Old Jack’s Collection (2)

And we’re back! Here’s the much anticipated second instalment where we take in a most amazing collection of old machinery. There’s cars, trucks, tractors…you name it…stretching off as far as the eye can see, all of them old and with tons of character, a showcase of that moody decrepit vibe brought on by time we so love. Yes, there’s some amazing stuff here and you’re invited to join us and meet our host Old Jack as we get out there and explore his vast property. At every turn it’s a something amazing.

We’re out in Saskatchewan down some lonely back road (yeah, there’s no shortage of them here), we’re well armed and it’s not just C&C visiting but some friends, photographers Byron Robb and Rob Pohl and filmmaker Rueben Tschetter. This is the motley group responsible for the production, Forgotten Prairie of which Jack also makes an appearance. It’s a most excellent documentary we think you should watch. We insist.

Without much ado, let’s get down to business. If you haven’t already you may want to take in the first part, here: Old Jack’s Collection (1).

1) In the heady days of the 1950s chrome was a big thing. Big chrome bumpers, trim, hood ornaments and even inside, you could find it on the dash – it was everywhere. Here’s an example of the latter. This is the real deal and not that fake chromed plastic of later years that on aging always flaked off. The old school push-button radio!

2) Here’s Old Jack entertaining Byron and Rueben, his stories both touching and amusing. He questions why we’re so interested his “junk”, thinking it hardly worthy of attention, but is happy to allow us a tour anyway.

3) This 1936 Chevrolet is framed by two vintage tractors. McCormick-Deering was a common make and we see a lot of them. This one is similar in era to the car.

4) Twin City tractors were made into the late 1930s. They were a product of the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company and later Minneapolis-Moline. Steel wheels were common while the line was being made.

1) When chrome was king.

5) Rob shoots a 1920s era Model T, while Jack looks on. That’s a large format film view camera, old school in design but modern in construction. It’s a genre of photography not for the timid as it’s not only costly but requires a level of dedication and understanding that few could ever achieve. And being a tad crazy helps. Still, the results are worth it, a picture shot as they did it back a hundred years ago or more.

2) Jack speaks of his collection.

6) And what’s this, an airplane? Seems Jack has a little bit or everything. This is in fact his son’s who is a pilot but it’s been a while since it was flown. The “One Fifty” was made by the firm Cessna and is a very common personal aircraft model made in the 1950s-1970s era. Even today, a lot are still in the skies.

7) A White Field Boss 4-180 from circa 1975-1978. This was a time of change and tractors of the era growing in size and power. Gone is the traditional open cab two wheel drive style of not that long ago, the replacements these big enclosed cab beasts, sometimes with articulated steering, and with four wheel drive. One eighty refers to horse power, which by today’s standards is not much but back then was huge…and four refers to four wheel drive of course. This is the first of this style we’ve seen in person with White’s seemingly rare in our area. White sold off it’s tractor division at the end of the 1970s. Tractordata.com mentions a Field Boss 4-180 could be had for around $44k (US) at the time.

8) Us conspiring to see ourselves fail, identifying this here car. Here’s our best guess…we think it’s a 1924-ish Chevrolet. Experts? I know, why didn’t we look on the car and look for a makers mark? They’re often on the rad. That’d be too easy. And why not ask Jack? See the first answer. Sometimes I wonder about our atrocious data-gathering techniques…we often get so caught up in the moment, we get sloppy and forget to do things. Memo for next time: stop.

9)Shades of Nancy Sinatra. Jack’s collection is well spread out and one could easily wear out a pair walking the property. A lot of fence posts were so adorned.

10) The firm that sold this here 1970s era Dodge 600 is Whitfield Auto Kindersley. We found a couple references in old phone book from that time, but little else. It’s interesting to think back to when they were in business. Seems they also sold farm equipment.

11) Riding shotgun: sitting next to the driver. It goes back to the Old West and speaks of the (shotgun wielding) guard who would take the passenger position on stage coach runs and whose job was to protect riders and cargo from bandits and the like. Here’s the shotgun view in this old truck.

12) This make of truck was Canada only and were simply rebadged Fords sold at Mercury dealers (circa 1940s-1960s). The grill tells us this is a 1951 or 1952 model. The V8 proudly announce on the grill would be Ford’s famous “Flathead” and there’s a picture of one further down. In back it’s a Fargo. These were Dodges of another name, sold in Canada (and others parts of the world), but not the US. This one’s a couple years the senior of the Mercury.

13) Here it’s a 1953 Chevrolet, a common find. Remember we spoke of chrome? Here’s an example of that. That stylized bird/plane hood ornament! Chevrolet in North America made almost a million and a half cars that year and was number one in sales on both sides of the border besting Ford by a hair.

