Only Automobile Built in Alaska

Alaska pioneer Bobby Sheldon built his car in Skagway in 1905.

Pictured above is Bobby Sheldon in Skagway, Alaska.

At the age of 22, Bobby Sheldon decided to build an automobile… to impress a girl.

It was like this.

In 1905, a girl that Bobby liked was being escorted around Skagway in a fancy horse and buggy by the son of a local doctor. Bobby thought that if he had an automobile, he would win the girl over.

But Bobby had only seen automobiles in newspapers and magazines.

His solution was to build an automobile from salvaged parts. He got a two-cycle marine engine from a sunken boat, buggy wheels from freight carts, and his seats had been two barstools.

The 1905 Sheldon Runabout

When it was completed in 1905, Sheldon’s creation was the first ever automobile built in Alaska.

Yes, You Can Share This Edition

And when you do, your friends and family will be so happy that they will buy you the car of your dreams… well, it could happen.

Bobby Sheldon, Alaska Pioneer

Pictured above is one of Sheldon’s Ford Model T cars, crossing the Tanana River.

Sheldon went on to become the first person to cross the Valdez Trail in a gas-powered automobile. The automobile he used was a Ford Model T, not his Sheldon Runabout.

At that time, the Valdez Trail was nothing more than a 360-mile trail for dog teams linking Valdez to Fairbanks.

Over the trail, Sheldon’s trip took 4 days at an average speed of 9 miles per hour.

At one point, Bobby had a fleet of 15 Model Ts that he used to transport people from Fairbanks to Valdez over the Valdez Trail.

Bobby Sheldon’s Life

Sheldon went on to become a Road Commissioner and the first person to bus visitors into Denali National Park.

Along the way, Sheldon ran a post office for a while and served in the Alaska State Legislature.

What About the Girl?

Sheldon did take the girl on, as he put it, “many an exciting spin at 15 miles per hour.”

In a 1931 interview, a reporter asked Sheldon if he had married the girl he hoped to impress with his 1905 Sheldon Runabout.

Bobby replied, “No, but three other fellows have since then.”

Apparently, the girl’s mother had advised her daughter to “Stay away from Bobby. He’s a genius, but they’re only one step away from insanity.”

You Can See the 1905 Sheldon Runabout

You can still see The Sheldon Runabout on display at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska.

BONUS

Click on the link below to see a video of Sheldon’s automobile today.

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Bobby Sheldon was an amazing Alaska Pioneer.

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Mike and Mary Jane

Alaska Stories.com