The Grand Prize in 1910— Still a Prize Today

The Grand Prize in 1910— Still a Prize Today

Story & Photos provided by Terry Ommen

This building located on the southwest corner of Locust and Acequia in Visalia is believed to have been the Ray Machine Co. in 1910.

The Hupmobile was never the most popular or fastest automobile in Visalia. But in 1910, for a short time, at least, the vehicle created by brothers Bobby and Louis Hupp in Detroit, was the talk of the town. The 4-cylinder 20-horsepower beauty had captured the county’s heart and had many thinking they could own it.

The buzz began on May 7, 1910, when sister newspapers, the Visalia Daily Times and the Tulare County Times, announced a contest— one that they predicted would be “the greatest subscription contest ever conducted by a newspaper in Tulare County.”

The contest rules were a bit unclear, but generally involved contestants signing up to play, then earning votes or points. Votes were earned by getting new newspaper subscribers or getting current subscribers to pay past-due bills. The three contestants with the most votes won one of the three big prizes. The contest caught on quickly. Just two days into the competition the newspaper reported, “Never before in the history of any contest in Tulare County has there been such keen interest shown from the very start…” Twenty-one contestants had already signed up and the newspaper office had been “besieged” with inquiries.

And the enthusiasm was understandable. The grand prize was a brand new 1909 Hupmobile “Runabout” with a value of $875.00. It was on display at Ray Machine Co. located on the southwest corner of Locust and Acequia streets. The second place prize was a Kimball piano valued at $500.00, and it could be viewed at Eiler Music Co. at 109 S. Church Street. The third place prize was a Tiffany mounted white diamond ring, valued at $100.00 and could be seen at Smith Bros. jewelry store at 105 E. Main Street.

The nearly two-month-long contest created excitement throughout the county, attracting players from Visalia, of course, but also Lindsay, Exeter, Tulare, and Dinuba. Enthusiasm and competition was boosted as the Times regularly reported the vote totals alongside the contestants’ names.

On May 11, 1991, Greg and Lori Bragg used the Hupmobile in their wedding.

Peggy and JM Bragg, shown here, have been the proud owners of the 1909 Hupmobile since 1990.

Just a few days into the contest, Lee Lovelace of Visalia took the lead with 1,650 votes. A few days later, Dora Garnett, also of Visalia, overtook him, accumulating 8,435 votes moving Lovelace into second place. By the end of the month, Lovelace was back on top having earned 29,590 votes.

During the final month, Lovelace continued to hold the lead with Garnett in second place, and Cedric Handley of Lindsay was a distant third. Going into the final week of the contest, Lovelace and Garnett were first and second, respectively, and by June 30th Garnett was gaining quickly.

On Saturday, July 2nd, the Times reminded readers that the “big contest closes tonight.” Obviously pleased with the results, they reported that they had “added hundreds of new subscribers.”

At 6pm, a large crowd gathered in front of the Times office as the final votes were cast. They waited “in almost breathless anxiety” as the last votes were counted with help from Visalia Mayor Alfred Orr. Occasionally, contestants in the crowd walked up to the ballot box and dropped in votes. As Times employees removed the votes from the box, new totals were posted.

Promptly at 8pm the contest ended “in a blaze of glory” and the final results were announced. Dora Garnett had won the Hupmobile with 63,965 votes—about 1,800 more than the second place finisher Lee Lovelace, who won the piano. Both had a huge surge at the last minute, and it was obvious that they had “held back” large numbers of votes until the very end. Third place went to Ewald Noble of Visalia who earned 21,723 votes and won the diamond ring.

The Times boasted that they were a winner also. They had added many to their subscription list and claimed that their circulation was now “far ahead of all competitors.” They added that they “can assure advertisers that what goes into the Times is read by many more hundreds of families than…by any other newspaper.”

The Hupmobile stayed with Dora Garnett (who later married Edward Dubrutz) and her family for the next three decades or so,

much of the time stored in the family garage. Ownership changed several times after Garnett. Then, in 1951, the automobile was discovered in a Visalia automotive junk yard by Oliver Hinkle, owner of the Santa Fe Liquor store. He put it back together and joined the Tulare County Horseless Carriage Club with his refurbished Hupmobile. After Hinkle, the ownership of the auto changed again. In 1990, current owners Peggy and JM Bragg purchased it. The Visalia couple is proud to own the 113-year old grand prize, and is happy to be its caretaker. Peggy faithfully polishes the brass and JM tinkers with the engine. The classic car is lucky to be in their capable hands.

So much of the Hupmobile’s history has been lost. Prior to 1915, the Garnetts added a platform to the back of the vehicle and traveled throughout Tulare County collecting boxes of fruit to be used for display at both the Pan Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, and the San Diego Panama-California Exposition in 1916.

It’s traveled an unknown number of miles, but it’s certainly seen its share of sights, especially on Tulare County roads. It made trips to Fresno, Stockton, Hanford, and San Francisco. Wherever it went, the little Runabout attracted attention and it still does today. Let’s hope this classic Hup, an important part of Visalia history, never leaves.

H.C. Ray's business card in about 1915