The Checker Taxi Stand

john_w · Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:01 am Post subject: The "Cars of Kalamazoo"

Since the 2007 Ypsilanti Orphan Show will be honoring "The Cars of Kalamazoo", I thought it would be appropriate to list the various Kalamazoo auto manufacturers and their dates of production:

Barley Motor Car Co. (Roamer, Pennant) 1917 - 1929

Blood Brothers Automobile and Machine Co. (Blood) 1902 - 1905, (Cornelian) 1913 - 1915

Burtt Manufacturing (Cannon) 1903 - 1905, 1909

Checker Cab Manufacturing Co. 1923 - 1982 (started in Joliet, IL. in 1922)

Dort Motor Co. Body Plant 1920 - 1923

Handley-Knight Co. (Handley) 1920 - 1923

Kalamazoo Motor Vehicle Co. (Columbia Truck & Trailer Co.) 1913 - 1915

Kalamazoo Motors Corp. (Kalamazoo Truck) 1919 - 1924

Kalamazoo Railway Velocipede and Car Co. 1882 - 1988

Lane Motor Truck Co. 1916 - 1918

Michigan Buggy Co. (Kalamazoo) 1903

Michigan Automobile Co. 1903 - 1913

Oswald 1900

Rhodes 1891

States Motor Car (Greyhound, Crown) 1915 - 1918

Wolverine Motor Car Company 1917

I have taken a bit of liberty, sometimes listing only one company name when several were used during the production period and failing to note certain successor and partner relationships where different companies built basically the same car.

For exact details on Kalamazoo auto production and company relationships, please consult the excellent reference book "The Kalamazoo Automobilist" by David O. Lyon, ISBN # 0-932826-83-0, published by New Issues Press, Western Michigan University. It tells the story of Kalamazoo's automotive heritage with over 500 pages of charts, photos and detailed analysis.

Surge22 · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject:

I'm eager to see how many of those show up! (Actually, I'm eager to see if I show up!)

john_w · Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 3:27 pm Post subject:

Reminder - all these makes are beng honored this year at Ypsilanti but, like Surge22, I'm eager to see what else besides Checker shows up ...

John W

john_w · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 7:40 am Post subject:

So far, I think the only "non-Checker" Kalamazoo car that is registered is a Roamer ...

John W

Manistique · Limo Driver Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 390

As mentioned in the post in the Member's section, Crain's Detroit Business magazine dated today, May 7, has a short article on page 34 on the upcoming Ypsi Orphan Car show along with a color photograph of member Pete Tallinca's 1981 Norfolk Cab, probably taken at last year's show. It mentions that the show features this year cars built in Kalamazoo "like this Checker taxicab" in the photograph. A lot of press comes to this show and Checkers get a lot of attention from them.

bill_vail · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 4:43 pm Post subject: car show

I understand from Jack Miller that there will also be a 1903 Michigan there in the parade and I hope that I don't have any troubles going up there as I've never driven the car that far.