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Putting up grain took a great deal of work, having a grain truck helped immensely. Today’s What’s New Wednesday features a 1949 Studebaker grain truck. The original owner of the truck was farmer Harry Eisele of Spink County. (Eisele was the leader of the Harry Eisele orchestra). He was the sole owner of the grain truck, and it was used until his retirement in the 1970s. It was purchased after WWII when there was a great deal of prosperity in the U.S. and the donor, Stuart McFarland, believed there was a “bumper crop” in 1949. 

Established in 1852, and incorporated in 1868, the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company originally existed as a coachbuilder, manufacturing wagons, buggies and other coaches. In the early 20th century, seeing that carriages were becoming a thing of the past, Studebaker Automobile Company began manufacturing electric powered vehicles. A few years later, they moved into gasoline powered engines. The company produced many vehicles including the Eisele grain truck. This truck is of the 2R-series which began in 1949 and ran through 1953. The last Studebaker automobile was produced on March 17, 1966, in Ontario, Canada.

2012:031:001 SDAHM Donated by Stuart McFarland