Bend’s first car hits the road for first time in decades

Bend’s first car was once again up and running Friday in downtown Bend. The 1907 Holsman hit the road for the first time since 1959. The car had been housed in the Deschutes County Historical Museum until car buff Wade Bryant volunteered his time to get it running again last fall.

“Not many towns can say that the first car even exists, let alone drives,” Bryant said.

The Holsman arrived in Bend in 1907 from The Dalles. The Deschutes County Historical Society had a mission to get it running in time to celebrate the county’s centennial this year; accomplishing that required more than 100 hours of work.

Bryant said he had to take the engine apart, clean the fuel systems and oil everything up

“What’s really unique about this car is that it’s all hand-built, all the pieces on this are handmade. They didn’t have factories that machined things back then,” Bryant said.

The men who drove the car said they’ve been admiring it since they were young boys.

“My dad’s best friend was Homer Smith. When they were teenagers, they got it out of A.E. Smith’s barn and got it running and drove it around town back in the ’20s,” said Greg Fulton of the Deschutes County Historical Society.

“I remember this car when I was 12 or 13 years old, delivering newspapers for The Bulletin. It was at the Pioneer Museum on Greenwood (Avenue),” Bryant said.

The men say finally having the opportunity to drive it, decades later, was quite the experience.

“It’s just a great feeling,” Fulton said.

The car will be displayed at the Bend Elks’ game Saturday at Vince Genna Stadium and will be driven in the Fourth of July parade in La Pine.