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A
Family Member
Spotlight
1934 Ford Truck
A Member of the
Family for Sixty-Five Years
by Terry Kohl
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D ean Byers
Rodgers was born June 18, 1916, on a dairy farm in Springfield
Township, PA. In those days, although far from idyllic, life
was certainly moving at a slower, less frantic pace. Chicken's were
raised, not only for food but for "egg money," usually saved in a
hidden jar for purchasing special things; a bolt of cloth for a
coveted new dress; new buttons to use on an old, shirt, a trip to
town for a sweet treat. Dairy cows were raised to provide income and
automobiles were few and far between in the 20's and 30's. If you
were fortunate to have a truck, it was strictly a "work horse."
In 1938, Dean's younger brother, John, purchased a used 1934 Flat
Head V8, 8 cylinder Ford Dump Truck from Slater's Garage in Sandy
Lake, PA. He paid $300 for it, a huge amount in those days. The
purpose for this hefty outlay of cash was to go into business
hauling coal to the river barges in Erie and limestone to the
farmers who used it as fertilizer.
This particular truck had a history of hauling. Prior to John
purchasing it, the truck was used in one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's
recovery programs called the Work Progress Administration (WPA).
Roosevelt created this national program, which Congress approved in
1935. This work/relief agency was one of the most important of the
New Deal programs and between 1935 and 1943 provided nearly 8
million jobs to the vast legions of unemployed in this country
during the Great Depression.
A dump truck obviously made delivery of coal and limestone easier on
entrepreneur, John. The hydraulic truck hoist, manufactured in
Detroit by Wood Hydraulic Hoist and Body Company, was first used by
Ford in 1934. Having this feature on the truck was a huge plus as
before its invention by famous hydroplane racer, Gar Wood, you had
to and shovel out any of the trucks content.
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