John shared this video about the Ford Pygmy.
Features Research Archives
Saturday March 19th: 2016 FC Roundup Report
<– Day 10 – Friday March 18th: The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum | Beginning | Day 12 – Sunday March 20th: High Plains Drifters –>
UPDATE: An additional Pic and Video:
Four handsome jeep guys. Left to Right, Craig Brockhaus (theFCConnection.com), Jesse Ybarra (A most excellent roundup host), Mark Smith (Jeeptruck.com/sellajeep.com/warjeeps.com), and me.
Tom Smith of Jeeptruck.com put this video together: Tom Smith’s 65-Sec Tour Jeep Video:
Original Post:
It’s late. Ann and I have to rise early for our drive to Tularosa, New Mexico tomorrow. So, my report will be short. Thanks to Jesse and Andrea for putting on another great event. Everyone I spoke with was enjoying themselves. It was good to see old friends and to meet others we’ve only known virtually! We look forward to next year.
New Jeep Concept Vehicle
Maury sent this link to the new Jeep Concept Vehicle.
“Jeep unveiled concept vehicles, including a pair of pickups and a Wrangler powered by Fiat Chrysler’s insane 707-horsepower Hellcat Hemi V-8, to celebrate the brand’s 50th Easter Jeep Safari later this month.” (read more at the link below)
Friday March 18th: The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum
<– Day 9 – Thursday March 17th: Crowded Backroads & Exploding Beer Glasses | Day 11 – Saturday March 2016 FC Roundup Report –>
Today we didn’t do a whole lot, which meant we got some rest. The one thing we did do, visit the Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum, turned into a great opportunity. The museum, located in Miami, Arizona, celebrates the minerals, mines, and culture of the area. It was much larger than I thought it would be with some good exhibits.
The most interesting part of the museum for us was that we met the curator, Thomas Foster, who was very excited to hear about SLAG. So, I let him browse through my copy. He was so excited about the concept and its references to Arizona history, that he wants me to “get the damn thing finished ” so he could read it. And, he wants us to return this fall to give a presentation (which could mean more book sales). So, our one stop today was a good one 🙂
<– Day 9 – Thursday March 17th: Crowded Backroads & Exploding Beer Glasses | Day 11 – Saturday March 2016 FC Roundup Report –>
DJ-5 Postal Jeep Brochure
UPDATE: Status Unknown. Was on eBay
I haven’t seen many of the hardtops shown in this brochure. The passenger side door (that is, the left hand door) is particularly unusual.
“Here I have a very nice comb-spine Brochure / Book
Jeep POSTAL DISPATCHER
KAISER Jeep CORPORATION
TOLEDO, OHIE 43601
Book measures about 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches and is 14 pages (Plus Covers) with each page leaf individually numbered.
This is in Excellent Condition with a small break of the comb spine at the top.
This is an outstanding piece for the Willys / Jeep / Postal collector!”
Thursday March 17th: Crowded Backroads & Exploding Beer Glasses
<– Day 8 – Wednesday March 16th: More Earth Sciences | Beginning | Day 10 – Friday March 18th: The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum –>
Today we drove from Globe to Mesa and back (See yesterday’s post here).
A few folks asked why we are staying in Globe through the weekend instead of Phoenix. The answer is that the Phoenix basin is plagued by astronomic hotel prices this week. One-star motels were priced at $150. Two star places were over $200. One four star was $1000 a night. The high prices might be the result of baseball’s spring training, crazy college spring breakers, or the planet Venus in retrograde. Whatever the cause, staying in Phoenix or the surrounding cities was far beyond our budget. To provide perspective, my goal on our trips is to secure two to three star hotels for under $60. Using Priceline, I often, but not always, achieve that goal. Since we couldn’t afford Phoenix, the three-star Apache Gold Casino was more than willing to take our money for only $58 a night for two days. The two-star Days Inn accepted $61 a night for Friday and Saturday nights (regularly almost $90). Since gas is cheap, this was the most viable solution for us.
