1945 Photo of Surplus Jeeps in Columbus, Ohio, on ebay

14 Comments

1. SE Pennsylvania GuyMarch 14, 2014 at 2:23 PM

   Rhetorical question: Where are they now???
2. Flyingfish/MarcMarch 14, 2014 at 3:19 PM

   113 in the first block, give or take.
3. kerryMarch 14, 2014 at 3:36 PM

   and for about a buck $2.50 a pierce
4. Mark S.March 14, 2014 at 4:48 PM

   I was not aware of the practice of selling surplus jeeps to veterans, what a great program, they earned them! What does RFC stand for?
5. deilersMarch 14, 2014 at 6:58 PM

   Steve: I have an original poster from a veteran's sale in the San Francisco area. I've cleaned it up and made it printable. Here's another original poster: http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2013/05/2013-05-20-gettysburg-frank10.jpg I can't think of what RFC means offhand. - Dave
6. DanBMarch 14, 2014 at 8:19 PM

   Dave, At the bottom of the poster you provided the link to, it appears to have "modern" telephone number and zip code in the address line?
7. GKMarch 14, 2014 at 9:03 PM

   Folks, I showed this picture to may father. He recalls going to the Columbus ASF Depot (map link: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zB9Dv1cmnSFY.kQbwgwShCBYg ) with my grandfather and inspecting these jeeps. The were up on blocks to keep the wheels just off the ground so they could run the drivetrain periodically. He saw tens of them running with all 4 wheels spinning. Thought it looked 'funny'. The blocks sat on what looked like rows of sidewalks. If you look closely you can see the concrete walks and a few of the unused blocks. Anyway, my grandfather bought every jeep from the RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corporation) in Columbus around that time and loaded them on a train (or trains) to an Army depot in Colorado (https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zB9Dv1cmnSFY.kg6kF1pVzjsQ ) , where they were driven to a storage yard cut out of a mountain (here: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zB9Dv1cmnSFY.kZpr4iMiNJrg ) My father tells me that his father was planning to sell the jeeps a few years later - thinking they would be popular for driving on mountain trails. The term "jeeping" was not known then. Ends up the government wanted the mountain storage place, gave him back his money plus interest. And our family never saw the jeeps again. They are probably still there - safe in Cheyenne Mountain. ;-)
8. BuzMarch 14, 2014 at 11:56 PM

   Well Dave, GK just handed you the plot for your next book.
9. Mark S.March 15, 2014 at 3:07 AM

   GK - Thank you for the great info about the surplus jeep sale. The vast and assorted knowledge eWillys viewers have, amazes me. That jeep storage depot must have been quite an interesting site. Those jeeps in the mountain definitely need further research.
10. deilersMarch 15, 2014 at 3:49 AM

    Dan: hmm.. well isn't that a great point! It turns out the 818 area code entered service on January 7, 1984. So, my original understanding that this was an original poster 1940s poster was incorrect. Does that mean this was a reprint of an original poster or something else? GK: Wow, Great history! and thanks for the links. Buz is right. I can foresee a story built around colorado. However, it is not the next book (that involves an FC). So, it would be two books out. - Dave
11. STEVEMarch 15, 2014 at 5:45 AM

    Now folks, help me count the jeeps in the photo. Winner gets a smiley face from dave. Do I see 8,000?
12. Mark S.March 15, 2014 at 1:25 PM

    somebody really liked that 7x9 photo, winning bid $152.50 - Dave if you want that for a book cover, it's going to cost you!
13. deilersMarch 15, 2014 at 6:15 PM

    Wow. I didn't expect that price!
14. BuzMarch 17, 2014 at 12:07 PM

    That price was crazy.