== A brief overview
of this site ==
This website presents the Columbia cars, both electric and
gasoline (or, as it was sometimes printed, gasolene!),
manufactured in Hartford, CT, from 1897-1913 by
Pope Manufacturing Company (1897-1899),
Columbia Automobile Company (1899),
Columbia & Electric Vehicle Company (1900),
Electric Vehicle Company (1901-1909), and
Columbia Motor Car Company (1909-1913), which became
a division of United States Motor Company (1910-1913).
This site was put together by Bruce Duffie, a grandson of Lawrence
Duffie
(who is pictured above-left), and the son of Burton Duffie, who was
named for Bert Holcomb (the other driver in the photo above).
Included in these pages is some family memorabilia, plus other items
acquired
from various sources - photos, ads, articles, catalogues, and
interesting
odds and ends which relate to this significant and important
portion of the birth of the automotive history.
The first group of pages deals with the cars and drivers which made the
runs from
Chicago to New York, establishing the Record in 1903 and re-taking it
in 1904.
The photo above is from that second year. The next few pages
continue
the narration, though not in strict
chronological order.
After those opening pages, there begins a comprehensive history of the
Columbia cars, from the inventors and businessmen who organized
the company, right though to the end of production in 1913.
Each main page has a link to the next one at the bottom. There
are also links
within several main pages to "spur" pages, which amplify and illustrate
details, or show supporting documentation of what is being presented.
The final page is an annotated
index with links to all pages.
Just a very few years into the development
of the automobile, there already were
several magazines and journals devoted to the topic. Throughout
this website
there are accounts and presentations from many of those publications.
The items which have been selected display many aspects of the
Columbia vehicles as they helped guide the way into the
future of transportation.
New material is added when it is received
or found, mostly additional items
on existing pages, though once in awhile an entirely new page is
inserted.
I have tried to gather things in a logical way and present them so as to
tell the story clearly and succinctly. Because of the ongoing
nature
of this effort, however, some items might stray, or something
could be better in a different location. Any and all ideas
about this will be seriously considered.
***If you find any errors or mistakes -
misspellings, typos, broken links,
missing pictures, anything at all - please
let me know so that they can
be fixed. I am eager to make and keep this site as correct as
possible.
Further input and suggestions are also welcome at any time.***
Thanks!
Bruce Duffie
duffie@voyager.net
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