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Buggies, Surreys
This institution, now doing business in Rock Falls, was originally started about 1870, by Messr. John M. Galt, Dr. M.A. Bunn and Thomas A. Galk, under the firm name of Galt, Bunn & Co. Shortly after the business was incorporated under the name of the Eureka Manufacturing Company, with Messr. John M. Galt, Dr. M.A. Bunn, Alexander McCloy, George S. Tracy and Thomas A. Galt, as incorporators and with the following officials; John M. Galt, president and treasurer; Dr. M.A. Bunn, vice president; John g. Crawford, secretary; Alexander McCloy manager. The business of the manufaactory was largely that of making school furniture. After running some years the plant was purchased by Thomas A. Galt and George S. Tracy and re-incorporated as the Eureka Company. It was run and managed by these gentlemen until the death of Mr. Tracy, when Mr. Galt purchased the interest of the Tracy estate, and is now sole owner. The factory was originally a frame building, which afterwards was enlarged by purchasing the Zollinger mill property and the erection of a brick building .... stories high, and by purchasing the Batcheller property which was also remodeled, and is now a part of the Eureka plant. The machinery is propelled by water power, furnished by the Sterling Hydraulic Company, of which the Eureka Company is a member. The company is a large manufacturer of carriages, road wagons, carts, furniture, novelties and washingto machines. The product of the carriage department is largely disposed of in the South American and Argentine Republic market, while their machines have a large demand in the United States.
From the Sterling Standard December 11, 1896
Built on a firm foundation to last almost 100 years was the etablishment of the Eureka Manufacturing Company in Rock Falls in the year of 1871. During its long tenure as one of the leading manufacturing firms in Rock Falls, the Eureka Company was to gain both state and nationwide recognition in their production records of a number of items. The first products manufactured by Eureka were school furniture including desks for both teachers and students, chairs and portable blackboards. Later, the firm included the production of cane-bottom chairs, school seats, office, hotel and church furniture. The Eureka firm was later to establish a record as one of the five largest carriage builders and the production lines included buggies, surreys and concord wagons. The company then went on to manufacture horse-drawn hearses and ambulances and with the advent of the motorized era, the company went into the production of ambulances and hearses built exclusively on Cadillac chassis. They retained a dominant position in this line for many years until the suspension of the operation in 1964. The Eureka Company was officially organized in 1871 by John M. Galt, M.A. Bunn, George S. Tracy and Thomas A. Galt with a capitol stock of $50,000. Thomas Galt was the first president and other officers were M.A. Bunn, vice president; J.G. Crawford, secretary and Alexander McCloy, treasurer. It was 16 years later in 1887, the company was incorporated. The very first products included school teacher and students desks, chairs and portable blackboards. At the peak of production, the firm was using some two ton of iron daily or 60 carloads yearly. At the very start, the production records set by the company were quoted as a "remarkable success" in only two years of operation. Thomas Galt resigned as the Eureka president in 1872 and he was succeeded by N.S. Ketchum, N.A. Bunn was the superintendent of the plant; Alexander McCloy, foreman in the wood shop; C. Allen, foreman in the iron shops; and C. Sthare in the foundry. During this time (1872) some 50 to 60 persons were employed by the Eureka firm and the pay roll was some $2,500 to $3,000 monthly. Sales were being made to every state west of Pennsylvania. General agencies were established in Stockton, Calif.; St. Louis, Mo.; St. Paul, Minn., and other cities both east and west. In the fall of 1872, Eureka also manufactured 500 stalk cutters and 1,000 sulky cultivators, which was known as a "little item" in the business of that day. In the year 1891, Hunter H. Wood, joined the company and he and Thomas Stewart purchased the stock from Thomas G. Galt. In 1905, Stewart sold his stock to B. A. Forster and in 1960 William T. Galt and Wood bought the remaining stock from Thomas A. Galt. Wood became the sole owner in 1912 when he purchased the stock held by William T. Galt and B.A. Forster. Wood continued as president until he was named chairman of the board in 1945.  