received a phone call from Joe Weber asking if I knew about the 1928 tour and if I had any pictures. The Hays Museum had a 1926 Reo Speedwagon and was considering building a replica of the Scout’s truck to use in a Lincoln Highway Marker Post exhibit. Yes, I had pictures and other memorabilia, loaned a few years ago by Bernie Queneau. Bernie is the sole survivor from the group of scouts who rode across country in the Reo “covered wagon” in 1928. I met with HATM Curator Al Garcia and showed him photos and articles telling about the Boy Scout Safety Tour of 1928. As he examined the documents, he became excited and began planning the work that would have to be done to restore the museum’s Reo and build a covered wagon body on the back. Al said, “Just give us six months and you’re going to see something!”

Shortly thereafter I was reminded of the Lincoln Highway 90th Anniversary commemorative motor tour to arrive in San Francisco on September 1st. September 1st was exactly 75 years to the day that the Boy Scouts placed those now famous concrete marker posts back in 1928, all 3400 on the same day! The cross country Lincoln Highway Boy Scout Safety Tour, which arrived in August of 1928, was the advance party, paving the way for that Herculean post setting event on September 1st.

“Boy, wouldn’t it be terrific,” I thought, “if HATM could have their truck at the Western Terminus celebration on September 1st? And wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could get Bernie Queneau to attend?” But September 1st was less than six months away, so I began feeding the HATM crew information about the commemorative tour, hoping to generate excitement and enthusiasm at the museum to speed up the project.

In mid July I called to make sure that the Reo project was on schedule. Al Garcia confessed that the project had not even been started, because the restoration shop was way over booked. But he thought the Reo project would be easy: the wood work, the canvas work and sign painting would be easy, but there wasn’t enough time to make the truck operable. He said he would talk to the volunteers in the shop. In another couple of days he called again, and somehow all of that easy work had become too difficult.

After mulling over the project, I offered to bend the ribs, do the wood work, obtain the canvas, and even haul the truck to San Francisco, if need be. The first thing I needed to do was to order the canvas. On my way to the Military Vehicle Preservation Association national convention in Alameda, I stopped off at the museum and took some measurements of the truck and penciled them onto a photograph of the original Boy Scout truck. At the convention, I went to the Beachwood Canvas Works booth and asked if they had white canvas, not just the military olive drab they are used to handling? And could they do a custom job for me? I also mentioned the short deadline. September 1st was only five weeks away and I needed to have my hands on the canvas top at least one week before that. Daniel Janquitto, the owner, asked so many questions that I began to have my doubts. Since he was going on a month long vacation, Dan phoned this special order in to his New Jersey shop. During the next few days, I began to ponder all of Dan’s questions and worry about the numerous things that could go wrong.

I headed up to my Siskiyou County ranch to bend the ribs in the shop there. A week and a half later Beachwood called. I thought, “Wow, they already have the canvas cover done!” Instead, they wanted to know if I was serious. “Of course I am. I gave you a $1000 deposit.” They asked if the Reo truck was ready? I lied that it was. We left on vacation ourselves, expecting to find the canvas cover on our door step when we got back. We got another call from Beachwood while on vacation. “Does the canvas have to be white?” They could provide German Army Desert Corps light tan. If they had to use white, then it would to be special ordered that same day. “Then do it.”

Before leaving on vacation I tried to line up a sign painter, thinking I’d have the canvas to them one week before September 1st. But it turns out that sign makers don’t paint any more; it’s a lost skill. They now use computers to cut out plastic letters that stick on plastic banners. They suggested making the covered wagon top out of plastic. Not an option. Then someone recalled an old sign painter who might still do some hand work. Upon arriving back from vacation, I was able to contact Him Ingram. I showed him pictures and explained the urgency and short deadline. He said he could handle it, not fully realizing that September 1st was only about a week and a half away. I told him the canvas would come flat and I’d get it to him on Monday, so he could have it all week. (At this point I didn’t even know if Beachwood was going to get the canvas done at all.) But Jim wanted to have the canvas mounted on the ribs. “Oh, oh. I don’t even have the ribs done.” I had planned to drop the canvas off with Jim, head back to the ranch to finish the ribs and floor, and deliver everything to HATM just in time to mount it on the Reo so they could take it directly to San Francisco on September 1st.

Monday, August 25th, exactly one week to go: I got back from the ranch with ribs and wagon floor all built and loaded on my trailer. The canvas had indeed arrived while I was gone. I spent all day trying to stretch it over the ribs and tie it down. I was amazed at how well it fits. We were all working independently and just from a photograph.

Tuesday, August 26th, six days left: I delivered the covered wagon to Jim Ingram, but he wasn’t home that day. He was out on another urgent job! I left the trailer there.

Thursday night, August 28th, just three days left: Jim called and said he was about three quarters done with one side. He was going to Oregon for the Labor Day weekend, but he could get back on it Monday. “No, Monday is too late! It will all be over by then.”

