From Cattle Trails to Horseless Carriages

In November 1905, St. Petersburg got its first glimpse of the future when Edwin Tomlinson brought the city’s first automobile to town.

His vehicle, an Orient Buckboard, looked more like a stripped down wagon than a modern car. With its engine mounted in the back, it could reach a top speed of about six miles per hour.

Built by the Waltham Manufacturing Company in Massachusetts, the 1905 Orient Buckboard was marketed as the cheapest automobile in the world, priced at around $375.

It was designed for everyday people, especially doctors and farmers, and featured a simple wooden frame that flexed over rough ground instead of using springs.

At the time, St. Petersburg had only a handful of roads. One followed an old cattle trail from Hillsborough County to Big Bayou. Another ran east to west near Lake Maggiore, and Disston Boulevard, now 49th Street, cut through the area.

Tomlinson’s “horseless carriage” soon sparked interest across the city. Within a few years, other residents were buying cars of their own, signaling the beginning of a new era in transportation for the Sunshine City.