Lessons of the Old Masters–Hansen Wheel & Wagon
by Lynn Telleen
published in The Draft Horse Journal, Summer 2001

The hitch wagons used by several of the famous teams of “Packingtown” have influenced the “modern” draft horse wagons more than you may know. Armour Packing Company, Wilson & Company and Swift & Company, among America’s most famous commercial hitches in the first half of the 20th century, all used vintage heavy express trucks built by Studebaker Brothers & Company, South Bend, Indiana. Each wagon was built between 1899 and 1905 and each possessed the “swale back” design, or curved box, setting it apart from other freight vehicles.

Anheuser-Busch currently owns two of the original “meatpacker” wagons. The Studebaker owned by Swift & Company, Kansas City, Missouri was built in 1899 and was used with their prominent six-up of grey Percherons until the mid-1930s. At that time, August A. Busch, Jr. purchased it as the post-Prohibition advertising campaign came into full swing for Budweiser. It was used only as a spare until Budweiser’s East Coast hitch came about in 1972, where it found full-time service. That is where you will find it in use to this day.

Wilson & Company had three such Studebaker wagons produced in three different sizes. When Prohibition ended in 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. purchased the largest of the three, which is thought to have been built in 1903. This is the famed wagon which he presented as a gift to his father, along with a six-up of Clydes, thus creating one of the most enduring corporate icons of all time. It is the same one displayed at the St. Louis brewery today. Incidentally, Anheuser-Busch also acquired the smallest of the three Wilson wagons, but it has since been sold.

Another original Studebaker was used by the Lang Brewery of Buffalo, New York. Anheuser-Busch also acquired this one and it is used by their West Coast hitch. It is one of few, if not the only one, constructed with the springs under the axles rather than over them.

Yet another of these magnificent vehicles was built in 1904 and owned by the Pabst Brewing Company in Milwaukee. They used it to show and exhibition their six of grey Percherons. Craig Grange, hitch manager for Cape Cod Percherons, tells that when Pabst won the six at the 1904 Chicago International, all with American-bred horses, it was the inspiration for the title, “Blue Ribbon Beer.” Craig says he’s not certain as to the accuracy of it, but we agreed that it is a good story (see sidebar). The wagon was later acquired by Brooklyn Farm in Minneapolis. When they sold out in the 1940s, Menzie Dairy of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, took ownership of it. They used it for exhibitioning their six of Belgians in the late 50s and early 60s. From there, it went to hitchman Ray Wegman, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dennis Barry of Lakeville, Massachusetts bought it from Ray and restored it. It is used today with Barry’s Hallamore Hitch of Clydes.

Hawthorn-Mellody Dairy Farms, Libertyville, Illinois, had several hitch wagons over the course of their tenure with exhibition hitches. One in particular was yet another original Studebaker. It was sold to Albert Payne, Galien, Michigan, who sold it to Ray Wegman. Wegman sold it to Budweiser and it is now at Disneyland.

The Armour Packing Company had one of the most striking of hitch wagons, used behind their successful six of greys and piloted by the well-known teamster Billy Wales. They used that same wagon for the duration of their hitching activities. Some say it went to the Omaha Stock Yards when Armour hung it up. The wagon eventually ended up at Hawthorn-Mellody. In 1968, when Hawthorn-Melody was calling it quits, the late Rolland Ruby of Brookfield, Wisconsin, made a swift deal, preventing the vehicle from going to a museum. He refinished it and used it for several years with his own hitch of Belgians. Jake Ruby, Rolland’s son, retains that great wagon today. The Curtiss Candy Company owned still another that also went to Ruby. That wagon, smaller than Armour’s, was recently sold from Ruby’s estate to Cal Larson of Wisconsin.

These few remaining originals represent more than just the historical means of transporting meat, beer and other freight throughout America’s cities. They symbolize an era when the horse was so vital to the growth of this country, bringing to mind both the horsemen that used these extraordinary vehicles and also the craftsmen that built them. For some, they serve as a guide to building new vehicles

Blacksmith Jerome Evans concentrating on the ironwork for Cape Cod’s wagon.

