Quad-Cities an early Detroit

Todd Mizener / staff Charles Hougland has a passion for old cars, especially ones built in Moline. The 1927 Velie Model 50 Roadster behind him is just one of the many classic cars in his collection. The 1927 Velie Model 60 Roadster pictured is the only one known to still be in existence. The registry of Velie cars lists owners of the Moline built cars as far away as Australia.

File Moline Dreadnaughts in Glidden Tour, says this file photo from 1911.

File The Midland was manufactured in Moline in the early 1900s.

File The Stephens 6 was manufactured in Moline between 1917 and 1925.

File In 1974, two former Moline sisters, Esther Howe and Louise Sweet, sit in a 1910 Moline runabout owned by Ed Kirkhart of Jensen Beach, Fla. The sisters' father, William VanderVoort, invented and produced the Moline beginning in 1903. The company was later purchased by General Motors.

``Road rage''...``Two die in head-on collision''...``Air pollution increasing.'' Sometimes it seems as if the advent of the automobile was not quite so advantagious.

With the number of cars on the road on the rise, it is hard to imagine a time when you could count all the cars in town on one hand; when those quirky ``auto-mobiles'' would spook the horses, frighten the ladies, and generally disturb the peace. But in the early part of this century, the national love affair with cars had already begun in the Quad-Cities.

Beginning in 1904, Root and VanderVoort Engineering (R & V Motors) in East Moline, the Deere-Clark Company, the Moline Automobile Company and Arnold Peterson in Bettendorf were all manufacturing motor cars for the intrigued public. The most successful area manufacturer was Willard Lamb Velie, a grandson of John Deere.

Starting with the Velie Carriage Company in 1901, by 1908 he had introduced his first car, ``Old Maude.'' That same year Henry Ford began producing his Model-T. And although the Velie factory turned out 75,000 automobiles between 1908 and 1928, Moline's auto heyday died in 1929 with W.L. Velie and his son.

Charles Hoaglund of East Moline has been collecting antique cars for 40 years. He owns three complete Velie cars and keeps several others for parts.

Although he declines to comment on how much he spends on this hobby, his 1911 Touring Car is currently under restoration, while the 1925 four-door sedan and 1927 Roadster are operational.

``In fact,'' Mr. Hoaglund said, ``you may have seen the Velie Roadster in a Quad City Bank and Trust billboard promotion, about a year ago.''

Mr. Hoaglund drives his Velie cars only in the summer, but says he does go to some national car shows.

His interest in Velie cars is familial. ``Three of my uncles worked at the Velie Plant,'' he said.

But he always has been interested in old cars -- especially locally manufactured automobiles. ``I'd be interested in a Midland, or a Deere-Clark too.''

There is a registry of 200 Velie cars worldwide. ``The majority of them are in the United States, but they are also registered in Sweden, Finland, Germany, and as far away as South Africa.''