HUNTLEY – Modern cars have computers. (In some cases, very intelligent computers). Modern cars talk to us, start remotely or with a push of a button (keys becoming archaic), tell you where to go (saving modern man from having to âask for directionsâ), run on battery power, are voice-activated, can âsenseâ the road even if the modern driver doesnât, and can call for help by themselves in the event of an accident.
For all this technology, itâs hard to believe that the history of automobiles is a short one. It wasnât too long before Hybrids and SUVs that there were Packards and Thriftmasters and Model Ts, cars that werenât assembled in a factory but shipped in pieces to the dealership for assembly there. Not too long ago in the grand scheme of things, at least. And like many towns in the Midwest, Huntleyâs roots in automotive history go back to almost the very beginning.
From dirt roads to the Rt. 47 widening project, Huntley has been on the move, starting with Paul Kreutzer, who owned the first car in Huntley, a 1906 Thomas B. Jeffery he purchased in Belvidere for $1,150 cash on June 2 of the same year as the carâs make.
A pictorial history of Huntleyâs automotive past is included in the print version of the Sun Day’s April 7 edition, and you may download an electronic copy (in PDF format) by clicking here. So from the Buick dealership that used to be where Strodeâs Furniture now stands and the gas station and auto shop that is now Anchor Spa and Pool on Main Street to modern-day Drendelâs Corner and Tom Peck Ford, we hope you enjoy the scenic ride into Huntleyâs automotive history.
Contributors: Material and information provided by and assembled with the help of Huntley Historians Jake Marino, Tom Conly, and Huntley Historian and Images of America Huntley author Nancy Bacheller. Other resources provided by the Huntley Area Public Library. Permission for use of photos credit in captions.
