(Photos from the Detroit Public Library Digital Archive) – See? I knew the smiling 1933 Stirling truck would pique your interest and send you clicking into this latest stack of moldy-oldie photos from the Detroit Public Library Digital Archive. It’s pretty much all trucks all the time here and it is an amazing testament to the hundreds of small manufacturers that were cranking out rigs to do work both heavy and light back in the day. There were Macks, Hewitts, Rapids, and dozens of others taking on the likes of Packard, Cadillac, and Buick!

The marketing efforts of the day were concentrated around convincing people that the trucks were tough and reliable, tougher and more reliable than horses which were their main competition. While cars were small and speedy, “teamsters” were still the preferred method of haulage with their draft horses and carts. Those guys were not exactly psyched to be losing their jobs to these mechanical devices but progress marched on.

Eagle eyed readers will spot some photos from the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup races which were marred by weirdness at the finish as fans rushed the track and basically blocked the place off after the first vehicle finished the race. Other racers tried to barge through, causing injuries but the throngs of people would not be denied their spot by the winner’s circle. Craziness!

Click the images below to expand them an then scroll on to see ’em all!