The First Tow Trucks:
Imagine the year 1915. The Model T Ford is a wonderful new invention. There aren’t very many of them around yet, the roads are still rough and bumpy and drivers aren’t very experienced. You are standing at the edge of Old Byrd’s Mill Road just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, when you see a Tin Lizzie (nickname for the Model T) headed your way.
The driver, John Wiley, jerks the wheel to avoid a bump, but he miscalculates and the car’s new trajectory sends it careening down the opposite bank and into Chickamauga Creek. Stunned, but safe, Mr. Wiley asks you to get help. You know that there is only one auto repair shop in Chattanooga and the owner, Mr. Holmes, is the only mechanic. Fast like the wind, you run to town and back to the river with help in no time flat. Attaching a rope to one end of the car, it takes Holmes and 6 other men, 8 hours to pull the car out of the river!
Full Article »