One hundred years ago, the buzz over automobiles was constant. The car had been a luxury item at the turn of the 20th century, but by 1921 ownership was growing thanks to mass production and increased affordability.
By the end of the 1920s, about 1.9 million cars had been registered in Canada. The Ford Model T was the most widely produced four-seat vehicle from 1908 to 1927 and it was showing up in increasingly greater numbers on the streets of Calgary.
Maclin Motors, a long-time Calgary automotive business, was advertising cars at prices between $630 and $1226 in the following ad in the Calgary Daily Herald, 103 years ago this month.
The Ford Motor Company placed this ad in the Herald on Feb. 12, 1921.
The “Automobiles for Sale” section of the classified ads was growing each year with car ownership becoming more popular. To put prices in perspective, the average male wage earner in Calgary in 1921 made $1,348.89 per year, according to Statistics Canada.
This portion of a Feb. 12, 1921 article in the Herald discussed the business, social and status reasons why the demand for cars would increase.
Additional content in that day’s Herald suggested various occupations were finding increased efficiency in their jobs if they owned an automobile:
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