Perhaps you’ve driven by a large old green and white building located at 1823 East 17th Street in Little Rock which appears to be a warehouse or a a former factory. Hundreds of people drive past this structure every day not knowing that at one time it housed Arkansas’s only automobile manufacturer-- the Climber Motor Corporation.
Climber produced both cars and trucks that were meant to better handle the state’s antiquated road system than previous modes of transportation. Three Little Rock businessmen, William Drake, Clarence Roth and Davis Hopson incorporated the Climber Motor Corporation in 1919. Their goal was to produce automobiles that would drive well on paved roads, as well as the primitive dirt and gravel roads once abundant in Arkansas. The men also wanted their vehicles to be able to climb (henceforth the name Climber) the steep roads in the Ozark Mountains as well as the flat long stretches of road found in Arkansas’s delta.
The company’s first incarnation of its board of directors was made up of Drake as president, Roth as vice president and Hopson as secretary-treasurer. A company reorganization in October 1919 resulted in Henry Buhler, Climber’s general manager, being promoted to president. Lloyd Judd became treasurer and Richard Fletcher became secretary and plant manager. Roth remained on as vice president. Two of the three founders, Drake and Hopson, both left Climber to pursue other opportunities.
For its first production facility, Climber Motor Corporation purchased a 20-acre site on East 17th Street in Little Rock. Its location was perfect, as it was both far from the city’s residential areas and located next to tracks operated by the Rock Island and Missouri Pacific railroads.
Construction on Climber’s first factory began in January 1919, with the truck division being the first (and ultimately only) building built. According to blueprints located in the state archives, several other buildings were planned but never constructed. The truck factory was finished later that year. As construction began on Climber’s production facility, the board of directors began raising capital, finding skilled workers and obtaining the materials and parts needed to produce automobiles.
Unfortunately, Climber production got off to a rocky start. Its factory was constantly dealing with a parts shortage to the point Climber employees were forced to design and make their own. In October 1919, the company was reorganized again and William Drake retired as its president. Eventually, most all of Climber’s initial production problems were resolved by early 1920.
In an effort to drum up excitement about their vehicles, Climber paraded 19 cars up Little Rock’s Main Street with Arkansas governor Charles Brough riding in the lead car. In another publicity effort, a Climber car was driven up the steps of Arkansas’s state capitol building. The thought was that if a Climber car could climb up the capitol steps successfully, it could handle any terrain in the state.
Despite the board’s best efforts, a constant shortage of capital plagued the company from the start. And even with an initial $1 million stock offering and a massive marketing campaign, Climber was forced to file bankruptcy in February 1924. The Pulaski County Chancery Court placed Climber under the control of a receiver, attorney Xenophon O. Pindall. Pindall sold all of Climber’s holdings and the company closed its doors. At its end, the Climber Motor Corporation produced approximately 200 cars and about 75 trucks. Following its closure, Climber’s truck factory building was used to build light aircraft, and later, toilet paper.
Out of the nearly 300 vehicles Climber manufactured, only two are known to have survived and both are part of the collection of the Museum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton (Conway County).
Today, the Climber Motor Corporation truck factory building is still standing and is currently in use. The historical significance of the building was recognized with it being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2005.
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