The Jackson Automobile Company was an American

Brass Era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such features as lights and radiator (engine cooling), radiators. It is generally considered to ...

automobile manufacturer located in and named for

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

. The company produced the Jackson from 1903 to 1923, the 1903 Jaxon steam car and the 1904 Orlo.

Company History

Byron J. Carter operated a steam driven press and was a rubber stamp manufacturer. In 1894 Carter went into a partnership with his father selling bicycles. By 1899 he built his first gasoline automobile but focused on steam cars. By 1901 his steam car was being manufactured by the Michigan Automobile Company in Kalamazoo. A year later, Carter returned to Jackson after inventing and patenting a three-cylinder six-horsepower steam engine. Carter partnered with George A. Matthews, a buggy manufacturer and Charles Lewis, president of the Lewis Spring Axle Company, and the Jackson Automobile Company was incorporated in 1903.

Jackson

Full production started in 1903 with a single-

cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

engine car that closely resembled the

Oldsmobile Curved Dash The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Olds ...

. The cylinder count in the engines doubled the next year, and doubled again in 1906. Not long after full production started, Carter left the firm to create the

Cartercar Cartercar was an American automotive manufacturing company established in 1905 in Jackson, Michigan, and founded by Byron J. Carter. After several relocations in other cities, Cartercar was acquired by General Motors in 1909. History Beginni ...

. He left due to a disagreement with his partners, who did not wish to use the

friction drive A friction drive Definition of "friction drive"
in the Merriam-Webster Di ...

transmission he had developed. After Carter left, Jackson automobiles lacked any distinct feature, but they were well-built and long-lasting.Kimes, Beverly Rae. "Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942" (Iola, WI: Krause, 1996), p.775. In 1910, Matthews bought out Lewis, leaving him as the sole remaining partner. Lewis left to start the

Hollier The Hollier, also known as the Vincent-Hollier, was an automobile built in Chelsea and Jackson, Michigan by Charles Lewis, president of the Lewis Spring and Axle Company from 1915 to 1921. The Hollier was available originally with a V-8 engine o ...

car. Matthews installed his sons in the president, secretary and treasurer positions within the company. The engines used by the company continued to grow, with a Northway six-cylinder engine becoming available in 1913, and a Ferro V8 available in 1916. Later cars resembled the contemporary

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

. Indeed, the company used the phrase "The Car with the Keystone Radiator" in advertisements.Kimes, p.776. Jackson also produced their own engines with valves in the cylinder heads and

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustio ...

. By 1912 larger vehicles used a multiple metal disc type clutch running in an oil bath, with the smaller horsepower cars using the more standard leather faced cone clutches. The 1921 Princess Coupe was a hit at the

Chicago Auto Show The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America. Event History Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" ...

, but obtaining

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

was difficult during that year's

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be tr ...

Production models

* Jackson Model 50

Jaxon

Carter further developed his automobile, eventually patenting a 3-cylinder steam engine of 6

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

. This became the basis of the 1903 Jaxon automobile. All Jaxons were steam-powered, with the Jackson name reserved for the gasoline-powered cars. There were two models on offer: the $975 Model A riding on a 72" wheelbase, and the $800 Model B on a 7" shorter wheelbase. Production lasted 1 year. Advertisements proclaimed that "steam is reliable and easily understood".

Orlo

The Orlo was built only in 1904. The Orlo was a five-seat side-entrance model that was equipped with a 16/17 hp two-cylinder engine. The engine was located under the front seat and the drive was through a

chain drive Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles. ...

. The engine was

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...

by a finned-coil mounted beneath the front of the bonnet. The Orlo cost $1,125.

Duck

There is some debate over whether this is actually a different

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of automobile produced by the company or just a Jackson model. It was also referred to as the Jackson Back Seat Steer. This gives new meaning to the term "back seat driver" because this is the actual location of the steering controls. The company probably introduced the car to see if having a car with the passengers seated in the front seat would be a winning sales proposition. Since this car was only around in 1913, it is not likely that there were many purchasers.

G.N. Georgano George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

, Nick. "The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile" (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000), p.459.

Racing

Jackson did well in racing and won the

Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race was an automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in each of the two years prior to the first Indianapolis 500. The trophy was sponsored by the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company. Frank Wheeler, one ...

which was held at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

before the first Indianapolis 500. The first race held in 1909 was originally scheduled for 300 miles but was ended at 235 miles because of the deteriorating track conditions. Out of 19 starters only five remained at the end of 200 miles and when the race was stopped, Jackson had a lead of more than two miles ahead of its nearest competitor. In 1910 the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race was again held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner was a specially designed six cylinder car built exclusively for racing and the Jackson stock model finishing second. The first

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

was held in 1911 and 46 cars entered. 25 of which had larger end engines than the Jackson entry. The four cylinder 559 cubic inch engine Jackson came in 10th overall beating out 16 cars with larger engines. The Jackson had a top speed of 75 miles an hour and was able to run continuously at this speed stopping only for tires and gas.

Demise

Carter left the company in 1905 because his partners did not wish to pursue his friction drive idea. Carter went on to build the friction drive

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, car production at the firm declined by more than half, since the company was producing materiel for the

war effort War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...

. For 1919, all production was geared to military supplies. Many Jackson dealers at this time converted to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

dealerships. When car production resumed in 1920, the cars apparently were not as good as previously. One assembly line worker said that the company engineer "should have raised chickens instead". By 1923 the newly formed Associated Motors Industries absorbed the Jackson Automobile Company, Dixie Flyer of Louisville and the

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

of Indianapolis. Production ceased in 1924.

References

Bibliography

G.N. Georgano George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

, Nick (Ed.). "The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile". Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000. * Kimes, Beverly Rae and Clark Jr, Henry Austin. "Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942" (Third Edition). Iola, WI: Krause. 1996. {{JacksonCars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1902 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1923 1902 establishments in Michigan 1923 disestablishments in Michigan 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars 1923 mergers and acquisitions Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan Brass Era vehicles Vintage vehicles Veteran vehicles Cars introduced in 1902 Cars discontinued in 1923