Obtaining one of these originals and restoring it has been the teamster’s favored means of realizing a show hitch wagon for the past half century. But there are no more originals. There are no more wagons with a story to tell and a history of Packingtown or brewery owners.

Ross Creelman, one of the owners of Cape Cod Percherons based out of Nova Scotia, wanted a wagon about which people could only say, “That’s the Cape Cod wagon!” He wanted a new original with a history unsupplied. So, his hitch manager, Craig Grange, said, “Let’s go to Hansen and have them build an exact reproduction of Budweiser’s big 1903 Studebaker.” Ross agreed and the wheels were put into motion.

Doug Hansen, founder and operator of Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop, Letcher, South Dakota, says the engineers and craftsmen at Studebaker were building the top of the line in that era, in that industry. “They not only had an eye for aesthetics,” says Doug, “but were true craftsmen and engineers.” Every detail about these wagons was done for a reason, be it functional, logical or aesthetic. Doug has learned much from studying their designs and he considers the old masters’ attention to detail an excellent guide in the design of wagon elements.

Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop is a family owned and operated carriage and wagon manufacturer located in southeast South Dakota. Doug established the business in 1978. Only in his early forties, he has already worked as both a wainwright and wheelwright, specializing in the building and restoring of heavy wagons and wheels. Doug has made a point of studying the original, authentic vehicles to learn how the original craftsmen went about their profession. With over 20 years of experience in blacksmithing, hand-forging and metalwork, he is dedicated to the authenticity of each vehicle, using traditional joinery (“Traditional joinery” is the term Hansen uses in referring to the joints used to join wood frame members, mortise and tenon, miter, laps, butt, rabbet, dado, etc.) and hand-forged hardware to replicate wagons of the past. Doug believes that what worked in the days when wagons were used on a daily basis, will prove to be the most durable in today’s world.

Hansen and his crew of master craftsmen handle all aspects of wagon production. The complete job requires the skills of the wheelwright, the knack of the machinist, the adroitness of the blacksmith, the talents of the finish carpenter and the flair of an artist. Maybe most importantly, it requires the eye and judgement of the wagon master. It takes someone like Doug Hansen, who considers wagon design to be no less than a form of art. Doug takes great pride in the fact that very little of the work is jobbed out, giving him and his staff full control over quality. Steel springs and bearings are about the only things not actually crafted in the shop. Most springs that go on Hansen vehicles are made in Ohio by Amish craftsmen to Doug’s exacting specs.

Without doubt, this is the largest fifth wheel assembly that Hansen has produced. It’s easy to recognize that the Cape Cod wagon is the kind of challenge that he and his staff thrive on.

In the days of old, fifth wheel wagons could be purchased ready-made, but a good many were also built by local blacksmiths or in company shops using running gears supplied by a number of manufacturers. Firms such as Selle & Cray Brothers offered sets of springs, axles, fifth wheel assemblies and wheels in various weights and sizes. Even Studebaker Brothers sometimes used wheels made by Archibald Wheel Works, St. Mary’s Wheel and Spoke, Muncie and other manufacturers. But that’s not Doug Hansen’s protocol. On the Cape Cod wagon, only the springs and forged brass hubs were not made in-house.

Hansens produce roughly 30 vehicles in a year’s time including covered wagons, chuckwagons, hitch wagons, stage coaches, buggies, sleighs, prairie schooners and sheep wagons. New vehicle production accounts for around 80% of their vehicle projects with only 20% to restoration jobs. Doug prefers it that way. He says, “I like to document and build reproductions of historic vehicles, more so than restoring them.” In addition, wheel production accounts for about 30% of their business.

Hansen’s customers include museums, collectors, the show crowd, family/pleasure drivers, the family heirlooms and the commercial operators that provide horse drawn tours. Most are from a distance, in fact worldwide. Doug says his favorite projects are stagecoaches, “because they are quite a challenge and are a very beautiful vehicle.”

Some of their more recognizable customers include Wells Fargo Bank, for which they’ve built three stage coaches and several wheels; Walt Disney of Tokyo, for which they built a revolutionary cannon and wheels; Warner Bros., for which they built hitch equipment; the Henry Ford Museum, a cut under delivery wagon and omnibus; Anheuser-Busch, hitch wagon wheels; Bob Johnson’s Wheels Unlimited, for which they’ve built stage coach wheels; a museum in Denmark for which they made an immigrant wagon; and several other museums for which they’ve made prairie schooners, a child’s wagon, gypsy wagon and various other vehicles.