Wednesday morning we left Globe and headed west on Highway 60 for Goldfield, Arizona, an olde time wild west town that now caters to tourists. We were maybe ten miles out of Globe when we discovered the highway was closed for construction and wouldn’t open for at least another hour. So, we turned around and took the backway, which also happens to be a scenic drive. We took this as a sign to enjoy said scenic drive, so off we went.
The first half hour went by quickly, gaining elevation on Highway 188 until we reached the town of Roosevelt. There, we took a left, turning onto highway 88, better known as Apache Trail. The road was opened in the early 1900s to the support the building of a nearby damn, however the road’s steep inclines and descents has kept it from securing money for modernization. Thus, it’s a winding, half dirt, backroad drive that requires at least a couple hours. That sounded perfect for us. Little did we know others had the same idea ….
Apache Trail quickly sheds its asphalt in favor of dirt. Any attempt to descrive the first few miles of the trail would be pure fiction, as the motorhome and the boat and trailer it towed left a trail of dust that made sightseeing a challenge. Eventually the motorhome took mercy on us and pulled over so we could pass. Chivalry appears alive and well in Arizona!
Wednesday March 16th: More Earth Sciences
<– Day 7- Tuesday March 15th: Rollin’ Like Bill Gates | Beginning | Day 9 – Thursday March 17th: Crowded Backroads & Exploding Beer Glasses –>
Today we drove from Tucson to Globe. Along the way we saw some old technology and new. First the new, then the old. (See yesterday’s post here)
We started the day with a short walk to a nearby bagel place called The Bagel Joint in north Tucson. It’s slogan, if it ain’t boiled, it ain’t a bagel. Tucson yelpers seemed to like the place, so I thought it was worth checking out. While they were very good bagels, they still didn’t top the bagel I had at the Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shop in December of 2014. My mouth still waters in memory of that one!
With bagel consumed, we drove north for the day’s main adventure: Biosphere 2.
On our drive to Biosphere 2, we realized neither of us could remember much about the project. Our impression was that it was a failure at some level. We also wondered what happened to Biosphere 1. So, it was with this total lack of research that we entered the Biosphere 2 complex.
WANTED: Willys World Magazines
Pascal is hoping to build and document a complete inventory of Willys World Magazines for http://jeepwillysworld.com/the-willys-club/. He’s put time, effort, and money into obtaining, scanning, and uploading his copies to the internet. Anyone have some issues the would like to sell or donate to him? Here’s what he needs:
I’m missing and looking for;
1974 Volume 1 Number 1 up to 1977 Volume 4 Number 5
1978 Volume 5 Number 1 up to 1983 Volume 10 Number 4
1983 Volume 10 Number 6 up to 1985 Volume 12 Number 2
1985 Volume 12 Number 5 up to 1986 Volume 13 Number 2
1986 Volume 13 Number 4 up to 1986 Volume 13 Number 6
1987 Volume 14 Number 3 up to 1987 Volume 14 Number 4
1987 Volume 14 Number 6
1990 Volume 17 Number 1 up to 1990 Volume 17 Number 5
1991 Volume 18 Number 4 up to 1994 Volume 21 Number 5
1995 Volume 22 Number 1
1995 Volume 22 Number 5 up to 1996 Volume 23 Number 6
I think the last issue was in December 1998, right?
Tuesday March 15th: Rollin’ Like Bill Gates
<– Day 6- Monday March 14th: Train to Yuma Prison | Beginning | Day 8 – Wednesday March 16th: More Earth Sciences –>
Today, we spent the day in the Tucson area (See yesterday’s post here).
A few weeks ago I wrote an email to the folks at ASARCO’s Mineral Discovery Center (AMDC) southwest of Tucson. I told them we were coming for a visit and wanted to join one of their mine tours. Their tour involves taking a bus through the working open-pit Mission Mine, then a visit to one of their mills. As most of you know, my upcoming book SLAG includes my great great grandfather’s role in co-founding the American Smelting & Refining Company in 1899, now known as ASARCO. I asked if anyone at the Discovery Center would be curious to meet with us and learn about the book I was writing that included the early history of ASARCO.