Early Friday morning: Jim called back. He stayed up all night and finished the painting. I raced out to Penryn to pick up the covered wagon and delivered it to the museum in Woodland. I thought I’d get there when some volunteers could help lift it onto the truck. Wrong! The shop crew only works on Tuesdays. I left a call with Al Garcia. He called back, and said he’d have someone at the museum on Saturday morning to help set the top on the Reo truck.

Saturday morning, just two days left: Al and Cliff Simes were the only ones at the museum able to help. But they didn’t need manpower anyway. They’re smarter than me. They used a fork lift. They loaded the truck onto my trailer. “But what have they done with my tie downs?” We quickly ascertained that the tie downs had been stolen off of my trailer, which sat outside overnight. But, they were able to snag some chains and binders off of another truck at the museum and let me take the whole thing home.

Sunday, August 31, the final day: With the loaded rig in my driveway I spent the day cleaning the truck and making sure all the rigging knots were official Boy Scout.

Monday, September 1st: I got up early and headed for the Holiday Inn in Auburn, the final overnight stopover for the 90th Anniversary tour group. They expected to be on the road around 8:00-8:30 a.m. I went at 7:30, hoping to leave as soon as possible. It would take all day to get to Lincoln Park. I parked under the motel canopy to surprise everyone with the covered wagon as they came out. I thought I might be asked to lead the parade since I know the Lincoln Highway route. The word was out that the maps, so far, had been grossly inadequate. But, I’m the one who got surprised. Some vehicles had already left, most people went out the back door, some were out looking for a gas station, and others were still sleeping in.

By 8:30 I had to leave, knowing we’d barely make it to Lincoln Park by 4:00 p.m. now, not the 2:30 predicted in the tour schedule. People thought this would be an easy day; it was only 100 miles to San Francisco. But they didn’t realize that 60 of those miles were on city streets. I took off with about ten cars following me. By the time we got to Auburn Blvd in Sacramento, the cell phones were ringing madly. We had to be in Davis for a 10:00 a.m. reception. “Get on the freeway right away!” So I got on the freeway at Marconi Ave. Some of my followers weren’t happy - this wasn’t the Lincoln Highway.

We arrived at Central Park in Davis only five minutes late. But the ceremony was already winding down. “Wait a minute,” I thought, “there’s Bob Lichty thanking the Mayor. How did he get here?” He was still standing on the porch of the Auburn motel when I left. He confessed that he doesn’t follow the Lincoln Highway. He always waits to be the last one to leave, then races his brand new Lincoln down the freeway to meet us as we arrive at the next stopping point. I’m surprised again, cheating by using the freeway and not even in a vintage vehicle.

The Davis Historical Society went all out. There was a parade with antique cars and a wagon train, a ceremony in front of an original 1928 Marker post, two 1928 Boy Scouts who set that post, several modern Boy Scout troops, a Mayoral proclamation, and an open house reception at the museum, but we were rushed out of there to get moving again. A few cars followed me along the old Lincoln Highway, but when I stopped at the Ulatis Creek Bridge in Vacaville, as the instructions said, I was told that we were out of time. “Get back on the freeway and go straight to Vallejo. We have to be there at 12:00 noon sharp!”

We arrived at the USA World Classics car museum at exactly noon. Most of the tour was already here. This was where we finally caught up with Bernie Queneau. He hadn’t seen the covered wagon yet. We were told at the museum to take the freeway all the way in to San Francisco in order to make the 2:30 p.m. arrival and ceremony time. “What? I just put out a news release yesterday listing the arrival time as 4:00 p.m.!” I had thought there was no way we could get to San Francisco by 2:30 p.m. How was I to know we were going to be cheating? We arrived at Lincoln Park right at 2:30. I asked George Clark to delay the ceremony hoping, that the media could get here. There had been a mysterious message left on my telephone saying that they would meet me at the park at 3:00 p.m. Maybe it was someone from the media. Besides, tour participants were still dribbling in. We had all left Vallejo at different times and had taken different routes through San Francisco. The Ceremony started shortly after 3:00. George had Bernie and Boy Scout Troop 17 unveil the proposed interpretive plaque for the Western Terminus marker. Then there were the usual welcoming, introduction and appreciation speeches.

Shortly before 4:00., the people who read my news release began to show up, including Craig Harmon with his fire truck, “Spirit of Lincoln Way”. J. R. Manning in his Model A, the only one who didn’t cheat, but followed the Lincoln Highway all the way, arrived with four more tour cars following him. However, most of the original revelers had left. The Boy Scouts were gone, and the proposed Western Terminus interpretive plaque was gone. The Reo Speedwagon was still there, as was Jim Cassler’s souvenir trailer. So, I walked up to the Western Terminus Marker, in front of the newly assembled crowd, and began to recite everything that I could remember, from what the earlier speakers had said.

A hectic and anxious five weeks had concluded. After numerous fits and starts, that elusive covered wagon finally made it. All the fuss seems to have been worthwhile. The covered wagon was a hit and was appreciated by all. The Reo Speedwagon will become part of a permanent Lincoln Highway exhibit to be built in the Hays Truck Museum.

Editor’s Note: This wonderful story by Norman Root shows the tremendous effort put forth by HATM volunteers and volunteers in many other organizations to help the general public relive historic events with the aid of our antique vehicles.

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