Joel Turney - Charter Oak Wagons

"Joel Turney - Charter Oak Wagons" is an excerpt from the film "Ahead of Their Time". ©2022 Fair Field Productions
To watch the trailer or stream the entire film, visit www.vimeo.com/ondemand/aheadoftheirtime
By the 1840s, a major migration westward was underway in the United States, fueled in part by stories of gold being discovered on the West Coast.
One of those young pioneers seeking riches was 21-year-old Joel Turney, who left Columbus, Ohio with hopes for a better life and 50 dollars in his pocket. By the time Turney got to Trenton Iowa, a small town and popular waypoint for immigrants heading west, his money was gone and his dreams cut short.
By 1856, Joel Turney began making stronger wagons designed for longer journeys and built to be easier on people‘s horses. He named it after a 500-year-old tree, recognized around the country as a symbol of strength, durability, and American independence - the Charter Oak wagon.
For almost 25 years, Charter Oak wagons prospered in Trenton Iowa. Joel Turney was especially proud to work alongside his first-born son Clayton, now an accomplished blacksmith and wagon maker.
Once established in Fairfield, Joel Turney turned the day-to-day operations of the business over to his son Ellsworth, who managed it with the help of brother Dillon and J.D. Montgomery. By 1902, Turney’s 100,000 square-foot factory produced nearly 6,000 wagons a year.
The factory in Fairfield continued to produce thousands of wagons throughout the 1920s, but by the end of that decade, it became obvious a new day was fast approaching for American transportation.
In June of 1905, Joel Turney died at his Fairfield home on W. Hempstead Ave. at the age of 87.