 

Sign in with Google

Use your Google Account

to sign in to
ocregister.com
No more passwords to
remember. Signing in is fast,
LOCAL NEWS simple and secure.

Remember When: Few could afford an auto in early

Continue

1900s
  

C. E. Utt’s children wait for their father to take them driving in the car which they called “Old Duro.” The year was 1908.

By JUANITA LOVRET | Orange County Register

December 11, 2008 at 7:00 a.m.

There’s a lot of disagreement as to which Tustin resident bought the first automobile,
but one thing is certain. He or she had to be wealthy.

As the 1899 rolled into 1900, automobiles were a novelty that could be enjoyed only
by the very rich. Most people still used the horse and buggy or a bicycle to get
around town and a train for long distances. Many believed the automobile would
never catch on. “Get a horse,” was often heard, especially when a driver was
struggling with a flat tire or other problem.

Horatio Augustus Allen, who owned an EMF, certainly qualified as one of the
wealthiest men in Tustin. He owned 80 acres, all planted to walnuts with the
exception of 15 acres of Valencia and Navel oranges. EMF was produced in 1908 by
Wayne Motor Co. which had merged with Northern Motor Car Co.  The four-cylinder,
five-passenger car sold for $1,250.

Cap Ozum, the wealthy yachtsman who built his Los Alisos estate on Main Street
near Tustin Avenue in 1902, was known for his stable of fine horses, each with its
own groom. But when the automobile bug bit him, he sold the horses, turned the
barn into a garage and hired mechanics to keep his autos in top shape. Mrs. Ozum
drove a bright red roadster and scandalized the locals as she raced along Tustin’s
dusty roads.

Top Stories

01:00

Martha Preble, wife of J.O. Preble, was driving her own car in Tustin in 1912. A
socialite and a musician who belonged to the Ebell Society and Santa Ana chapter of
Eastern Star, she drove alone in a small, one-seat Maxwell two-cylinder. The popular
Maxwell was manufactured from about 1904 to 1925. By 1914, the company had
sold 60,000 cars.

Martha Stevens, wife of Sherman Stevens, another early female driver, had the only
electric car in Tustin. The shiny black coupe which was steered by a tiller, rather than
a wheel, was kept in the Steven’s carriage house.

Porter Luther, son of James Ervin Luther, an apricot and citrus grower with a ranch
on Yorba Street, had a sporty Hupmobile roadster. Sam Nau and John Dunstan were
other citrus growers who bought automobiles early on.

Sam Tustin bought a Buick touring car in 1915, but he often left it in the shed where
he stored it. An amusing, supposedly true story, says that one day a man asked Sam
why he was riding his bicycle instead of driving his Buick and Sam replied that he
was in too big of a hurry to get it out of the shed.

Regardless, he eventually donated the car to the Tustin Chamber of Commerce and it
was converted into a fire truck for the volunteer fire department. The vehicle, which
served for many years, is in the Tustin Area Museum.

Sensing a need in Tustin around 1913, Robert J. Wiley constructed the building, which
is still standing, at the corner of Third and C Street. He opened an agency for
Chalmers Motor Car Co. located in Detroit, but Chalmers’ were expensive cars for the
period, perhaps too expensive since by 1915 Wiley had sold the building to William
Huntley and Nicholas Gullick who opened Tustin’s first garage.

Henry Ford changed the status quo when he started manufacturing the Model T. By
the 1920s, cars were a common sight on the streets of Tustin.

Newsroom Guidelines
News Tips
Contact Us
Report an Error

Juanita Lovret

SPONSORED CONTENT

Volvo Offers Major

Incentives For
Leftover 2022
Inventory 
By Volvo Deals | Search Ads

Get the latest news delivered daily!

SIGN UP

Follow Us

   

SPONSORED CONTENT

Explore New Destinations: Introducing

Nitto’s Nomad Grappler Crossover-Terrain
Tire 
By Nitto Tire

MOST POPULAR

Infant killed, parents hurt after car hits them on Las

1 Flores sidewalk

2 injured, 1 arrested after fight at pro-Trump rally in

2 Huntington Beach

Angels’ Luis Rengifo credits Jose Altuve for new

3 approach at plate

Southern California has a paramedic shortage.

