Fort Wayne, IN: Dana/Salisbury Axle Works

(3D Satellite)

Most of the big companies that I remember in Fort Wayne during my childhood such as GE, International Harvester, and Zollner Pistons are now gone. But it appears that Dana still exists.

Don Brown posted
Salisbury Axle Works 1930 - 1945
Royce White Now Dana.

Clarence Spicer invented the universal joint in 1904. This allowed car manufactures to replace the chain drive with a driveshaft. Spicer was an inventor, not a businessman. Attorney Charles Dana buys controlling interest in 1914 and becomes president and treasurer in 1916. [Dana]

C.W. Salisbury patented an automobile wheel and started a company in 1901. [LandRover]

Dana grew Spicer in 1919 by buying frame, transmission, and axle manufacturers. Salsbury Axle later becomes the Spicer Axle Division of Dana. [Dana]

Salsbury was moved to Toledo in 1929 to be closer to the center of the automotive industry. Their axles were used in many automotive vehicles including the Jeep. "The Jeep proved so popular that in 1945 Salisbury had to build a new plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana." [LandRover] So Don's comment about the dates seems to be wrong.