The 7,200 square-foot shop housing the business is only three years old. Prior to that, the crew worked out of a comparatively smaller shop nearby, where everything had to be shuffled around to move any single vehicle. The new facility is spacious, efficient and impressive with plenty of room for several different projects underway at once. During a recent visit, a stage coach was being assembled for Wells Fargo, a covered wagon was receiving its bows and the Cape Cod hitch wagon was the center attraction. Craftsmen were sanding the framework, putting the wheels together and constructing the fifth wheel assembly.

Hansen’s third stage coach for Wells Fargo Banks. You may see this one in a TV commercial sometime soon.

Hansens have built show wagons for draft horse exhibitors such as Rocking Horse Ranch (which was selected for the NABC IV “Dream Team”) and Express Clydes, in addition to Sugar Ridge Belgians in Danville, Vermont, but the Cape Cod wagon is, by far, the most challenging project they have undertaken. Not only is it the largest hitch wagon they’ve worked on, the exacting specifications to the old Wilson wagon present untold obstacles not encountered by other jobs. To research it, Doug flew down to St. Louis and spent hours measuring, photographing and inspecting the Budweiser wagon. The 3-1/2” springs required are not of standard making. Nor are the wheels or fifth wheel assembly. They are simply larger than anything that has been produced in almost a century. The body will be over fourteen feet long and is expected to weigh over 7,000 pounds. It is expected to be completed and in use this summer.

Doug says, “I’ve learned a lot about wagons by restoring them. When I wondered how in the world a wagon was put together, I just looked at the wagon. I’m studying the authenticity of it. My research has been hands-on research, for the most part. When you tear apart a wagon, the question always arises, ‘Why did they do it this way?’ Then, you enter the engineering aspects. Look at all the old Studebaker wagons that Budweiser has been using for years and years and years. They’re a hundred years old and they’re still holding up. A new wagon that’s not made following the old standards has to be re-done after a few years. Understanding the engineering of what went into these wagons and following the design of the authenticity is what we try to do. Following authenticity means we have a good practice of following design standards of that era, and they are safe standards. The people that designed these wagons were the industry leaders in their time. Their modern day counterparts are the ones designing the automobiles and trucks of today.

“This is evident in the 1903 Studebaker wagon from Bud’s collection that we are reproducing for Cape Cod. This wagon has been in use for nearly 100 years and much of the structure is original. It shows very little breakdown of any type. This can be attributed to its more than 70 accurately-fitted tenon joints, dozens of half laps and decorative structural iron work. While on the subject of iron work, if we do a comparison of a steel support today, it is typically a chunk of square tubing or straight unformed structure. If we look at any piece of iron on the Studebaker or any other vehicle of that era, it not only has function but form as well. This is what intrigues me when I study the works of the old masters and this is what we attempt to replicate.

“While walking by the rows of hundreds of horse drawn vehicles at the recent Waverly Sale, many of new manufacture or restoration, you’ll notice that it is only the unblemished originals that will turn your head. The new vehicles have nice, shiny paint, bright colors and chrome, but they are lacking the flowing lines, the shapely curves and the nice construction details that lend to an attractive vehicle as well as to its durability...all this accomplished while still maintaining a balance throughout. That is what I have learned from the old masters.

“If we design a wagon, we are very much influenced by the old wagons.”

When Doug was growing up, his family kept a few saddle horses and his mother did leather work and made saddles. When Doug was in high school, a west-bound trucker broke down at nearby Mitchell. In order to repair his truck, he had to auction off his load, which consisted of buggies and carriages. Doug’s mother purchased a couple of old buggies and Doug says, “Restoring them became a family project.” Doug had taken both woodworking and welding in school and his dad’s shop was well-equipped for the task. In addition, his grandfather had worked in a blacksmith shop and had wheel work know-how, which came in very handy. After completing work on these vehicles to the satisfaction of everyone involved, his grandfather purchased a team of mules and a wagon which also needed work. He asked his grandson to do it and from there, Doug’s reputation just grew. Others started hauling old vehicles to him for restoration and repair. Seeing how much Doug enjoyed the work, his grandfather suggested that he make a business out of it. Clients from farther and farther away were acquired and by 1978, a growing enterprise is exactly what it had become.

