“Singing Wheels: August Fruehauf & the History of the Fruehauf Trailer Company" at the German American Heritage Center -- March 23.
Sunday, March 23, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented as part of the Davenport venue's popular “Kaffee und Kuchen” series, the German American Center's March 23 program Singing Wheels: August Fruehauf & the History of the Fruehauf Trailer Company will find August's granddaughter Ruth Fruehauf celebrating the exhibit opening of Immigrant Innovators: The Fruehauf Trailer Company, August's invention of the truck trailer having played a key role in transforming transportation in the 20th century.
August Charles Fruehauf's Fruehauf Trailer Company made it possible to move goods efficiently from farms and factories across the country, offering a practical alternative to rail transport. In her "Kaffee und Kuchen" presentation, his granddaughter Ruth will share anecdotes and slides of fun historical tidbits learned following the publication of her books about the company. From customized trailers and military contributions to movie stars and celebrities, the near-century-long dominance of Fruehauf trailers is full of amazing stories.
Ruth's grandfather began his career as a Detroit-area blacksmith and carriage builder. In 1914, a local businessman named Frederic M. Sibley asked Fruehauf to build a trailer that could be towed behind a Ford Model T and transport a boat to upper Michigan. Fruehauf successfully built the device, and Sibley requested he build additional trailers for use on his lumber yard. Fruehauf would call them "semi-trailers," and his product proved popular. In 1918, he incorporated his business as the Fruehauf Trailer Company.
The semi-trailers soon demonstrated their practicality and orders came in from competing lumber dealers and any manufacturer who wanted to expand their customer base. Closed van trailers were designed and put into service. Industries such as dairy and fuel oil were revolutionized with this "go-anywhere" type of transportation. Capitalizing on August Fruehauf's slogan, "a horse can pull more than it can carry, so can a truck," the company continued to grow.
Fruehauf developed semi-trailers for use in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Developing more than 150 patents for military products alone, these were eventually introduced into commercial use. Among them were early versions of the shipping container used on some U.S. railroads and, after 1956, on the ships of Pan-Atlantic Steamship Co., the ship line controlled by container pioneer Malcom McLean and later known as Sea-Land. Fruehauf contributed to the creation of the American Trucking Association and was instrumental in the creation of the interstate highway system as advisors to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Singing Wheels: August Fruehauf & the History of the Fruehauf Trailer will be presented at Davenport's German American Heritage Center on March 23, with refreshments for this “Kaffee und Kuchen” event served at 1:30 p.m. and Ruth Fruehauf's program beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is free for Heritage Center members and $8 for non-members, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
