When your car breaks down today, it's a simple matter to call a towing service and have a truck deliver fuel, jump your battery, or haul you to an auto repair shop. It wasn't always this easy. In the early days of the automobile, if your vehicle failed, you were left to your own devices. To help you understand how the industry developed, Bland Street Auto Center, a towing and auto repair service in Bluefield, WV, discusses the origins of the tow truck in the sections below.

The Accident at Chickamauga Creek

The towing industry began in 1916 in Chattanooga, TN, when Ernest Holmes, Sr., a local gas station owner, received word that a motorist had driven his car into Chickamauga Creek. He and nearly 20 colleagues and neighbors spent the next 8 hours freeing the vehicle from the water. It was such a chore that Mr. Holmes swore to come up with a better method. He and two of his friends, Elmer Gross and L.C. Decker, devised a plan to build a wrecker that could lift a vehicle and tow it to safety.

The First Tow Truck

His tow truck prototype—a hoist bolted to the chassis of a 1913 Cadillac—was not entirely successful. However, by 1919, Holmes and his crew perfected the design by adding outriggers to stabilize the towing vehicle as it lifted the target. He received a patent that gave him exclusive rights to sell his tow truck, and he ran the company successfully until his death in 1945, when his son, Ernest Holmes, Jr., took over management duties. Today, the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum in Chattanooga is home to this first tow truck, as well as other important industry mementos.

The tow truck has evolved into an essential resource that can get you and your vehicle out of a tight spot and back to safety when the worst happens. For expert towing and auto repairs—including brakes, transmission repairs, or tire alignment—in Mercer, Bland, or Tazewell County, contact Bland Street Auto Center. All of their technicians are ASE®-certified, and they offer 24/7 emergency tow truck service. Visit their website to connect with them online, or call (304) 327-5025 to request service.