On this day in 1907, the Skidmore New Era reported that the very first automobile owned by a Skidmore resident – in this case, a Skidmore – had come to town. In just a few years, the town would need to amend its ordinances to address the growing number of horseless carriages on its streets. From the September 19, 1907 New Era:
Considerable attention was given the fore part of the week to W. J. Skidmore’s new automobile which was unloaded at our station Monday. This is the first machine of the kind owned by a resident of Skidmore and of course a little pride is manifested by our citizens on that account. It is of a different type to the autos that have visited our city in the past, it being of the high wheeled variety and has the appearance of a trap without a tongue.