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Bollstrom Motors
1920-1921

Bollstrom Motors

Years In Operation:  1920-1921
Models Built: Prototype, fire truck, logging truck(2)
Approximate Number of Cars or Trucks Built: At least 4
​Factory Address: 109 South Mill St., St. Louis, MI
​Officers of the Company:
  • Henry B. Soule: President
  • Maurice Bollstrom: Vice President
  • Guy Hamilton: General Manager
  • James B. Dick: Factory Manager
  • Fred C. Ohland: Sales Manager
  • J. Jandasek: Chief Engineer
  • Karl F. Rangee: Also Chief Engineer
  • S.O. Burgdorff: District Sales Manger
  • Henry J. Paulus: Director
  • E.E. Bennett: Director
  • W.H. Hall: Director
  • Samuel Hall: Director

What can i see today?

At the present time no known examples of the Bollstrom exist and research is continuing to find the vehicles or artifacts.  The St. Louis Area Historical Society has other great history of the area as well as information on the Bollstrom truck and a 1917 Republic truck built in nearby Alma.
Address: 110 E. Crawford St., St. Louis, MI 48880
Phone: (989) 875-4463
Website: https://www.stlouismi.com/1/stlouis/historical_society.asp

The story

Maurice Bollstrom had been involved with other ventures before coming to St' Louis.  In 1908 he and Francis A. Messler filed for a patent for a motor vehicle.  The patent was issued in April of 1910...
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Although the Duplex Power Car Company was formed in Charlotte, MI in 1909 it made many trucks and truck parts and was reorganized into the Duplex Truck Company in 1916 making trucks all the way until 1955.  Bollstrom was not only involved with this company but also had his own business prior in 1915 which also made trucks.  The Bollstrom Products Sales Company was located in Battle Creek, MI.  The articles below are from May, 1915 and January, 1916...
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Bolstrom had a patent from his days at Duplex in 1916 for a driving mechanism...
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Henry H. Soule was to be general manager as announced in 1920...
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The other officers of the new company had a lot of automotive experience as well.  Guy Hamilton was the driving force behind the Gaylord automobile and Joseph Jandasek who was picked to be the chief engineer had former experience with Plana Tractor and Paige-Detroit...
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The pitch went out to raise money for the new company in hopes of attracting investors.  The prototype truck was driven all around Michigan in the summer of 1920 including up to Cheboygan where another office was opened in the Fay Hall Hotel...
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This article from the Commercial Car Journal Dec. 15th, 1920, shows the prototype truck along with 2 logging trucks...
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This story also from late 1920 talks of the Bollstrom and all of its' excellent qualities...
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Many thousands of dollars in stock were raised...
This article shows the land to build the Bollstrom plant being purchased,,,
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The ground breaking of the new plant...
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This letter shows the company in the process of finding vendors to supply the parts for the trucks...
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One of the trucks built was the St. Louis fire truck.  Shown below are the blue prints as well as several photos,,,
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This article from the Alma Record, Sept. 16th, 1920 shows Henry Soule, the president of Bollstrom, killed in an auto accident just as the company was starting to take off.

After Soule's death the company could not come to an agreement to make Bollstrom president.  In October of 1920 the decision was deferred to January....
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In November it looked as if more stock was to be raised and Bollstrom was ready for vast expansion...
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In January of 1921, a group of new officers was elected, the capital was to increase to $2,000,000, and a light speed truck was to be produced.  Bollstrom himself was not elected as president....
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Just as quickly as things seemed to be moving along, the company started to have problems.  In June 1921 it looked as if Bollstrom was already thinking ahead to the next venture.  These articles show his work on front-wheel drive units to be marketed for automobiles...
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In this article from the Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record, Volume 28 July 1921, it was suggested that Frank Ruggles of the Republic Truck Company and Ruggles Truck Company might take over the plant...
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Chilton's Motor Age Volume 40 Part 2 Oct. 6th, 1921 states that Ruggles did arrange to take over the plant but further records show he untimately went on to form his own company in Saginaw...
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Perhaps many factors led to the demise of the company.  A huge problem the entire truck industry faced was an abundance of trucks after the war.  The company went into receivership in by September of 1921...
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S.O. Burgdorff who was the district sales manager for the company was appointed.


In the same factory Bollstrom occupied, a new company moved in called Par-Kar which built busses and began operations in 1922.  It is unclear if Ruggles had a part in this business.  Later the Detroiter Mobile Home Corporation moved in and eventually had more than 2000 employees.  It went on to become one of the largest mobile home manufacturers in the country.
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references

  • Richard Apps-Personal Collection
  • Trailer Topics Magaziine-January 1960
  • St. Louis Downtown Historic District
  • St. Louis Area Historical District
  • Cheboygan Democrat-June 1920
  • Motor Age-Volume 20/27/42
  • Commercial Car Journal-Nov/Dec-1920
  • The Alma Record-1919/1920
  • Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record-1920/1921
  • Motor Record-September-1921
  • Chiltons Motor Age-Volume 40-1921
  • United States Patent Office
  • The Motor Truck-1921
  • Automotive Industries-Volume 40/44
  • Advertising and Selling With The Advertising News-Volume 22
  • Ostego County Historical Society
  • The Commercial Vehicle-Volume 13
  • Automobile Trade Journal-Volume 25
  • Office of United States Patents
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