Today in Studebaker History 2/16/1852
On this day in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana H & C Studebaker opened for business. This was the blacksmith shop of brothers Henry and Clement Studebaker and would be the foundation on which the Studebaker Corporation was built.
They started with just 68 dollars in cash and a set of blacksmith tools. They learned the blacksmith trade from their father John C. Studebaker, a well respected blacksmith and wagon maker. The original shop was at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in what is now the heart of downtown South Bend. The blacksmith shop was a success and they started building wagons for local farmers.
What really got the business off the ground was when younger brother John M. returned from the California Gold Rush in 1858 with eight thousand dollars he had earned making and selling wheelbarrows to the miners. John M. bought out Henry's share of the business and invested his saving to help the company grown. The Studebaker brothers were making wagons for the U.S. Army, and would do so throughout the Civil War. By 1887, sales surpassed two million dollars. In the latter days of the 19th century Studebaker was the largest manufacturer of transportation in the world and was the only wagon maker to successfully make the transition from wagons to automobiles.
