 The Detroit Historical Museum is exhibiting a large display of memorabilia from the heyday of Fruehauf Trailer, and a 1916 Fruehauf semi-trailer that was built using the blacksmith tools of that time is on display at the nearby Piquette Street plant where Henry Ford once produced Model T cars.
Former Fruehauf employees will be visiting these two facilities this summer during a reunion June 10-12. A slide presentation at the Piquette Street Plant by Ruth Fruehauf, daughter of Roy Fruehauf, will feature many of the company’s inventions, product developments and manufacturing techniques. Read more......
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 By Tom Berg - Trailer TalkStudents of trucking history are well aware of Fruehauf trailers, as that Detroit-based company once dominated the industry. They know the story of its origin by August Fruehauf, as recalled last year by his granddaughter, Ruth:
“It has been 101 years since Frederick M. Sibley, a Michigan lumber tycoon, walked into August Fruehauf’s blacksmith shop in Detroit with a problem. Sibley had an 18-foot boat he needed to haul to his summer cottage. He’d put the boat on a wagon, and he wanted to use his Model T Ford instead of a horse team to pull it. Could that be done? Read more........  In 1956 Post Cereal Company offered a free collection of toy Fruehauf Trailers manufactured by the F&F Mold and Die works of Dayton Ohio. The collection included five varieties of Fruehauf truck trailers, freight van, moving van, tanker, gooseneck and flatbed. All five models were produced in four different colors; yellow, orange, red, metallic aluminum. Each Model also came with either black or white wheels. The entire collection in the series totaled forty vehicles. All of these models could be found inside Post Grape-nuts Flakes boxes.  Family historian and author Ruth Ann Fruehauf stands in front of a Detroit Historical Museum showcase that looks at the Fruehauf Trailer Company, which revolutionized the transportation of goods through the creation of the semi-trailer and many other inventions. (Photo by K. Michelle Moran) By Michelle Moran - DETROIT — Global trade is so normal now, we take it for granted, but the transportation and sale of goods over long distances might have never been a modern reality were it not for a couple of men with local ties.
When lumber industry leader Frederick M. Sibley needed a way to haul an 18-foot boat to his lakefront Michigan summer home with a Ford Model T in 1914, he turned to the inventive minds of blacksmith and wagon maker August “Gus” Fruehauf and his business partner, Otto Neumann. A horse-drawn wagon would take days to make the trip, but Fruehauf and Neumann were able to modify the Model T and attach a trailer that could handle this heavy load. Thus was born the semi-trailer, an invention that paved the way for interstate and international trade as we know it today. Read more....... |
The advancement of transportation accelerated the economic growth of all industries in the industrial booming United States. The Fruehauf Trailer Company contributed to the advancement of American industry.AuthorsRuth Ann Fruehauf and Darlene Norman have dedicated hard work, determination and intuition to bringing this project to life. This is the ongoing investigation and reporting of their efforts.
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We are SocialAn organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Fruehauf Trailer Company and the Fruehauf family legacy.
The society has created historical books and a traveling exhibit rich with Fruehauf memorabilia and archival materials. Our next book, “Fruehauf, the First Name in Transportation” an in-depth analysis of the company’s history will be published soon. |
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Ruth A. Fruehauf and Darlene Norman. All rights reserved. The Fruehauf Trailer
Historical Society PO Box 5008-164 Mariposa, CA 95338 info@singingwheels.com |