Doug has always been interested in history. He started going to museums to learn how things were done originally. When he decided to build new wagons, the Middle Border Museum in Mitchell, South Dakota, loaned him the wheel building tools needed to start.

The business started out strictly as wheelwright and restoration work, but they started getting requests for parts. Today, parts and custom wheels account for a significant portion of their revenue. Doug says they stay busy, but “We are still servicing a quite small market because it’s hard to build a cheap wagon when you know how to build a nice one. We’re a niche within a niche because we’ve centralized our efforts on heavier vehicles, western vehicles–the vehicles that are indigenous to our area. Doug says he is “definitely more interested in the heavier work vehicles, more so than carriages and buggies. For one thing, they are associated more to my region and heritage. I live in the land of freight wagons, stages, chuckwagons and western vehicles in general.” He says Studebaker, Peter Schuttler and many more are of special interest.

Hansen’s shop is truly a family affair. Daughters Leah,12, and Emily, 8, lend a hand to their parents, Holly and Doug, with the business.

Doug and his wife, Holly, met as teenagers when his family came to her parents’ place to purchase some furniture made by her father. Both locals, they moved onto the farm where Doug grew up, as soon as they were married. The business was full-time by then, with just the two of them. Demand soon justified additional employees and Holly’s responsibilities shifted from that of an upholsterer to upholsterer, bookkeeper and marketer. Doug says they currently have “about six employees,” meaning not all are full-time. The remainder of the capable crew includes: office manager, Jon Christensen; coach maker, Dale Michel; wainwright, Brian VanBuren; blacksmith, Jerome Evans; wheelwright, Tim Hoffman; assistant wheelwright, Joe Knutson; apprentice, Andy Thuringer; and artist, Wayne Troyer.

Wayne Troyer from Ohio, has been striping and lettering for Hansen for the last four years. To work on Hansen wagons and stages, Wayne will fly out to South Dakota and spend a couple weeks. Hansen says, “He is one of those people that truly amazes you when you see him work.” In addition to striping full time as an antique vehicle decorator, Wayne also does furniture decoration and commercial illustrations. Doug says, “Lettering and striping is such an important part of our finish program that we are very happy to trust this work to such a talented artist.”

Interest in the use, restoration and reproduction of horse-drawn vehicles has been on the rise in recent times. Doug attributes it to increasingly modern lifestyles. “The faster our life gets,” he says, “the more people are reaching for something nostalgic to take them back.” He’s seen a considerable increase in demand for horse drawn vehicles since becoming involved in the business. He attributes it to several things, including: 1) the people of the horse driving world are eager to help others get involved in driving, therefore propagating the interest in horses and the vehicles they pull; 2) the loss of our rural heritage as we become a more urban society makes us long for what we once had and the horse drawn vehicles help to capture that nostalgia; and 3) word of mouth does travel and satisfied customers have definitely helped us to broaden our customer base.”

If demand continues to grow, will Hansen Wheel & Wagon also expand? Doug says, “I think we are as big as I want to be. Our size still allows me to maintain close contact with our craftsmen and if we were to increase our production, we would need to get into multiple production work and I much rather prefer the diversity of being a custom builder. There are thousands of different horse drawn vehicles that were built in that era and we have just touched the tip of them. So, there are many more new styles of vehicles out there that we will tackle someday.”

Quality not quantity is the goal at Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop. Because of the sheer number of hours required to produce even one wagon, stage or coach, Hansens produce no more than 30 vehicles in a years’ time. Rather than viewing that number as humble, this is a point of pride, since it’s Hansen’s high standards that ensure a quality long-term investment for their clients. Attention to detail and design, dedication to traditional joinery and authentic construction are the standards for each vehicle manufactured. Be it a yearning for the past, the publicity and attention generated by it or simply a joy of working with horses and historic vehicles, definitely more people are pursuing the equine mode of transportation. For the “world’s foremost wagon maker,” that’s good for business.