14) This is a Euclid TS24 scraper from the 1950s-1960s era. This model remained in production in one form or another, until the early 2000s. Post late 1960s it was made by the firm Terex. It looks ready to take a bite out of the road.

15) Remember we spoke of the brand Fargo briefly earlier? Here’s an “LCF” series (Low Control Forward) medium duty. This model was made from 1960-1975 (some sources say 1976) but single headlights tell us it’s from 1969 or later. Before they had quads – scroll down to see another LCF so equipped. Outside the Fargo badging, it’s nothing more than a Dodge recall and were sold at Plymouth Dealers. In behind, what was a coal shed that once stood next to a grain elevator in a nearby town. Grain firms often sold domestic heating coal as a sideline.

16) McCormick-Deering was part of huge International Harvester firm and made all manner of farm equipment. The name disappeared from general uses in the late 1950s with a few exceptions.

17) This is a scale salvaged out of a grain elevator that was demolished.

18) Just a bumper off an old truck, last plated in the 1970s.

19) It happened again! Lost in the moment, we forgot to get info on this boiler. We are certain it’s off a steam tractor, but which make or model, is unknown. If any of you know, speak up. These are not all that dissimilar to boilers seen on steam locomotives of old.

20) There’s stuff here to amaze. Here it’s airplane parts.

21) And here’s it’s the read axle off some car/truck. Wood spoke wheels were phased out by the early 1930s for the most part.

22) More airplane stuff. A look online shows many trainer aircraft in Canada were painted a similar yellow during World War Two. Perhaps this is off one?

23) Ford has been making cars in Canada for well on one hundred years. This is a rad for a Model T, one of he most common cars of the 1910s-1920s era and a bit beyond. Even today we find our share our fair share in boneyeards and even some out on the road.

24) A long, long time ago Jack took some and bits of metal and wood and out of it came a homemade car, this here beauty. And he drove it around, even if it’d didn’t go all that fast nor was it terribly conformable. Scroll down to see a photo of it long ago. All those ’40s era license plates. And in back, something he made up of scrap metal.

3) His ’36 Chevy.

25) Here’s another Fargo, a 1960-1968 model LCF done up a dump body. Fenders would swing out of the way allowing easy access to the drive train from the side. Clever. The last year for Fargo was 1972.

26-27) A stylized effigy of Chief Pontiac (circa 1700s) that became the symbols of Pontiac Cars. Here it’s a hood ornament off a 1950s model (last use of the symbol was 1956). Pontiac was a very popular brand for many decades but by the 2000s was faltering. The last model year was 2010. Second photo, the entire hood.

28) And here’s Old Jack. We’re some four or five hours into our tour and he’s showing no signs of slowing. Later I (Chris) would accompany him as he checked the cows. At his age, he’s still putting in a hard day’s work. Farmers and retirement are two words not heard together, ever.

29) This old TV caught our attention last visit. We wonder how many Hockey Night in Canada games were watched on this old box?

30) From the Ford Motor Company, this 1972 Gran Torino.

31) Riding Shotgun with Jack. On passing through gates he insisted on opening and closing them himself. Here, in the side-view, he’s taking care of one. Late eighties and not only still working, he seems to enjoys it, even if he’s a tad slow moving about. We wandered Jack’s fields, bouncing along, to take an inventory of his cattle. He’s got many. One seeing his truck, they’d quickly run over with a chorus of mooing thinking it maybe feeding time.

32) More Chief Pontiac. While the Mohawk hairstyle he’s seen wearing has often been associated with certain Indigenous peoples of North America, it’s actually not unique to them and can be seen throughout history and the world over. Today it’s often associated with “punk” culture. The first use of the Chief Pontiac symbol at Pontiac was the 1930s although the brand was named after him from the start.

33) One of the most iconic hood ornamental ever. See this and you knew it was a Pontiac.

34) From 1939 this Plymouth. It was a most troubled time, with grumblings of war leading up to the starting of hostilities later that year.

35) It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Yes it is! Here, the hood ornament off a 1950s Chevy. Showy things like this were big back then.

36) What happened in 1962? Well, Connie was born. There was the Cuban Missile Crisis. Spider Man made his first appearance. And this here truck was last plated.

37) It was the first mass market affordable V8 for uses in cars and was in production from the 1930s-1950s. This is the legendary Ford Flathead. They were produced in a number of displacements and while seeming underpowered today, by standards of the time they were considered more than adequate. Today, tiny four cylinder engines can easily best it in both HP and Torque, some by quite a margin.