Vice President of Environmental Affairs Thomas Aldrich, a forty year veteran of ASARCO, wrote back explaining that, yes, they would enjoy meeting us. Moreover, after the exchange of a few emails, he offered to take us on a personal tour of the mine facility. I thought that pretty generous, so I snapped up the offer before he could change his mind.
On Tuesday morning we arrived at 9:00am for the 9:30am meeting (Sorry for rushing you out the door honey, but I got my times confused!). However, we put the early arrival to good use by watching the Discovery Center’s movie about ASARCO’s mining and smelting process. I found it particularly interesting, given my work on the book.
After the movie, Sandra Elizondo, director of the AMDC introduced us to Tom Aldrich and Tom Klempel, Mission Environmental Manager. Together, Tom and Tom were in charge of wrangling us (basically keeping us out of trouble I think — apparently our reputation proceeds us). The four of us hopped into Tom K.’s truck and he drove us to the Mission MIne’s overlook. It takes some time to reach the top of the mine, so we had plenty of time to chat about ASARCO, the book, and each other.
At the mine overlook, the Toms explained the details of open pit mining, from the removal of the overburden, to the removal and tracking of the valuable deposits, to its processing in the mills. The copper at the Mission Mine is so low grade that only about 1% of the ore mined is copper. Put another way, the mine processes about three hundred truck loads of ore per day (see truck below), which results in three truckloads of copper. But, that’s been the story of most mines. It’s a volume business requiring transportation, industry, and science to profitably produce predictable amounts of valuable minerals.
Monday March 14th: Train to Yuma Prison
<– Day 5- Sunday March 13th: Camels & Cones | Beginning | Day 7 – Tuesday March 15th: Rollin’ Like Bill Gates –>
(See yesterday’s post here) — Today we traveled from Yuma to Tucson, but not before I went to prison. It all started innocently enough. I went to take my shower in the morning. When I got out, I caught my wife surfing a jeep site other than eWillys!!! I thought about divorce, but it seemed like she’d get off easy. After extensive thought, I decided to tie her to some train tracks and let the train run over her. That’s reasonable, right?
The problem was, the darn train came to a stop a few feet from her. Who’d have thought that would happen? Not wanting to get caught, I tried to untie her, but that’s when the police showed up. It turns out that justice is metered out quickly at Yuma. The next thing I knew, I was hauled off to jail. First they photographed me:
Then, they dumped me in an old prison cell at the Yuma Territory Prison.
What a day! After a minute in the jail cell, I concluded I wasn’t ready to serve my full sentence, so I sought a pardon from my wife. Thankfully, the time apart had softened her hard heart from the brutal, near-death experience at the wheels of the train. We forgave and forgot, then we toured the Yuma Territorial Prison Historic State Park. It was a pretty interesting place.
Sunday March 13th: Camels & Cones
<– Day 4- Saturday March 12th: The Aliens Almost Got Her! | Beginning | Day 6 – Monday March 14th: Train to Yuma Prison –>
Today we drove from Laughlin, Nevada, to Yuma, Arizona (view yesterday’s post here). We began the day brilliantly, with a trip for ‘breakfast’ to Laughlin’s In-N-Out Burger. Ann and her gluten/beef intolerance forced her to spurn a delicious cheeseburger, but she did partake of a few of my fries. I, on the other hand, was quite pleased by my breakfast.
We drove north out of Laughlin, crossed the Colorado River, and quickly reached Bullhead City, Arizona. One of our goals was to take a photo with the city’s large tortoise. Our mission was soon accomplished.
Next, I wanted to take a few photos of the Colorado River and the casinos of Laughlin across the river. Somehow, my wife thought that meant stepping into the cold river.
Looking For More APUs
Tom Sterndale is looking for more APU jeeps. He’s go some information to help people understand if they have an APU jeep. You can contact him at tosternd@gcasda.org
DO YOU HAVE OR KNOW OF AN APU JEEP?
Description — Auxiliary Power Unit : Shelf Propelled Electric Power Plant : Jet Starter
Data Plate Name — O.E.Szekely & Associates or Valentine Welding Company
Body Alterations:
Hole In Floor Behind Shifters
Saturday March 12th: The Aliens Almost Got Her!
