1913 Stanley Steam 810 Mountain Wagon

1913 STANLEY (STEAM) 810 MOUNTAIN WAGON

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PRICE WHEN NEW ENGINE BORE STROKE BOILER CAPACITY

Stanley Motor Carriage Company Newton, Massachusetts

$2,300Steam (single expansion)4 ½”6 ½”450 psi

The Stanley twins, Francis E. and Freelan O., have been credited with some unusual achievements, including production of the first commercially manufactured violins in the United States, the first practical manufacture of photographic dry plates, and the development of early X-ray equipment.

In Newton, Massachusetts, the brothers began experimenting with horseless carriages around 1896 and completed their first steam-powered car in October 1897 and, in August of 1899, they sold their first Stanley steam car. By December of the same year more than 100 orders were received. In 1899 the Automobile Company of America bought out the Stanley brothers. Then in 1901 the Stanley’s bought back their own interests and the Newton plant resumed production in 1902.

In 1906, Freelan Stanley moved from Massachusetts to Colorado for health reasons. While recuperating, he built the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park near Lyons, Colorado. To reach the hotel’s beautiful location, Stanley built a road from the Loveland railroad station to Estes Park. He then converted an existing 30-horsepower Stanley steam car into a “mountain wagon” so tourists could be taken directly to the hotel from the station. By 1908, there were seven Stanley Mountain Wagons carrying hotel passengers up and down the steep, winding road. In 1909, the factory offered the Mountain Wagon in sales literature for the first time and they were produced until 1916. The Stanley Motor Carriage Company produced steam vehicles from 1902 to 1924.

The Museum’s Mountain Wagon was used in the 50th anniversary of the Civil War in 1913 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where more than 50,000 Civil War veterans convened. For ten weeks, it carried thousands of persons over the battlefield.

The Mountain is equipped with gauges on the instrument panel and a hose so the vehicle could stop at any creek and fill up with water. The fixture on the end of the host is known as a “frog screen.”

It was purchased by Harrah’s Automobile Collection for $12,000 in May 1966 and restoration was completed during the summer of 1974. Records indicate the Mountain Wagon participated in two Sun Valley, Idaho, events, the Horseless Carriage Club of America National Tour, July 28 – August 1, 1975, and the Sun Valley Bicentennial in September 1976.

The Mountain Wagon was donated from Harrah’s Club to The Harrah Automobile Foundation in the 1980s. In 1997, it was shown by the Museum at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and also brought Honorary Judges onto the field for their introduction during opening ceremonies, which included Executive Director Jackie Frady. Museum staff did not have experience in operating steam vehicles and Cal Tinkham, former steam expert with Harrah’s Automobile Collection, was engaged to prepare the vehicle for the Concours and operate it during the event.

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STANLEY MOUNTAIN WAGON TRANSPORTATION FOR TOURISTS

CAR OF THE MONTH 1913 STANLEY (STEAM) MOUNTAIN WAGON Reprint from Harrah-scope, December 1973. Copyright Harrah’s Club 1973. A publication of Harrah’s in the interest of its employees.

As organized tourism became recognized during the early part of this century, resort owners in the more remote areas demanded from the automotive industry a type of vehicle more suitable to their specialized needs than as the average automobile of that time. Prime requirements were a sturdy conveyance having an unusually large passenger capacity, the power and dependability to traverse rugged mountain roads, and economy of operation.

Stanley Motor Carriage Company met this need with their 12-passenger, steampowered Mountain Wagon. The patented Stanley engine was the 2-cylinder double-acting locomotive type. Having only 24 moving parts, it required a minimum of adjustment and adequately fulfilled the dependability requirement. Engine location and method of power transmission eliminated the usual low-hanging gear case under the car. Since the lowest clearance points were the high axles, chances of hanging up on unimproved mountain roads were minimized. And, finally, the Stanley’s use of low-priced kerosene for fuel, half that of gasoline, made operating costs quite minimal. Thus, every stipulation was neatly met.

Freelan Oscar Stanley

The story of the Stanley Hotel itself began in 1903 when Yankee inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley arrived in the valley, weak and underweight from the symptoms of consumption. To his amazement, just one season here was enough to restore his health to better than before! Overjoyed, he vowed to return each summer for the rest of his life.

Besides being resort and sightseeing vehicles, the Mountain Wagon was also utilized as a truck since the seats were removable. During 1913-1914, a 1913 Stanley Mountain Wagon reputedly established the first permanent bus lines in the State of Delaware.

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One claim to fame that has largely escaped notice is that Stanley brothers appear to have invented the hotel shuttle bus.

“In 1909, F.O. Stanley opened the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO, and needed some people-movers to shuttle guests and luggage about 20 miles from the railway station in nearby Loveland up to his resort.

1909 STANLEY MODEL Z MOUNTAIN WAGON – THE FIRST HOTEL SHUTTLE BUS

According to Carl Bomstead, Sports Car Market.com, January 2019

“Loveland is at about 5,000 feet elevation, while the hotel sits at about 7,500 feet, and most gas-powered cars of the era couldn’t make the climb. So Stanley designed the Mountain Wagon, also known as the Model Z or Model 820, with seating for nine to 12 passengers. The Mountain Wagon was among the largest steam cars ever built, with a wooden frame and Stanley’s largest engine, good for 30 horsepower.

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Stanley Steam Mountain Wagons transported guests to the resort from railroad depots in Loveland, Longmont, and Lyons, Colorado.

However, he and his wife Flora were used to the sophistication of East Coast society, and the little community of Estes Park offered little to stimulate and challenge this multi-talented genius. Together, they resolved to build a beautiful grand hotel – and when the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, the first guests who pulled up in stylish Stanley-designed steam cars were astonished at what they saw. Here in this mountain wilderness, surrounded by the rustic haunts of the hunter and homesteader, was an edifice that withstood comparison to the posh hotels “back east.” Electric lights, telephones, en suite bathrooms, a staff of uniformed servants and a fleet of automobiles were at their disposal. Naturally, Stanley had also done much to develop the burgeoning town. By 1917, it was an official municipality with waterworks, a power plant and civic organizations that were all, in some way, thanks to Stanley.

F.O. Stanley and the Stanley Hotel

BIRTHPLACE OF THE STANLEY MOUNTAIN WAGON

Estes Valley was once a wild, lonely parkland known only to wandering tribes of Ute and Arapaho. When the Earl of Dunraven visited in 1872, he coveted this “sportsman’s paradise” of rushing streams and peaceful meadows teeming with fish and game. He sought to keep the valley to himself as a private hunting preserve, but as more and more American settlers were drawn by its natural beauty, he realized that this dream could never be a reality.

By the 1970s the hotel’s splendor had faded due to lack of care and investment. It might have eventually have succumbed to the wrecking ball, if not for a fortuitous visit by author Stephen King. A stay of one night was enough to inspire his third major work and first hardcover bestseller The Shining, which remains a landmark masterpiece in a long and well-known list of novels.

The hotel stands today as a beautifully restored testament to its glory days, when it served as a holiday retreat for wealthy urbanites.

source: stanleyhotel.com/about.html

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