Historic Hood River
1917 Marmon Model 34 Touring Car
Notes
This is such a nice image of George Thomson’s 1917 Marmon I had to share. We’ve been able to use this automobile to verify the ownership of the album: 1917 Oregon tag # 20630 was registered to George W. Thomson, residing at 9th and Cascade Ave. in Hood River. It was a 1917 Nordyke & Marmon automobile, VIN 717012. You can read about the revolutionary aspects of this Marmon in this article. What jumps out to me is this auto cost ten times a Ford Model T of it’s era. Business at the Paris Fair must have been very good!
If the brand name “Marmon” sounds familiar to you, we know another successful Hood River merchant, W.F. Laraway owned a 1910 Marmon.
Thomson’s Marmon replaced his earlier Overland, and it was replaced with a Buick in the early 1920s.
The helpful folks at the Marmon Club tell me this automobile was a very rare seven-seat touring car, only the 12th from the factory that year. Only three 1917 seven passenger touring cars are known to have survived, but sadly Mr. Thomson’s pride and joy isn’t one of them.
Steffen lunding
Apparently, three row seating is not a modern idea
Pat A
A real family truckster.
He should be proud, ten times the cost and about that much more car! Model T was a entry level car.
Marmon name was last used on class 8 semi trucks made in Texas until 1997.
L. E.
Arthur, could this photo be added to the Thomson tag. I has a post from a Thomson descendant and a good link by Jeffrey about the family history and Paris Fair.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/paris-fair-1989/
Dale Nicol
Beautiful example of a early, luxury car. The 1918 Stanley Steamer once at WAAAM and owned by Eric Gleason in The Dalles, has the same seating configuration as this Marmon. I can’t tell from the photo if this car has a “fat boys steering wheel” like the Stanley, that slid up and out of the way to make it easier for the driver to enter and exit . The way the body sheet metal is designed, it comes forward and is even with the seat bottom cushion, so the drivers door entrance is quite narrow and the steering wheel would get in the way.