H.W. Spaulding began making carriages and spring wagons in Grinnell, Iowa in 1876.  In 1909 the Spaulding Manufacturing Company added automobilies to its production line.  Spaulding automobiles were known for their quality construction from rugged materials.  Automobile production ceased at the Spaulding factory in 1916 when it could no longer compete with the cheaper Ford automobile. 

Read the full story from Great Cars of the Great Plains by Curt McConnell. This book is available to check out from Stewart Library.

View the entire (12 item) photograph collection as part of the Iowa Heritage Collections database.

William C. Robinson came to live in Grinnell, at the age of 12, in 1896. He was a handyman, tinkerer, and bicycle repairman who designed and built his own flying machine.  In 1911, with the help of Charles Hink, Robinson constructed a 60 horse power radial motor for his monoplane.  In 1914 he set a record for non-stop flight, carrying mail from Des Moines to Kentland, Indiana. Robinson perished, while flying his biplane, attempting to set an altitude record on March 11, 1916.

Read the full story from Grinnell -A Century of Progress: 1854-1954 published by the Grinnell Herald-Register, 1954.

View the entire (38 item) photograph collection at Grinnell Historical Collections as part of the Iowa Heritage Collections database.