On July 9, 2013 we picked up “the big long trailer” in Cresco, Iowa and set out for Hobart Indiana. Michael Fleck, the original owner of the Michigan had lived in Hobart when the car was purchased in 1912.  We  had moved it there for temporary storage in a barn on Janet’s family’s farm back on September 18, 2011.

On July 11, 2013 we uncovered the Michigan, cleared out some of the mothballs placed in it to keep out the rats, racoons and possums and pushed it out of storage for loading into the trailer.  In this picture (above) Kyle White helps me (Craig) push the Michigan towards the trailer.

Here, Victoria Correll and Kyle White pose with the car.  Victoria (Tori) is a Great Great Granddaughter and Kyle is a Great Great Great Grandson of Michael Fleck.

Janet Correll is helping guide the Michigan on to the trailer ramp before we used a come-along and chain to ratchet the 3000+ pound car into the trailer.

This is what a document from the DMV (before it was called DMV) looks like.  The service was probably pretty good too.  It seems that the original signature of the Indiana Secretary of State is on each vehicle registration form.  I don’t know about your state, but we don’t get service like that very often in California. I note that the horsepower notation is lower than the advertised 40 horsepower of the BUDA engine in our car.  Interesting.  Perhaps a lower license fee if the horsepower is lower?

Click on the photo to enlarge

Michael Fleck’s 1914 Automobile Registration Certificate for our MICHIGAN. It is accompanied by the envelope in which the certificate was mailed.

Note that the ENGINE NUMBER (477567) is used as the “factory number” and that the horsepower is listed as 36, and not 40.

So far, we only have two photographs of the car then owned by Michael Fleck.  This first photo was supplied to us by John Fleck of Chesterfield, MO., the grandson of Michael.  The photograph shows John’s uncle, William “Bill”  Fleck driving the car  with his wife, Mayme seated immediately behind him.  The location is the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street in Hobart, Indiana during the Fourth of July Parade in 1915. We don’t know who the other two mostly hidden passengers are. One passenger could easily be Clare Fleck who would later inherit the car from her father Michael. Someday it would be great to  be in the Hobart parade with the car restored.

Corner of 3rd Street & Main Street, Hobart, Indiana – July 4, 1915

The car is decorated for the parade and is difficult to see what is under the bunting. Nevertheless, you can see that the car is big, has right hand drive.  The corner has changed a bit in the 100 intervening years.

NE corner of 3rd & Main, Hobart, Indiana in 2014

The second photo taken the same day was found in 2014, by Clarence Davis at the Hobart Historical Society museum, mounted on a display panel.

A second photo of our Michigan car found by Clarence Davis at the Hobart History museum.

The second photo was presumably taken by the same photographer, Fred Rose, who became Mayor of Hobart a few years later. Rose also served as a Hobart volunteer fireman with Michael Fleck as shown on our How We Became Custodians of the Michigan blog entry. The photo is a bit less blurry, but the bunting and decorations obscure the details of the car. Note the teddy bear siting on the improvised “cow catcher” between the headlights.  Was this a nod to Teddy Roosevelt?

As we readied the Michigan for it move back to Hobart, we took time to remove loose items, trash and shredded upholstery from the car. In the process we disturbed a very angry chipmunk. We had demolished his very comfortable horsehair and leather nest.

Janet & trashed upholstery

The varmints playground

A seriously angry chipmunk – click on photo to enlarge (a bigger & angrier chipmunk)