Indivisible 250: From cars and RVs to washing machines, a look at Michiana's Industrial Revolution since 1776
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- From farm equipment, to automobiles, and washing machines; Michiana is home to several manufacturing powerhouses that came to be over the last 250 years.
Some are still big shakers in their respective industries to this day; others are now a piece of history honored in Michiana's culture.
Nowadays, it is becoming more normal to see massive data center sites taking shape across Michiana's farmlands.
For many, it can feel like a sign of the times for the manufacturing industry; instead of pumping out products, these campuses are storing data for some of the globe's biggest tech giants.
We can't have those developments without reflecting on Michiana's rich, industrial upbringing that paved the way.
Studebaker Corporation, South Bend
The Studebaker: known as the standard of automobiles in the early 20th century.
It all started in 1852 with the Studebaker brothers, a blacksmith shop in downtown South Bend, and a gold rush dream.
"Henry and Clem, they arrived first, and as blacksmiths and wagon builders," explains Andrew Beckman, Archivist at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend. "One of the younger brothers, John M. Studebaker, he didn't want to stick around and be a blacksmith. He wanted to head out west to the California gold rush. So, he and his brothers built him a wagon."
With $8,000 in gold nuggets in his pocket after building wheelbarrows for fellow 49ers, John M. Studebaker returned to South Bend in the late 1850s and invested in his brothers' business.
"The Studebaker brothers had a reputation for building a pretty good wagon, and with James' investment, they were able to take on larger orders. They were able to expand the factory. They just continued growing and growing," Beckman says.
Studebaker soon became the world's largest builder of horse-drawn vehicles.
"You know, Coca-Cola is known around the world, as you know, a nice fizzy carbonated beverage, and the Studebaker name had that same recognition back in the Horse-Drawn era," Beckman said.
Then, the introduction of the automobile, and a transformative switch for the company.
"They're looking at, 'Well, what about this new thing?' I mean, this is going to eventually take away their entire primary market, but they did realize that this was worth looking into and were able to successfully transition from horse drawn vehicle manufacturing to automobile manufacturing in the span of a, you know, a decade or so," Beckman explains.
The first Studebaker automobile was built in 1902, marking only the start of 60 more years of success as the premier car manufacturer in this region.
Oliver Chilled Plow Works, South Bend
There was another world-renowned product coming out of South Bend right around the time of the Studebaker; it was the chilled plow by James Oliver.
"He was probably 12 when he got over here, came with his family. Family pretty much sold everything to get over here. He eventually first moved into Mishawaka, and he had about a sixth-grade education, maybe, and started working just like thousands of other men like him," explains Travis Childs, Archivist and St. Joseph County Historian at The History Museum.
As he worked, he saw a need for a better plow blade for a poor farmer.
"By 1857 he had done it, patented it, and that led him on a path to become one of the richest men in the state by making farm equipment," Childs says.
Oliver would earn the nickname of "Plowmaker of the World," eventually venturing into manufacturing tractors and harvesting machines by the 1930s.
"I think Studebaker and even Oliver set out like a template, if you want to call it that, about how to, how to get a business off the ground, how to keep it sustained, how to continually invent, and try to keep improving whatever you're making," explains Childs.
Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor
That template was the blueprint for another booming business that got its start in the early 20th century, this time in Southwest Michigan.
"We humbly began in 1911 right here in this area, and it started out with our founder Lou Upton, who actually was coming off of a failed business venture, and interestingly enough, out of that failed business venture, he got a patent out of it for a wringer washer," explains Eleanor Reese, Vice President of Communications and Corporate Relations at Whirlpool Corporation.
Upton's big idea was to electrify the washer by adding a motor to it, which made the process of washing clothes a lot faster.
"When you think about laundry, it really is a tale as old as time," Reese said. "It's really about providing time back to families, especially you know, 1911, and during that period, laundry took a long time, hours and hours, days even."
This innovation was the launchpad for Whirlpool's success in the washing and drying business, and as they ventured into kitchen appliances after the 1950s.
"Now you think about the whole kitchen too, in addition to the laundry room, you know, stoves, refrigerators, and then, of course, you know, the iconic stand mixer that is just about on everyone's counter," Reese said.
RV Industry, Elkhart
As Americans entered this age of comfortability following the second World War, the American Dream was centered around the home.
So much so, people started taking home with them on the road.
"Post World War Two, the prosperity that came, you know, what our nation was under. I mean, people were wanting to, they had the leisure time to explore the US, and so that's what they did," explains Jose Rodriguez, Museum Director at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum.
Enter the boom of the RV, or Recreational Vehicle industry.
It all began in the 1930s, when an Elkhart salesman named Milo Miller decided he wanted to take his family along with him as he traveled the country for work.
"Everyone was complimenting him on such a nice travel trailer, and then he, as soon as he was done with that trip, sold his trailer, built a second one, and that one sold immediately after, and he was like, 'Aha, this is the business idea,'" Rodriguez said.
It didn't take long for Elkhart to become the "RV Capital of the World," home to several big-name RV manufacturers.
As time and technology progressed, so did the convenience of a typical RV.
"I mean, before they were, they were using, you know, ice and the wind as you're traveling forward to refrigerate things or keep things cool," Rodriguez describes. "It's all innovation, as innovation has made it easier for people to travel."
These Industries and Companies Today
The "City with a Heart" proved to be the right home for the heart of the RV industry.
To this day, 80 percent of the world's RVs are manufactured in Elkhart, employing thousands of local workers and driving the economy.
"If you're able to live comfortably and work hard and you take pride in what you do, I mean that's really how the industry was built, and how it remains consistent throughout," says Rodriguez.
Similar to the RV industry in Elkhart, Whirlpool still designs, engineers, and tests all their products in Southwest Michigan as the only US based and owned major appliance company in the kitchen and laundry space.
"Southwest Michigan will always be our home, and it's the home of where we innovate, where we, you know, design products, research products, test products, and we're really proud of what we have here in Southwest Michigan, and consider it our home base," says Reese. "Even this year alone we're launching about 100 new products, which is really exciting."
Though, the same can't be said for the Studebaker Corporation.
"Yeah, that was a dark day. December, December 9, 1963, they announced they were closing the South Bend plant," Beckman said.
Studebaker closed its doors in 1963 and reshaped South Bend's identity.
"Paul Gilbert, owner of Gilbert's Department Store, was saying, 'you know, this is not Studebaker, Indiana. This is South Bend, Indiana. We're going to have to work harder, try harder, and really, you know, dig deep to recover from this,'" Beckman explains. "The raw numbers would say 'yes; South Bend recovered, but the healing, that took a whole lot longer.'"