“Come away with me, Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile.” These words, from a popular song written in 1905 by Gus Edwards and Vincent Bryan, reflect the sudden popularity of the little curved-dash Oldsmobile, the first car in America to be produced in large (for the times) numbers.
Yet, the long-running Oldsmobile line came to an end when the last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line in April 2004, at the same Lansing, Michigan, plant where they were built for nearly 100 years. While that event caused a stir in the press, most reports failed to mention that Ransom E. Olds, the company’s founder, left his mark on the farm as well as the American road, with products ranging from stationary gasoline engines to his famous automobiles.
From humble beginnings
Ransom Eli Olds was born in Geneva, Ohio, in June 1864, the youngest son of blacksmith and farmer Pliny Olds. “Ranny” took care of his father’s horses – but hated the
