Vintage Fargo Gone Flat
by Nina Silver
Title
Vintage Fargo Gone Flat
Artist
Nina Silver
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
Sitting out on the cobblestone of the old Toronto Distillery district, this Fargo truck is a favourite for tourists with cameras. Weather beaten and missing parts, it gets moved around from year to year and helps provide a backdrop of days gone by in old Toronto.
History of the Fargo truck: "The most common theory about where Fargo got it’s name is attributed to Mr. Joseph Fields who was President of DeSoto and Vice president of Chrysler’s Sales Division at the time. Fields had started his career in the automotive industry selling farm machinery in Fargo, North Dakota.
The Fargo name was made famous in the United States of America just after gold was discovered in early 1848 at Sutter's Mill near Coloma, California. People from all over world flocked to California, drawn by the promise of huge profits and to seek their fame and fortune. Among them were Henry Wells from Vermont and New Yorker William G. Fargo who went on the create the Wells Fargo Empire. Many people think the name for the Fargo truck came from here. Not so, although the famous name did stir up nostalgia of old west adventure (synonomous with the town of Fargo) and reliable transportation assisting with marketing. Another theory is that the word ‘Fargo’ is a play on the words ‘Go Far’.
The Fargo Motor Car Company of Chicago was formed in 1913 and sold a line of Fargo trucks from up until 1922 went it closed down due to financial difficulties. Very little is known about this company and except that in 1928 the name ‘Fargo’ re-emerged as a truck range within the Chrysler organisation when, with Plymouth and DeSoto doing well, Chrysler created the Fargo Motor Corporation to build and sell commercial trucks primarily for the export market. "
- National Road Transport Hall of Fame
Uploaded
April 12th, 2015
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