Living History Talk at Sedona Heritage Museum
Sedona AZ (December 31, 2019) – The Sedona Heritage Museum is hosting the next in its Living History speaker series on Thursday January 9 at 10:00 a.m. at the Museum when Brian Blue presents “The Adventures of a 1901 Toledo Şteam Car”.
In January of 1902 a specially built steam car made by the American Bicycle Company was delivered by rail to Oliver Lippincott in Flagstaff Arizona. Mr. Lippincott was proposing to drive this Toledo steam car from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. This was to be the first trip by an automobile from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.
The trip started on a Saturday at 2:10 p.m. and it was thought to take only 3 1/2 hours. Instead, it took six days and became, according to Winfield Hogaboom a reporter for the Los Angeles Herald who was along for the ride, “a trip from Hell”.
In August of 2014 the Howell brothers, Chris and Nick, from England, after 8 years of restoration, brought the very same specially built Toledo Steam Car back to Flagstaff, Arizona for a second trip to the Grand Canyon. The trip was thought to be a piece of cake….but. of course it wasn’t.
Brian Blue is an Arizona native who is currently serving as a commissioner of the Coconino County Parks and Recreation Commission, treasurer of the Grand Canyon Historical Society, and is a docent for the Museum of Northern Arizona.
This presentation will detail the historical 1902 adventure and compare it with the details of the 2014 adventure. This presentation was an attendee favorite at the 2019 Arizona History Conference. It is free and open to the public.
Every year, the Sedona Heritage Museum presents a series of Living History talks. Speakers include descendants of pioneers, long-time residents with historical stories to share or other story-tellers about history. The Museum is located at 735 Jordan Road in Jordan Historical Park in Uptown Sedona and is open daily 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, call 928-282-7038.