W.W. Davis, in this "History of Whiteside County", defined the company as one of the largest of five carriage builders in the two cities crediting Eureka with turning out 5,000 vehicles years in the form of buggies, surreys and concord wagons. The export business was an aid in the Eureka success story and in 1908 large numbers were shipped to the Argentine Republic, Mexico and Cuba and this necessitated the printing of Catalogs in Spanish. At this time in history, the fringed surrey was considered the "carriage elite" for the well-to-do family and it therefore became the dream of many. In 1908, a 76 page catalog was published by Eureka, and listing the buggies, bike wagons, driving wagons, surrey road carts, breaking carts, buckboards and spring wagons. As advertised, dashes where made in different patterns from patent leather and the cushions and backs were stuffed hair. Prices ranged from $100 for the regular buggy to $160 for the finest. Surrey prices ranged from $175 for the plain canopy top to $245 with the auto surrey canopy top. All surreys were equipped with oil lamps, however, an additional charge was made for rubber tires and electric lights. Changes in production were made by the company in 1910 with the advent of the motor driven vehicles. And in 1910, Eureka began the manufactue of hearses and ambulances on passenger car chassis. About this tiem the Eureka company had established its reputation for outstanding workmanship. The very name "Eureka" is of Greek origin and it means "I have found it" The Eureka company maintained its quality reputation through the many years of production and the management was strongly convinced that "quality cannot be inspected into a products - it must be built in". During World War 1 the Eureka Company received government contracts to build horse drawn carts for use in combat. Following the war, the company directed efforts to the manufacturing of funeral coaches and ambulances in which funeral directors were offered a long list of options afforded by the skilled craftsmen and designers of the company. In 1921 Wilbur S. Myers joined Eureka as a body builder. At that time, each vehicle was built by one individual, not on an assembly line production basis. In the ensuing years Myers advanced to positions of foreman, assistant superintendent to Frank Thomas, superintendent and engineer, vice president and in 1945 wa snamed president at the time Wood was named chairman of the board. In 1926 Myers made an application which was approved for a patent for this table design and sideloading hearse. The first three-way loading hearse was built in 1926 and this meant the table could pull out from either side of the car as well as through the rear door. Eureka has exclusive rights to build the tables for 10 years and also built them for competitors. At the beginning of World War II, Eureka was again granted government contracts and this time for buses, ambulances and turret baskets for army tanks. They purchased used transport trucks (26) and converted them into 100 passenger buses to be used at ordnance plants. With the death of Hunter H. Wood in 1953, the Eureka Company was purchased by Wilber Myers and Associates with Myers retaining the controlling interest. In 1954 the transition from the wood body to the stell body began and the change required a complete conversion which was accomplished by the company in 1957. The reason for the change was to help lighten the total weight of the car as well as cut expense, that is, wood being more expensive than steel. In addition, the steel body was more easily repaired than the wooden one. The once important wood shop reduced the work load to one man in that particular service area. Prior to the obsolescense of wood, the Eureka Company bought about 100,000 feet of ash and poplar per year along with thousands of feet of maple with was used on dies and medicine cabinets in the ambulance. All the wood products were stored and dried in the company's own kiln. The Eureka Company, with its long record of quality line funeral hearses and ambulances, suspended the firm with the 1964 model year. Much of the company's inventory at that time was liquidated and purchased by larger competitors. The reason for the company's suspension in 1964 was attributed to lagging sales and the firm was apparently unable to meet the price competition of the other manufacturers. Interesting to note, the very last funeral hearse off the Eureka assembly lines, was purchased locally by the Melvin Funeral Home. It is believed this hearse is still maintained today and gives testimony of the outstanding and fine-quality products which were made and distributed locally and nationally under the "Eureka Manufacturing Company" name. Daily Gazette July 1, 1975
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