Edmonton Antique Car Club

A Brief History of the Edmonton Antique Car Club The Edmonton Antique Car Club was founded on the 28th day of March, 1962. Earl Denard is credited with the organization of the first meeting that was held January 15, 1962. The location was the Devlin Cafe and it was well attended by about 40 enthusiasts. John Dolan chaired that first meeting and Lorne Reesor chaired the subsequent meetings until the first election of officers. The EACC 1962 Executive were: President ............. John Dolan Vice-President ....... Bob Hunt Secretary ............. Jack Mcmann Treasurer ............. Dick Lockner Tours & Events ....... Bill Learning Parts Chairman ....... Lorne Reesor Membership ........... Wilf Stubbingtion Club Bulletin ........ Bill Amercrombie Historian ............. Earl Danard Publicity ............. Don Moore Officer-at-large ..... Dick Pickering Officer-at-large ..... Fred Lupul 1963 saw the club take off! The club doubled in size and new traditions were born ... such as the Hinton run and the Easter parade. Click on the image for a better look at the people and more ... The nonprofit society has grown over the years and has helped promote the preservation, restoration and enjoyment of these beautiful rolling treasures. Initially, the group was interested in preserving motor vehicles built prior to 1935. As the years went by it became apparent that the early guidelines established by the club were no longer adequate to serve the hobby. In August 1976, the club recognized six distinct eras: The Horseless Carriage Era (1882-1905) The Brass Era (1906-1915) The Black Era (1916-1925) Early Production (1926-1935) Late Production (1936-1948) and Classics (as defined by the Classic Car Club of America) Founding EACC Members Julius and Kate Dawson (right) enjoy a ride in their reproduction 1893 Duryea in the 1966 Klondike Days Parade. "A carriage, not a machine" was the slogan for America's first production car. Duryea called them "Power Wagons" and they were the first American company to export automobiles in 1896 (two were sent to England). Click on the image at the right for a good picture of Julius and Kate. The club logo depicts a representation of what is believed to be the first car in Edmonton: a 1903 Ford. The beautifully restored example at left is from South Africa. (Click on the picture for a better look). In 1904 Joseph Henry Morris purchased a 1903 Ford in Winnipeg. He brought it back to Edmonton on the same train in which he returned. Motor vehicles were required to be registered just one year after Alberta became a province in 1906. By that time there were over 40 vehicles in Alberta but Mr. Morris was granted the privilege of being issued the first license. Motorists were required to provide the markers to display their registered number. Mr. Morris (shown at the right with his prized possession!) later successfully defended a charge of failing to display his license number because he used a broom stick to represent the number 1. Other motorists used leather markers or painted the numbers somewhere on their cars. It was not until 1912 that the government started to issue license plates.