The Oxmobile is a piece of American history that a group of people are trying to locate.
Missing in Action
Many Ford fans and historians are familiar with the "Oxmobile," a custom Ford Model AA truck owned by Ezra Meeker that was designed to cross the Oregon Trail. Meeker was a farmer, merchant, pioneer, and advocate for preserving the iconic Oregon Trail, and he was quite successful in that endeavor. However, the Oxmobile disappeared long ago, and now, historians are trying to find it, according to MyNorthwest.
Photo: MOHAI via History Link
Perfect Gift
Meeker spent much of his 97 years on this planet traveling the Oregon Trail and giving speeches on its history, as well as dedicating monuments along the way. In the summer before his death in 1928, Henry Ford had his company build Meeker the special truck for his travels, which featured a custom body derived from a prairie schooner wagon.
Photo: Dennis Larsen via MYNorthwest
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Modern Interpretation
The name "Oxmobile" stems from the old covered ox-pulled wagons from the 19th century. Like those animal-powered vehicles of old, the Oxmobile had a large canvas cover with "Over the Old Oregon Trail" imprinted on it, but it was quite modern not only in the powertrain department but on the inside as well.
Photo: History Link
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True Pioneer
Amazingly enough, Thomas Edison himself - a personal friend of Meeker - installed various electrical componentry in the wagon. It was joined by amenities including a stove and even beds to sleep in. In a way, it was the original RV, a vehicle that quite literally invented the American road trip.
Photo: O.T. Frasch via History Link
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Abrupt End
In the summer of 1928, Meeker took the Oxmobile on a tour around New England before heading out to Detroit. At that time, Henry Ford offered to install a set of Lincoln shocks on the wagon to improve its ride. Unfortunately, Meeker soon became ill and wound up in the hospital, later passing away that December at his home in Seattle.
Photo: UW Special Collections via History Link
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Making the Rounds
The Oxmobile remained in the possession of Ford after Meeker's death and soon became one of the earlier exhibits at The Henry Ford museum. In 1930, it was displayed at a vintage covered wagon event hosted by the Oregon Trail Memorial Association (OTMA), then the White House's Pony Express 75th anniversary commemoration, and a Boy Scout event near the Chesapeake Bay in 1935. The Oxmobile was then shipped back to Ford, after which it essentially disappeared.
Photo: Price via History Link
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Help Wanted
Recently, a number of historians have been trying to track down the Oxmobile, but many fear that it was converted back to a regular truck in the 1940s and driven into the ground. Thus, they're asking for everyone's help to find this piece of history. With any luck, those efforts will pay off and we can once again see this cool old truck on display for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.
Photo: Lewis County Historical Society via History Link
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