Even supposing Seattle-based automobiles had traveled the tough dusty or muddy roads to go to Edmonds for a pair years, it wasn’t till June 1911 that A.M. Yost turned the primary Edmonds resident to personal an car.
A.M. Yost, the patriarch of the extremely profitable Yost household, had more and more change into annoyed by the dearth of protected, handy transportation for Edmonds residents. A visit to Seattle by way of horse and buggy or a steamboat was fraught with delays and troublesome journey situations. Moreover, to achieve the Interurban railway, individuals have been required to stroll a pair miles east on tough roads to the pick-up station. The Interurban additionally had confirmed to be unsafe; a number of nighttime robberies had occurred when residents have been touring dwelling from work.
With Yost’s buy of a brand new Everett 30 car manufactured by the E.M.F. Motor Firm out of Detroit, it offered the Yost household with the potential for touring sooner and farther than ever earlier than.
Creator’s be aware: The E.M.F Firm was an early American car producer that produced cars from 1909 to 1912. The title E.M.F was gleaned from the initials of the three firm founders: Barney Everitt (a customized auto-body builder from Detroit), William Metzger (previously of Cadillac), and Walter Flanders (who had served as Ford’s manufacturing supervisor). The automotive’s title for some unknown purpose was spelled in another way than the surname of one of many three founders.
The June 23, 1911 Edmonds Tribune-Overview reported the arrival of the brand new automotive. The article learn:
“A.M. Yost is the proud possessor of the one car on the town. It’s an Everett 30 and it’s a splendid machine. George Yost, his son, is the chief chauffeur and has up to now graduated, in order that he can lie on his again and fumble with the inner organs of the engine with a monkey wrench in as dignified {and professional} a way as any of the excessive priced and imported mechanics.”
A month later, one other Edmonds resident — Henry Erben Jr. — took possession of a second Everett 30 after taking a number of rides with the Yost household.
The Edmonds Tribune-Overview once more reported on its arrival and the proprietor’s preliminary experiences.
“Henry Erben Jr. took possession of his new Everett 30 car this week. Henry was fastidiously instructed within the mysteries and artwork of the brand new conveyance and is already proving to be one thing of a driver himself.”
They do say, nonetheless, that the primary time he ventured downtown within the machine he had an event to cease in entrance of Legal professional White’s workplace and that he was extraordinarily shocked when the affair didn’t cease when he hollered “Whoa” and didn’t get well sufficiently to placed on the brake till he had gone some small distance past.”
In 1912, the acquisition of cars remained nearly non-existent in Edmonds. A.M. Yost purchased a brand new Cadillac, changing his Everett 30, and actual property developer F.W. Peabody bought a Ford to point out his shoppers round. Along with these purchases, E. H. Heberlein opened a Studebaker/Flanders car dealership via his Edmonds {Hardware} Retailer however apparently didn’t promote any automobiles till early 1913.
Creator’s be aware: Flanders was to change into one in every of a number of short-lived Detroit-based car producers throughout this era. (1909-1913)
The early cars proved exhausting to take care of, needing common tune-ups, and infrequently have been exhausting to start out. To start out the engine, a hand crank had for use. If the automotive backfired whereas the crank was in use, the particular person may very well be significantly injured if they didn’t let free of it — because the backfire brought about the crank to rotate quickly in the wrong way. Such was the case for George Yost in late 1911 when he badly injured his hand whereas attempting to start out the Everett 30. In March 1913, T.T. Barbour broke his wrist when the engine of his Flanders backfired whereas he was making an attempt to start out it.
All through 1912, A.M. Yost and his household traveled extensively to go to household and pals in Washington and Oregon. The journeys, nonetheless, weren’t with out challenges and issues. The 4 1/2-inch tube tires have been vulnerable to being punctured by rocks within the highway and wanted to be patched. Joseph Yost, A.M.’s second oldest son, talked about one journey that his dad and mom took to the Three Sisters space in Oregon. “The car suffered quite a few tire issues alongside the best way. Eleven repairs and patches have been made to broken tires and a mechanical drawback pressured an in a single day keep in a peach orchard.”