4 What’s being done about it?

5 1 killed, another injured in Santa Ana hit-and-run

Logan O’Hoppe starts Angels’ offense before Mike

6 Trout, Shohei go back-to-back

LA man charged with molesting 3 girls in Irvine,

7 using images in child pornography

Speed puzzling competition series launches in

8 Orange County

John Force walks away from horrific crash in Funny

9 Car qualifying in Pomona

Gunfire wounds man in busy Belmont Shore on

10 Saturday afternoon

Alleged sexual misconduct, cover-up at Redlands

11 Police Department triggers FBI probe, sources say

LSU women win 1st NCAA title, denying Iowa and

12 Caitlin Clark

TRENDING NATIONALLY

‘Once it’s gone, there’s no

getting it back’: Scammers
1 sending victims to
cryptocurrency ATMs

Marjorie Taylor Greene says

Democratic party driven by
2 pedophiles in controversial
‘60 Minutes’ interview

LSU star Angel Reese

unapologetic over gestures
3 to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark
during NCAA title game

Colorado schools cancel

classes amid fears of
4 violence on Transgender
Day of Visibility

NYC braces for Donald

Trump to arrive Monday
5 after historic indictment;
cops prepare for protests at
courts, Trump Tower

This device gives 37 million
snorers their sleep back.
getzquiet.io | Sponsored
These 2 Vegetables Will Kill Your
Belly And Arm Fat Overnight!
Health & Welfare | Sponsored
Learn More
A Teaspoon On An Empty
Stomach May Burn 12 Lbs Of F…
Older women may burn extra fat by
doing this.
Women's Health News | Sponsored

Heart Surgeon Begs Americans: “Stop Doing Silence Tinnitus by Doing This Once Daily -
This To Your Fruit” It's Genius
The top 3 common foods that you would have never Healthy Guru | Sponsored

guessed were the cause of your fatigue.

Gundry MD | Sponsored

These travel vans have done it Cardiologists: Overweight? Do Empty Alaska Cruise Cabins
again. These vans have left us… This Before Bed Cost Almost Nothing
Camper Van Deals | Top Searches | Sponsored Alaska Cruise Deals | sponsored s… | Sponsored
Healthy Guru | Sponsored Watch Now

3 Toxic Foods for Dogs: the One Meat You Cadillac Has Done It Again. This Year's
Should Never Feed Your Dog Lineup Has Left Us Speechless
All Things Auto | Sponsored Search Now

DogFoodDiscovery.com | Sponsored Learn more

The Volkswagen Bus Is Back Removing Moles & Skin Tags This Vegetable Will Kill Your
With A Vengance Has Never Been This Easy! Belly And Arm Fat Overnight!
Take a look inside the exciting debut of Do This Immediately If You Have Moles Fitness | Sponsored
the VW ID.Buzz Or Skin Tags (It's Genius)
The New VW Bus | Sponsored Learn More Daily Health Mag | Sponsored Learn More

MORE IN NEWS

Sacramento Snapshot: Effort to protect Senior living: Being ‘socially frail’ comes
workers from harassment advances with health risks for older adults

OC probation officer hits 50 states as Thousands converge on Long Beach to

Spider-Man, other superheroes for sick celebrate Cambodian new year
kids, homeless adults

SUBSCRIBE ABOUT US CONTACT US

Sign Up For Newsletters SoCal News Group Corrections

e-Edition MediaNews Group OC Register Store

Breaking News Work With Us Reader Rewards

Privacy Policy Photo Reprints

CLASSIFIED Accessibility Sponsored Access

Careers Site Map
Legals PARTNERS
Obituary PLACE AN AD Live Traffic Map

Media Kits Newspapers in Education

Advertising Contact Sponsor a Student

Information

FOLLOW US

   

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Terms of Use Cookie Policy California Notice at Collection Notice of Financial Incentive
Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information Arbitration Powered by WordPress.com VIP
This website
Copyright © 2023stores dataGroup
MediaNews such as cookies to enable essential site functionality,
as well as marketing,
personalization, and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. Data Storage Policy