<– Day 3- Friday March 11th: Dining in an Ely Jail | Beginning | Day 5 – Sunday March 13th: Camels & Cones –>
Today we drove from Ely to Laughlin (see Yesterday’s post). We hadn’t planned to go that far, but hotels/motels in Vegas on Saturday night were expensive, while Laughlin was dirt cheap. And, since we’d never been there, we decided this was the opportune time!
Our first objective of the day was a visit to the Ward Charcoal ovens. To reach them, we drove south on highway 50, a road that spans the width of Nevada and once called the loneliest road in America by Life Magazine. Just past Ely, we turned onto a dirt road and followed it for ten miles or so. As usual, when we arrived, we had the place to ourselves.
The ovens were constructed in the late 1800s to turn wood into charcoal for fuel in nearby smelters. When coke replaced charcoal, they were then used as, among other things, places to stay for sheep herders and cowboys. Finally, the area was turned into a state park. The ovens were much larger and in better shape than the one’s we’d seen yesterday in Utah.
CJ-3B and Teardrop Trailer Video
Scott shared this cool little video.
1944 Photo from Tolfa, Italy on ebay
Great photo.
“This Auction is for one WWII US Press photo GI’s in Jeep Description on back Italy 1944 . The photo is about 4 1/2 by 6 3/4 inches in size. Shows age, , wear, yellowing ,Description on back ,. I used a transparency with the word original to preserve the uniqueness of the photo when I scanned it .”
Friday March 11th: Dining in an Ely Jail
<– Day 2- Thursday March 10th: We Forgot to Pack Our Maps? | Beginning | Day 4 – Saturday March 12th: The Aliens Almost Got Her! –>
Day three took us from Provo, Utah, to Ely, Nevada (See yesterday’s post here). We spent the night in Provo, because I got a deal on a hotel. The downside was that, in the morning, when I went down to the jeep I witnessed what appeared to be an odd transaction between two normal looking guys who could have been BYU students. Moments after I saw them exchange something in the middle of the parking lot, the police showed up. All this time I thought the best action was in Salt Lake City!!
From Provo, we drove south I-15, until we exited for Delta. For the next few hours we saw some sagebrush, some dirt, some mountains, and some snow. We even saw a couple flatties, too!! And, that’s about it. The Great Basin area is a desolate place and, if you like that kind of space, like my oldest son does, this is a bit of heaven. Here are some pics.
These two kilns are located along Highway 50.
Kent Frost and his CJ-5 at Needles
Here’s another photo of Kent Frost and his CJ-5 at the Needles in Canyonlands National Park, probably before it was a park.
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/USHS_Morton/id/595/rec/4
Thursday March 10th: We Forgot to Pack Our Maps??
<– Day 1- Wednesday March 9th: Oh, the Inhumanity! | Beginning | Day 3 – Friday March 11th: Dining in an Ely Jail –>
We began the morning just north of Twin Falls (See day one of our trip here), We didn’t make if far before we realized that we, and by we I mean “I”, had forgotten to pack our Gazetteers (like this), those trusty, detailed maps, ones safely tucked away in my office. Sigh. But hey, who need maps when we have the internet … until that disappeared, too. Then we relied on hope!
Our first destination on a cool Thursday morning was the county park near Buhl, Idaho, called Balanced Rock. We followed Highway 93 through Twin Falls, then veered south until reaching E 3700 N Road. We took a right and encountered the strangest center line. After much discussion, we concluded it was a disgruntled county employee who’d had enough of life: too many straight lines.
Satisfied at with our arbitrary conclusion, we followed E3700N for what seemed like hours, but was more like twenty minutes. Suddenly, the flat lands gave way to a gulch. To negotiate the gulch, the road began to wind back and forth. Aha! That explained the wavy line at the beginning of the road: it marked the road that led to the park!
At the bottom of the gulch, a small sign guided visitors to the park.
1949 Photo from Colorado River Crossing
This Utah State Historical Society photo by Jack Breed from 1949 is just beautiful! Three unidentified men are standing around a National Geographic Society Jeep, part of a Society exploration party into southern Utah. They are observing the site called “Crossing of the Fathers” at the Colorado River. I shared a color version of this photo back in 2013, but the black and white photo is equally beautiful.
