THE WAUPACA COUNTY POST

April 9, 1992

 

WHEN THEN WAS NOW

By Wayne A. Guyant

 

            The Cain family that operated the general machine shop and garage at 111 West Fulton Street in Waupaca between 1909 and 1917 came from Sheboygan County to Waupaca in the late 1890s.

            Charles and Phoebe (True) Cain secured their land holdings in Sheboygan County from the United States Government in 1852.  They were the parents of 14 children.  The father, Charles Cain, died there in 1913, and his wife, Phoebe, passed away one year later.

            The eldest son was also named Charles Ed Cain.  He was born June 11, 1854, in the Township of Holland, Sheboygan County.  It was here that he received his early education in local schools. Charles Ed Cain went by C.E. Cain.  His obituary was the only place that I could find his correct name.  C.E. Cain took u the trade of machinist and was employed as a journeyman and foreman in railroading for a number of years.

            C.E. Cain was married to Miss Ann Elizabeth Brown and they had two children, William Charles and Pearl.  Pearl married Ed Saecker, who was connected with the Menasha Furniture Company and Undertaking business in Menasha.  William C. Cain was born August 15, 1876, and in 1878 the family moved to Milwaukee, where William finished a course in a business college.

            According to the “Standard History of Waupaca County,” by John M. Ware, William C. came to Waupaca with his father in 1897, at which time they established a general repair business and a bicycle shop where he learned the machinist trade largely under his father.

            W.C. Cain had an ad in the Waupaca Post, dated April 3, 1902.  It advertised to take your wheels to W.C. Cain for repairs, and that he handled the new Racycle.  The ad stated that all bicycles are alike.  The heart of the bike is in the crank hangers, and every bicycle on the market, except for Racycle, has “heart disease.”

            In 1902 William C. Cain went to California and spent the next seven years employed there largely in the automobile business.

            In the Waupaca Post dated February 8 and again on April 12, 1906, C.E. Cain ran ads directing the farmers and all engine users that he handled the very best gasoline engine on the market. The gasoline engine that he was selling was the Milwaukee engine. He was also agent for the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company.  He made repairs on al kinds of engines, boilers and ran a general machine shop.  Call on C.E. Cain at School and Royalton Streets, the ad said.

            In 1909 William C. Cain returned to Waupaca from California, and on March 25, 1909, he and his father, C.E. Cain, purchased from A.E. Nourse and wife, Belle, of Santa Barbara, CA, the east 60 feet in width of Lot 10, in Block L, in the original plat of the Village of Waupaca.

            By May 20, 1909 C.E. Cain and son were building a large machine shop and garage on the lot directly behind J.E. Cristy’s store.  Con Gmeimer had the contract to build a 60 by 40 solid brick building.  C.E. Cain and Son had an ad in the local paper dated August 26, 1909.  “We want every farmer to help us by bringing their machinery to be repaired.  We can fix anything from threshing machines down to a shovel.”

            They were equipped with machinery and appliances for a general machine shop.  There was a large sign at the top in front of the building, “C.E. Cain and Son, Garage and Machine Shop.”  Also in one of the early pictures, there was a small sign nailed to the telephone pole next to the alley that read, “Bicycle repair.”

            It is not clear if C.E. Cain and Son ever sold Studebaker automobiles from their garage, but Tom Salverson had an ad in the Waupaca Record Leader for May 13, 1914, “Just received another carload of FORD automobiles.  Better call and get one now.  They will soon be gone.  Cain’s Garage, Tom Salverson Agent.”

            It seems as if Myron P. Godfrey had a chance for the Studebaker Agency and in October 1915 he must have leased the Cain Garage and Machine Shop.  Mr. Godfrey served in the U.S. Army in WWI, and was gone for some time.  Meanwhile, he had a friend oversee his business when he was gone.

            A warranty deed in the Register of Deeds office in Waupaca shows that on February 12, 1917, C.E. Cain (a widower) and W.C. Cain and his wife, Etta, sold to Myron P. Godfrey the east 60 feet in width in Lot 10, Block L, of the original plat of the Village of Waupaca, except the steel garage building in the rear, with the right to remove same on, or before May 15, 1917.

            During the years under the ownership of Myron P. Godfrey several changes were made in the front of the building and a couple of additions were added to the rear of the building.  After the Studebaker Corp. discontinued production, it became known as the Godfrey Equipment Company.

            In a conversation with Tom Godfrey, I learned that the original bricks on the exterior walls were soft and was in need of repair, so Myron P. Godfrey made some major repairs.  Two more layers of bricks were added so the outside of the building now has a wall of brick three layers thick.  Tom also mentioned that in the early years of the automobile when the salesmen from the various companies stayed at the nearby hotel, the salesmen would store their cars in the Godfrey garage overnight; on cold nights, this assured them that the engines would start in the morning.  Sometimes there was not room enough for another car.  Tom’s father said that the storage fees paid for the winter heating bill.

            After selling out to Mr. Godfrey in 1917, the Cains apparently left the Waupaca area.  I found an obituary for Charles Ed Cain (C.E.) which stated that he had died January 1, 1946, age 92 years, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. E.J. Saecker in Menasha, and was buried back at Hingham (Sheboygan County).  He was also survived by his son, William C. Cain, who resided at Corpus Christi, TX.

 

INCOMPLETE ARTICLE.

 

…  Marquette, Auburn, Graham-Page, Victory 6, by Dodge Bros., Star, DeSota, Essex, Whippet, Packard, Terroplane, Hudson and Studebaker.

            Whether it be Ford, Chrysler, General Motors or any other, they all had from time to time various models that did not fare so well.  Here are three makes of automobiles that did not make the grade, at least here in Waupaca.  The Kaiser-Frazer came out in 1946 and the Henry J. came out in 1950.  Hetzel and Nelson, at 300 West Fulton Street, had the dealership, and the biggest disappointment of all was perhaps the Edsel, by Ford, which I understand did not have a dealership in Waupaca.

            In 1948, there was the “Tucker Torpedo,” a car that most people never heard of, and very few ever saw, because less than 50 ever came off the production line.  It was the fastest sedan available in America in 1948, capable of reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour.  This car weighed in at 4,2000 lbs., with a modified six-cylinder helicopter engine mounted in the rear.

            I believe that it would be interesting to do a story on the different automobile dealers and what lines of car that they sold, all within walking distance of Main Street in the past 30 years.