In the early summer, the car
was unveiled for a series of test runs, which attracted fascinated onlookers. “Up Colfax Avenue by the
Capitol it went steadily at a slow speed of 4 miles per hour as the builder claims it can take any hill,” the Post reported. “The wagon is as handsome as it is possible to make a vehicle of that nature. Silver leaf gold, dark red and maroon on the body contrast with the yellow and brown of the solid rubber-tired wheels.” On the eve of the trip, Temple
and Cabler stacked 1,000 pounds of food, clothing and automotive supplies into the back. After the brief pit stop in
Littleton, Temple headed to a trail that paralleled the Denver & Rio Grande railroad, and continued farther beyond the city limits on the rocky terrain. The physical effort needed to shift gears and to steer the heavy wagon would’ve left Temple sore and weary. Even on smooth and level surfaces, it took both hands, both feet and both eyes to move the car down the road. Mechanical breakdowns were
a predictable part of motoring for years: engines overheated, carburetors cracked, spark plugs shorted out, tires burst on the rutted roads of the horse age. And every turn of the wheel kicked up debris that caked their bodies and got into their nostrils despite a wardrobe that included goggles, coat and gloves. Dust and unreliability were
constant traveling companions. Colorado Springs residents
eagerly awaited a glimpse of the vehicle. Once a hardscrabble frontier town, Colorado Springs had blossomed into “a city of millionaires” as a result of the gold strikes in Victor and Cripple Creek. Rows of majestic homes
A wagon train heads up Ute Pass.
lined new upscale neighborhoods, stylish carriages with leather interiors cruised down gas-lit streets, and broad new avenues seemed to announce the coming of the 20th century. But the fi rst automobile still hadn’t rolled into town. “If all goes well with the machine,” a story in the Colorado
Springs Gazette explained, “E.J. Cabler, accompanied by his wife, will arrive in Colorado Springs this afternoon or tonight.” Temple and the Cablers didn’t made it to Colorado Springs
that night. They ran out of gas and the next day received a canister of fuel to resume their journey. When the car fi nally chugged into town, they decided to stay an extra day to showcase the car to admirers. “They gave an exhibition in the streets, which was in every way successful,’’ the Cripple Creek Morning Times reported.
EnCompass January/February 2012 35
© Denver Public Library, Western History/Genealogy Dept.
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