Ransom Eli Olds

Ransom Eli Olds is a Michigan historical marker in Detroit, Wayne County, dedicated 1997.

Belle Isle, Detroit

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In Lansing, on August 21, 1897, Ransom E. Olds (1864-1950) founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, the precursor to Oldsmobile. He produced four vehicles that year. In 1899 Olds relocated to Detroit, opening the Olds Motor Works on West Jefferson Avenue near the MacArthur Bridge. In 1901 he built 425 gasoline-powered Curved Dash Oldsmobile Runabouts, driving them on Belle Isle prior to sale. Mounds of dirt excavated during canal construction on the island provided perfect “hills” for drivers who tested the mettle of early automobiles. Runabouts were the first cars to carry the Oldsmobile name.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1844 · Chart Of Detroit River, From Lake Erie To Lake St. Slair (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1855 · A new map of the State of Ohio (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1873 · (Map of Wayne County, Michigan) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1897 · Detroit, vicinity. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1903 · Detroit and Vicinity. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Chart Of Detroit River, From Lake Erie To Lake St. Slair, 1844, covering the location of Ransom Eli Olds, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Chart Of Detroit River, From Lake Erie To Lake St. Slair, 1844, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Michigan History Center
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Ransom Eli Olds

Historical maps covering this location

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