Trucking

The trucking industry grew alongside that of the automobile, as inventors found new ways to mechanize horse-drawn vehicles, from delivery and police wagons to hearses and fire carts. Truck usage during World War I, the world’s first mechanized war, greatly increased sales back on the home front. In Joplin, the truck became an essential adjunct to local businesses, such as Osborne Paper Company shown here, which used them for deliveries. With Joplin’s standing as “Crossroads of America,” the city quickly developed into headquarters for many commercial trucking companies. Not only did they supply Joplin with fruit and produce from either coast, Canada, and Mexico, but they also shipped out locally produced goods.