Model T in Gilroy
The Saga of George Azevedo’s Model T
by Phill Laursen

About three months ago, a mustachioed man strode into the Gilroy Museum on a search for information about a 1913 Model T touring car that was apparently sold new in Gilroy by McKenney & McKenney’s South End Garage. Questions flew about the shop’s location, about the subsequent Ford dealers, the Byers Brothers, and about Bell’s Station, where a group from Southern California stopped before heading up into the hills to pull two Model Ts from a barn.

That man is Gary Hagen, a Gilroyan, the 2003 Handlebar Mustache World Champion, and a Model T enthusiast with a Long Beach friend who recently purchased the “Tin Lizzie” in question (see http://www.handlebarclub.co.uk/garyspagef.htm for more about Gary).

Gary found a listing for McKenney & McKenney in the 1913 Gilroy Phone Book, and in an ad in the 1914 Gilroy Advocate, and he pored over the display Dale and Cheryl Boomgaarden have erected at Gilroy Car Care, site of the Byers Brother’s “new” (in 1930) dealership.

The Gilroy Museum photo collection includes a 1923 image of Byers Brothers Garage in their 7554 Monterey Street location.

Another photo, taken about 1929 from the upstairs of Henry Hecker’s store on the SW corner of 5th and Monterey, shows Byers Brother’s shop is now Mainero's Garage.

Gary’s friend in Long Beach, Kim Dobbins, is widely recognized as a Model T expert, he purchased his newest “T” from Bernie Van Aalst who is recently deceased. Kim’s partner in grime is Larry Smith, and all of these enthusiasts are working hard to piece together the story of Kim’s car, which Kim plans not to restore.

Bernie, the previous owner, had photographs and 8mm film of the early 1950s trek he and his buddies made to get the car. Kim sent a copy of the film, which has now been posted on YouTube for all to see at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPMZmhOKXNs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL, and still shots from the film can be viewed on “Shutterfly” at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QaNXLFoxZKQjo. We are anxious to hear from people who can help identify the roads and ranches seen in the film and photos.

In the film, Bernie Van Aalst is driving his 1948 Mercury convertible and his friend Ed Worth is behind the wheel of a 1939 Chevy, he brought out a 1925 Model T Touring. Ed is still alive and has a pretty good memory. Bernie's brother was 10 years old when he came along on the trip, a little young to remember much about the route. Kim Dobbins has the note Bernie wrote, directing the party to the O’Connor Ranch (misspelled as “O’Conner” in the note, we initially suspected it was the better-known O’Connell Ranch).

Teddy Goodrich is supplying loads of information about Bell’s Station (originally built as a toll station on Pacheco Pass in the mid-1800s, eventually featuring a telegraph station, stage stop, and hotel), ranches and ranchers of the area, as well as contacting Coe Park rangers and other sources of information. Muriel and Glenn Brem have also chimed in to help identify the ranch from which the Model Ts came.

Another very interesting angle to the story is that before the cars were whisked away to Southern California, Jasper Martin had promised the 1913 car to George Azevedo, the late dean of old car culture in our area. George’s son Don says, “In the early 1950s dad was promised an early Model T by Jasper Martin....Jasper Martin's aunt owned the cars and all Jasper had to do was ask her for them. Well, she was in the hospital and Jasper did not want to ask her until she got better. She didn't [apparently she died]. The family decided to sell them at a sheriff's auction....As I recall my dad saw the story in the back of a Hot Rod magazine while waiting for a hair cut at the Milias Hotel....Dad always said he bought the Hot Rod magazine and put it in his back pocket and drove out to see Jasper Martin.” Jasper realized George had been left in the lurch, so he give George another T, a 1917 “Couplet” that is still in the family and has several times been disassembled and reassembled as a demonstration at car events.

You will have to wait to learn about other aspects of the story, about life at Bell’s Station, and about Teddy Goodrich’s friend, the late Phil Stadtler of Hilmar who may have been the biggest importer of cattle from Mexico into the United States, till the Model T story is more complete and any contradictions have been sorted out.

Here’s Kim’s Model T as it looks now:
A brass plaque below the windshield reads, “Sold By South End Garage, McKenney & McKenney, Gilroy, CA”

This tool, on a wooden handle marked with Byers Brother’s name, is to open the upper petcock to check the oil level.

The car was driven until 1923, when a new car took its place. It was then stored in a barn until the early 1950s when it was sold and went to South Gate, California. Once there, it remained in dry storage until the previous owner’s passing a few months ago. You would be hard-pressed to uncover a better “barn find” story than this!

In the September 5, 1912 bulletin of The Automobile, McKenney and McKenney are listed as having been established in the previous week

In the Automobile Tour Book of California
published by Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, 1914 Gilroy has three dealers listed in the “DIRECTORY of AUTOMOBILE DEALERS”:
  • • FORD - McKenney & McKenney
  • • MITCHELL - Mainero and Princevalle Gilroy
  • • REO - Thomas Mercantile Co Gilroy

    The book reports on the road from San Jose to Gilroy, “Splendid level macadam road; kept in good condition. Hotels and garages at all towns. Fireman's Fund Agents at all points.”

    For the road from Gilroy to Salinas via Hollister, the report says, “Excellent road from Gilroy to Sargent; bad to San Juan. The road from San Juan to Salinas via Dumbarton is longer than over the grade, but the difficult ascent and descent is avoided. Good road to San Juan via Hollister. Hotels and garages at Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan and Salinas. Fireman's Fund Agents at all points.”

    And for the road from Gilroy to Los Banos, the description is, “Fair road with rolling grades, winding from 2 to 10 per cent through Pacheco Pass. Fairly level from San Luis station to Los Banos. Hotels and garages at Gilroy and Los Banos. Fireman's Fund Agents at all points.”

    Dulio Benassi has said Jasper Martin was a court reporter, working in San Jose, and that the Benassi family purchased a parcel, adjoining their land on First Street, from one of the Martins. Kim Dobbins found Jasper Martin was born in California in 1880, it looks as if his father was Alfred B Martin and his mother was the former Ellen Dowdy.

    Don Azevedo remembers hearing his dad hunted deer at the Dowdy Ranch for years, with the Brems and Dexters. There was a steep hill at the Dowdy deer hunting camp that Steve Brem, Don Dexter and maybe Gary Brem would sometimes climb over in the afternoon, and from there they went to the Timms Ranch that had the old cars. Dad never went as the hill was very steep to climb, besides, he heard the cars were Maxwells and he was only interested in Model Ts.


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