The automobiles additionally proved to be exhausting to steer on the tough ruddy roads in and round Seattle and Edmonds. Probably the most notable accident occurred in June 1912, when George Yost collided with a taxicab on a muddy 2nd Avenue in Seattle, whereas driving his father’s new Cadillac. Based on the household’s written historical past, George and his pals have been shaken up by the accident, however the automotive was not severely broken. No point out was fabricated from the taxicab or its driver.
Regardless of the challenges with the early fashions, A.M. Yost remained an avid fanatic and believer in the way forward for the auto. With the announcement of the brand new 1913 self-starting, 50-horse-power, eight-cylinder Cadillac, A.M. Yost instantly positioned an order for the automotive, and made preparations to choose it up on the Detroit plant in February 1913.
A.M. Yost, his spouse Amanda and a number of other members of the family traveled to Chicago on the Chicago, Milwaukie, St. Paul railroad, after which by prepare to Detroit. After choosing up the automotive, the household traveled extensively all through the East Coast, visiting household, after which drove again throughout the nation. They arrived in Edmonds in August, after touring 8,716 miles with none main difficulties, which was largely exceptional then.
Seeing the reliability of the 1913 Cadillac, A.M. Yost urged his sons to enter the automotive within the Seattle Put up-Intelligencer Reliability Tour occasions, which included highway races from Seattle to Portland and from Seattle to Canada.
However it wasn’t all enjoyable for A.M. Yost. By the autumn of 1913, there have been reportedly over 20 cars within the Edmonds and Richmond Seashore space and extra on order. As was his trademark, he noticed a big enterprise alternative surrounding the necessity to service and restore cars. In consequence, he and his sons shaped an organization, A.M. Yost & Sons, and began constructing a concrete storage on the nook of fifth and Dayton in December 1913.
The March 27, 1914 Edmonds Tribune-Overview said:
“The storage is as full as may be present in any metropolis of its dimension within the state. It measures 60’ X 90’ with entrances on each streets and a plate glass entrance. It has a concrete flooring with drainage, workplace in entrance with a big work room within the rear and a room giant sufficient to retailer twenty cars.”
There was additionally cold and warm water and a tank to retailer “free air,” and it had a galvanized iron roof. The constructing was then leased to the Yost Auto Firm, one other newly shaped firm owned by A.M. Yost’s three sons — George, Jake and Sam Yost. The storage opened for enterprise in Could 1914 and shortly after the Yost brothers acquired an company to promote “the celebrated little Ford automotive” and later added a Buick dealership.
The storage moreover had a big storage tank constructed underground to carry gasoline. However surprisingly, the gasoline pumps have been put in simply contained in the storage door, which meant automobiles needed to be pushed into the storage to be fueled.
As Lillie Astell (the granddaughter of A.M. Yost) defined in her oral historical past:
“Such an association offered for the safety of the fueling facility when the storage was closed.
At some point we had been out driving with my grandfather and on the finish of the journey he determined to gas up earlier than going dwelling. He parked the automotive appropriately for fueling, contained in the storage, and all of us bought out of the automotive to observe the attention-grabbing operation. After a number of gallons had been hand-pumped into the auto’s tank, the method was stopped to see how full the tank was. The automotive was rocked sideways, however that didn’t point out too effectively how a lot room there was nonetheless unfilled within the tank. The attendant tried wanting down the filling neck to see if he might see the gasoline stage, and that was not passable. Then an excellent concept got here to him. It was darkish contained in the tank so clearly all that was wanted was a lightweight to see the gasoline stage. The simplest approach to get mild was to mild a match and look down the loading neck – which was promptly achieved. Nonetheless, earlier than the attendant might get shut sufficient to look down the neck a loud whooooosh occurred and the gasoline fumes had ignited and there was a vigorous fireplace burning on the fringe of the gasoline tank.
I consider I used to be about 7 years outdated and never too certain about these new fangled cars, having heard how harmful they have been and the way unhealthy gasoline fires have been. With the primary whoosh and flame, I took off up Dayton Avenue and I consider it solely took me three steps to rise up to the outdated Congregational Church which was one block away, on the nook of Sixth and Dayton.
Happily fireplace extinguishing tools had been offered within the storage and the fireplace was shortly extinguished, and there was little injury to the automotive, and thankfully the attendant wasn’t burnt.
This expertise with the ‘boss and his automotive’ persuaded administration that the most secure place for the gasoline pumps was outdoors the storage, and that matches weren’t for use round any of the gasoline tanks.”