38) The Cessna One Fifty was in production from 1958-1977, across numerous sub-models, with almost some twenty four thousand made. This make it’s one of the most popular civilian aircraft ever made. Period. They’re quite easy and forgiving to fly. Certain details tell us this one’s from about mid-point in production date wise.

39) This mid-1970s Buick Century looks almost drivable. Buicks were traditionally the second most well appointed GM cars just below Cadillac.

40) Not much left inside this early-’40s Ford car.

41) With some body parts removed there’s nothing to support the hood so it sags. Love the “why the long face” effect though. This is a late 1940s International KB pickup a very common farm truck of the era.

42) Body by Fisher. They were owned by General Motors and made body panels for most of the firms divisions. If you have a 1990s or earlier GM look on the door sill and you’ll likely see the Fisher badge.

43) This tag tells us everything we need to know, in company speak, about this 1936 Chevrolet.

44) Old wagon wheels and a 1940s Ford. The stuff just keeps coming!

45) Inside this old Pontiac. Just imagine heading to the drive-in (either kind!) or heading out for a Sunday drive. This is the view we all remember with Pops driving, Mom riding shotgun and the kids in back.

4) Twin City branded tractors were made up the late ’30s.

46) From before 1973. Off to the local corner store to get a cold one. Or out front many businesses, one could be had from a pop machine, which seemed to be everywhere back in the day.

5) Rob Pohl and his crazy view camera.

47) Rob’s rig in a tight squeeze. Now he’s got to jam himself inside with it, take exposure and focus readings, and get all dusty in the process, before snapping a photo. And given the film used is so low ISO, exposure is are often counted in minutes instead of fractions of a second. And then he’s got to go home and process it. Nothing happens fast when shooting this way.

48) On a Plymouth, a badge reminding us it’s a product of the Chrysler Corporation. Plymouth was often a sales leader in the low price segment (mostly) from the late 1920s, on it’s introduction, until the 1990s when things fell apart. By 2001 it had lost its way and closed up shop. How the mighty have fallen.

49) And in a bittersweet moment, here’s the last photo of the series. This is Jack’s homemade car being driven by a family member long ago. It’s Rube-Goldberg-esq for sure.

And with this we say our goodbyes. It was a day of coffee and cookies, an vintage metal addiction fed, many stories told, much banter, laughter and few tears shed, time spent chasing cows, a tour of where his life has played out, so many photos captured and so many moods (we hope) shared. This was our day at Old Jacks. And we hardly scratched the surface.

Already we long to return. Till we meet again Jack…

Part one…
Old Jack’s Collection (1).

More with Old Jack…
Forgotten Prairie: Fusilier – (the town is private property).
Forgotten Prairie – the film and he’s in it!

You’ll love…
The Big Red Bus.
Autocar Coal Hauler.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: August, 2018.
Location: Western Saskatchewan.
Article references and thanks: Old Jack, Photographer Rob Pohl, Filmmaker Rueben Tschetter, Photographer Byron Robb.
BIGDoer.com was here with permission.

6) And there’s this on the property.

7) They got bigger in the 1970s.

8) A ’20s Chevrolet…we think.

9) These boots were made for walking.

10) Sold by Whitfield Auto Kindersley.

11) The shotgun side view.

12) Only in Canada.

13) It’s a ’53.

14) This old Euclid.

15) Sold at Plymouth dealers and in back, a shed for coal.

16) M-D was part of International Harvester.

17) Who doesn’t need a grain elevator scale?

18) Well stripped.

19) We should take better notes.

20) Airplane bits.

21) Axle remains.

22) Anything and everything here.

23) Made in Canada.

24) Jack’s homemade ride.

25) A Dodge of a different name.

26) Chief Pontiac.

27) Here it’s the hood.

28) Our host with the most.

29) When’s the game on?

30) A product of the ’70s.

31) He insisted I sit.

32) More Pontiac.

33) One of the most iconic hood ornaments ever.

34) From a troubled time.

35) When showy hood ornaments were a thing.

36) Thinking back to ’62.

37) The famous Ford Flathead.

38) One of the most popular personal aircraft ever.

39) It’s big, it’s well appointed…it’s a Buick.

40) Just a shell – it ran when parked!

41) Why the long face?

42) Body by Fisher.

43) In GM-speak a 1936 model 1201.

44) At every angle more cool stuff.

45) Imagine hitting the road.

46) “It’ll tickle yore innards.”

47) It’s a tight fit.

48) Product of Chrysler Corp.

49) Back in the day, the homemade car seen earlier.