Terry Lorge, FWD Museum director, talked about the fascinating history of the Four Wheel Drive Seagrave Company during a tour of the museum in Clintonville during Nu Chapter’s October meeting.
Brothers-in-law William Besserdich and Otto Zachow, along with Walter Olen, established the Badger Four Wheel Drive Auto Company in 1909. They patented the first successful four-wheel drive automobile in the world that year.
Olen was the first president of the company. Besserdich and Zachow separated in 1913 when Besserdich moved to Oshkosh to form the Oshkosh Truck Company.
In 1917, the U.S. government awarded $65 million to Clintonville FWD to produce the Model B Ammunition Carrier truck for the war effort. The company employed 1,000 during the war, subcontracting to four other companies. Twenty women test drove the trucks 50 miles before they were shipped overseas. After the war, the trucks were used across the United States as city utility vehicles. Luella Bates, a FWD test driver, crisscrossed the country in 1920 to demonstrate the durability of the truck.
FWD acquired the Columbus Division of Seagrave in 1963. Seagrave produced fire truck ladders. All of Seagrave’s operations were transferred to Clintonville.
The museum moved into the present 68,000-square-foot building 6½ years ago, housing over 70 historic vehicles. It is operated by eight volunteers. For information, visit the FWD website, http://www.fwdseagravemuseum.org/
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