In 1867, Canada’s Confederation year, a carpenter by the name of Robert McLaughlin founded a carriage-making business 20 kilometres northeast of Oshawa. Thirteen years later, seeking a new market, he moved his business to a location near the intersection of Simcoe Street and the Kingston Road in the Four Corners. The son of a Presbyterian Irish immigrant family, McLaughlin had started a business hand-carving axe handles that grew into a major local carriage works. He sought a new location in Oshawa not only because of its strong industry (he was already doing business with many of the local foundries and tanneries), but also to make a new start away from his better-established family members.
In 1880 McLaughlin patented his signature “McLaughlin Gear” – a swiveling “fifth wheel” undercarriage for a horse-drawn buggy – and it made his fortune. Simple and sturdy, it provided easy turning and a smooth ride. Above all, it was inexpensive to manufacture. These were all vital features in Canada’s growing industrial market.
Within a year, McLaughlin Gear and carriages were being sold all across Canada. Some ten years later McLaughlin Carriage Works was one of the largest in the country, employing 300 workers. By 1914 the company was the largest carriage maker in the British Empire, exporting vehicles as far away as India. McLaughlin became a major local employer, and Robert McLaughlin a fixture in the local community. McLaughlin funded Oshawa’s first OHL team, was the first president of the city YMCA, and was elected mayor several times.
Picture 2
An original 1908 McLaughlin-Buick Model F, the first motorcar produced in Oshawa. The vehicle is parked in front of the main doors of Parkwood, R.S. McLaughlin’s estate.
Jil McIntosh, Old Autos