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/USHS_Class/id/30852/rec/11
1955? DJ-3A Brochure **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay
“Here I have a
NEAR MINT
4-Page Brochure / Flier
WILLYS
Jeep Dispatcher
Form number WX 241-6”
1950s Audio Visual Wagon Brochure
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
“Here I have a single-sheet flier / brochure
Jeep 4-WHEEL DRIVE
Audio-Visual Unit
SELF-CONTAINED
GOES ANYWHERE
COMPLETELY EQUIPPED
This model came with a 1.7 Kw, 110-120 volt AC output generator mounted under the hood to power the audio-visual equipment.
Standard equipment on this model included:
* 1.7 Kw, 110-120 volt AC output generator
* Two Loud Speakers
* 25-Watt Combination Amplifier-Tape Recorder
* 4-Position Built-In Mixer
* Sound Projector
* Tape Recorder
* 16 mm Projector with six inch speaker
* 2 Chest-Type Microphones
* 7 ½ x 10 foot Screen
* Portable Splicing and Rewind Unit
* Combination Filmstrip / Slide Projector
* Metal Utility Table
* Power extension cables and Outlets
This is one of the rarest of the Jeeps and this flier is probably even more rare. I cannot find any other documentation of this vehicle.
Measures about 8 ½ x 11 inches and is in Very Good condition with a very tiny tear at the top and some slight creasing on the side (See Photos).”
Wednesday March 9th: Oh, the Inhumanity!
<– Beginning | Day 2 – Thursday March 10th: We Forgot to Pack Our Maps? –>
Day 1 of our trip to the 2016 FC-Roundup started slowly (See our trip overview here). My wonderful, unpredictable wife decided that coloring Easter eggs and taking a photo of our dog Zollie was an important task to accomplish prior to our departure. While I was not amused, Zollie was even less enthused about the idea. I think his face said it all, “Oh, the inhumanity!” However, he’s a good sport and the photo session ended fairly quickly.
Once we made it out the door, we drove for five hours until we reached Boise. There, we stopped at the new Boise Co-op in Meridian, which is a definite step up from the downtown location. It’s also much more convenient for us, because it is a short hop off of Interstate-84. We will be back!
Next we ate dinner at the Boise Fry Company. The burgers are good, but it is really the fries that bring you back. In the bowl is a large order of purple potato fries (they have 7 or 8 different kind of fries you can choose and something like 10 different dipping sauces as well). Next to the bowl of fries is a bowl of brussel sprouts that were very good. It was the first time we’d seen those on the menu and we’ll order those in the future as well.
With full bellies, we waddled out the jeep and drove the rest of the way to Twin Falls.
Tomorrow, instead of taking I-84 (the fast route) to Salt Lake, we plan to drive south to Wells on 93, then cut east through Wendover, drive through the Salt flats, then on to Salt Lake City where we’ll dine with my two youngest kids. We’ll be spending the night in the Provo-Orem area. On Friday we’ll be heading back to Nevada and, after hitting the National Park & Ely (pronounced Eee Lee), will head south until we feel like stopping.
<– Beginning | Day 2 – Thursday March 10th: We Forgot to Pack Our Maps? –>
James @ the American History Museum
James was visiting Washington, D.C., this week and found this jeep hanging from the ceiling of the American History Museum.
May 1958 Leathernecks w/CJ-5 on eBay
I believe this is a CJ-5 APU, though it could provide some other service. Either way, it’s something I’ve never run across.
“Leatherneck
Volume XLI Number 5
May 1958
in
Very Good Condition.”
1965 Floatation Study on eBay
Here’s an interesting document.
“ook was placed in a stack exposing the cover to some oily-like residue that produced two 1 1/2″ inch stains upper right area. Did not want to continue listing without noting this change. Looks worse than it really is. I add another picture at the end in detail. Thanks! Wonderful and rare book. 8.5 x 11″ roughly. 58 pp. US Army Tank Automotive Center. Very good condition with owner name in pen and small stain “stripes” on upper-right cover.”