Vintage Fargo Grill
by Nina Silver
Title
Vintage Fargo Grill
Artist
Nina Silver
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
The first Fargo trucks were built in Chicago in 1913 by the Fargo Motor Car Company. In 1928, Chrysler bought the business and created their own line of these trucks. U.S sales of the Fargo truck were discontinued in the 1930's, but the name Fargo was used in Canada until 1972. From the 1920's to the 1950's these trucks were commonly used to transport food and drink goods from manufacturers to stores. The truck from which this image was taken still stands as a testament to the distribution of beers and spirits, and sits on the cobblestones of the old Toronto Gooderham and Worts Distillery, for interested eyes of Toronto tourists.
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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