From the day the storage opened till August 1915, the Yost Auto Firm’s storage and related companies proved to be extraordinarily profitable, with A.M. Yost typically visiting and inspiring motor journey, and improved transportation by way of higher roads and bus strains for college aged youngsters and residents.
In August 1915, A.M. Yost organized a motor journey to Wenatchee to go to pals. His son Dan and his household accompanied A.M. and his spouse Amanda on the journey. They drove over Snoqualmie Move the primary day, tenting on the hospital grounds in Cle Elum for the evening. Within the morning they drove over Blewett Move, which was on the time was little greater than a path via the mountains, and arrived on the fruit orchard of pals close to Wenatchee. They camped there the second evening.
The following day included a sightseeing journey to Lake Wenatchee. Whereas departing the lake, they skilled tire hassle. After altering the tire, the occasion bought again into the automotive and A.M. Yost, who was driving, felt dizzy and fell into unconsciousness. Dan Yost drove him and the household to the hospital in Leavenworth, which was shut by. A.M. Yost, at age 59, died there that night, having suffered an enormous stroke. Upon his demise, A.M.’s physique and household have been transported again to Edmonds by prepare, and the automotive was shipped again later. A funeral was held on the Edmonds Opera Home the next week and attended by a whole bunch of neighborhood members.
After A.M. Yost’s passing, the Yost Auto Firm and his sons continued to hold on his imaginative and prescient and needs relating to improved transportation and motor journey. The corporate expanded into offering bus transportation for the native college districts as effectively working the primary profitable bus line between Seattle and Edmonds. A second flooring was added to constructing to offer house for repairing and servicing their buses and the constructing acted as a bus terminal as effectively.
After being within the motor journey enterprise for 33 years, the Yost brothers offered the Yost Auto Firm to their niece Lillie Astell, (daughter of their older sister Carrie Yost Astell), and her husband Fern “Slim” Rittenhouse, Bernard Yost and Lester Wilson. All had been related to the Yost Auto Firm for years. The brand new possession group rebranded the corporate because the Edmonds Motor Firm, though most individuals nonetheless referred to the unique storage because the Yost Storage.
The next yr, the house owners bought the adjoining property, extending south to Maple Avenue, which had been owned by Lengthy Motor and Welding Firm. They tore down the outdated constructing and erected a contemporary Chevron service station, which opened in January 1948.
The Edmonds Motor Firm continued in enterprise for over twenty years. In 1973, the whole block between Dayton and Maple Streets was bought by J. Ward Phillips. The property was reworked and upgraded, housing an vintage mall on the second flooring of the outdated storage and a wide range of boutiques, retailers and companies on the decrease stage, extending the size of the block. The brand new advanced was named Outdated Milltown.
In 2007, the block went via one other improve. The almost 95-year-old storage wanted important repairs. The constructing was extensively reworked whereas sustaining its unique architectural design. At the moment the outdated storage constructing is the house of the Edmonds Imaginative and prescient Heart and Las Brisas Mexican Restaurant. Adjoining to the south is the attractive Hazel Miller Plaza. The plaza gives comfortably seating amongst a wide range of vegetation in addition to picture shows of the unique Yost Auto Firm and the Edmonds Motor Co. The companies behind the plaza embody Gelato Caffe, Canarino, Milltown Nails & Skincare, Oasis Tea Zone and Vinbero – A Pure Wine Bar.
Creator’s remaining notes: A.M. Yost was a visionary when it got here to motor journey and the advantages it will present. With out his imaginative and prescient the adoption of cars, the advance of roads and dependable bus programs would have taken for much longer to materialize.
It ought to nonetheless be famous that there have been car detractors too. Articles within the Edmonds Tribune-Overview raised issues concerning the noise, scent and disruptive nature of cars on town’s streets. Complaints ranged from the quantity of mud, water and manure that the automobiles dashing at 10 to fifteen mph kicked up, to the alternatives that cars offered males to drive to “moist” areas the place they might drink, gamble and be concerned in different worldly vices.
This text was researched and written by Byron Wilkes. Thanks go to the Edmonds Historic Museum, Sno-Isle Genealogical Society and the Everett Library’s Northwest Room for his or her analysis help.
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