Elgin 501-170

As bicycles became primarily a children’s toy in the 1920s, the production and sale of them shifted from bicycle manufacturers and specialty dealers to department stores. Companies like Sears, Roebuck & Company and Montgomery Ward partnered with suppliers like Goodyear and Firestone to become the major brands and sellers of children’s bicycles. By making bulk contracts with parts manufacturers and assemblers, department stores were able to create inexpensive models for even larger markets.
Elgin was the store brand for Sears before World War II. Multiple manufacturers made a variety of Elgin models, including Westfield Manufacturing Company, originally founded as Pope Manufacturing Company in 1876 to produce high wheelers. Like many children’s bicycles of this era, Elgin designs mimicked the lines of automobiles. These bicycles were meant to give riders the sense of independence before they could be licensed to drive.
This is the childhood bicycle of Leone Knowles, who grew up in Presque Isle in the 1940s. It still retains her 1947 City of Presque Isle license plate.