By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

MECHANICSBURG, Ill. — For those in the agricultural field, driving a pickup is as common as driving a tractor. In fact, some farmers even refer to their cab as their “office.”

This common item of machinery was celebrated for the third year in a row during a classic car and pickup truck show in Mechanicsburg. The evolution of the pickup truck is not known to most pickup owners.

According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the first factory-assembled pickup debuted in 1925 and sold for $281. Henry Ford billed it as the Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body.

This model had about 34,000 built the first year.

The Runabout featured a cargo box, adjustable tailgate, stake pockets and heavy-duty rear springs. Ford built a couple other versions with a Ford flathead V8 engine in 1932.

Chevrolet built an Independence Series version, but it wasn’t until 1933 when most experts agree the modern pickup truck was born. The pickup truck of today didn’t begin on U.S. soil, but Australian.
The Australian version was called a “ute,” which is short for “utility.” That is still a term used today for many pickups. During the Great Depression, farmers could not afford to buy both a car and truck. In fact, Wikipedia said, “Banks would not lend money to farmers to buy a luxury like a car, but would lend money for a working vehicle like a truck.”

Legend has it this prompted a farmer or his wife to send a letter to the managing director of Ford, asking, “Why don’t you build people like me a vehicle in which I can take my family to church on Sunday, and my pigs to town on Monday?”

Lewis Bandt, a designer for Ford Australia, went on and created today’s version of the pickup truck. His design used the front of a car that could hold two people, and the back of a truck. This vehicle pleased both farmers and the bankers.

The pickup truck was introduced to America when Bandt brought two of them to America and showed them to Henry Ford. Soon “utes,” or pickup trucks, were being built across the United States and were successful around the world.

At shows like the one in Mechanicsburg, collectors and admirers of pickups had a chance to see original and restored trucks. Often these machines are still used in a functional way.

Recently, Fred Jessup of Divernon, Ill. restored a 1940 Chevy pickup truck he bought at an auction. Jessup, who grew up on a farm, is a banker.

At the recent opening of the United Community Bank (UCB) Divernon Branch, his pickup with a UCB logo was on display in the drive-through lane.

This is just one example of how pickups, the handy utility vehicle, can be used not only on the farm but also as an advertising display.