1905 De Tamble High Wheel Runabout

The De Tamble Motor Company was founded by Edward S. De Tamble in August 1909, in Anderson, Indiana. Prior to this, De Tamble headed the Speed Changing Pulley Company of Indianapolis, which built a small number of runabouts powered by two-cylinder engines. To gain exposure for their product, the De Tamble Company displayed their vehicle at the St. Louis Automobile Show in March of 1910. This, however, did not boost sales, and within a few months, a group of investors had taken control of the company. The two-cylinder runabouts sold in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, were known as the James; the ones sold in Carthage, Ohio, were called the Breeze, and the ones sold in Wimbledon, North Dakota, went by the name of Dakota. The four-cylinder vehicles continue to use the De Tamble name.

Between 1908 and 1910, the De Tamble Company produced roughly 2,000 vehicles.

The first company takeover was short-lived, lasting no more than 6-10 months before another round of investors, dealers, and creditors took over, and Edward S. De Tamble was removed as president and J.J. Appel took his place. 1911 was another tough year for De Tamble, especially with the plants being shut down at various times, and production was limited.

In early 1912, James W. Sansberry became the new general manager of De Tamble. By June, the company was in receivership, but by June of the following year, was back in production. Another shutdown soon followed, and by November of 1915, the company's assets had been sold to Elmer Eckhouse. De Tamble had officially joined the numerous automotive brands that were born, struggled, and died since the dawn of the industry.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020