North Omaha has hosted large and small industry throughout its history, starting in the 1860s and extending to this day. One of the major manufacturers that has called North Omaha home was the Douglas Motors Corporation.
In 1918, the Douglas Motors plant opened at 4024 North 30th Street, near the Druid Hill School. Originally known as the Drumond Motor Car Company, the company was founded in Omaha in 1917.
Drummond built cars for touring and roadsters, as well as a town car. However, they were only built for a year.
In 1918, the company name was changed to the Douglas Motors Corporation. They built a new plant in North Omaha where the Douglas V-8 was made, along with some commercial trucks, and continued manufacturing trucks there until the mid 1930s. The company was closed during the Great Depression.
The Exide Corporation, which manufactures batteries, operated here in the 1990s. After their building was designated a part of the Omaha Superfund cleanup site, Exide moved to southwest Omaha. After the plant was demolished and remediation on the site was completed, the Omaha Police Department built a new substation at the location.
You Might Like…
- A History of North Omaha’s Stroud Company
- A History of the Omaha Motor Car Company in North Omaha
- A History of the North 30th and Ames Commercial District
Elsewhere Online
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North Omaha History 
Greetings Adam, is there a list of workers at the Douglas truck factory in 1918? Or a lust of who purchased the first trucks built by the factory? My grandmothers diary reads my grandfather Edgar Wenquist “had” one of the first trucks in Omaha, then died in 1920 there Is there a way to verify? They arrived in Douglas County around 1884-85; and the Hayduks there after Edgar died. Thank you Denice Hayduk Wenquist Santa Barbara Ca
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Hi Denice, and thanks for writing! I have no idea where that kind of info ever ends up, but I really doubt it exists anywhere. The Nebraska State Historical Society has some old company records for businesses throughout the state’s history, but I don’t know whether they have any from the Douglas Motors Corp.
Good luck in your search! Have any pics? I’d love to see!
-Adam
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Denice, please feel free to email us at nshs.reference@nebraska.gov and we can look through our records.
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Thanks for that response Chris – awesome!
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Thank you both, and happy holidays! I sent Chris an email request today.
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Hi there. My grandpa purchased a 1932 Douglas truck in 1932. It is #1 of only 5 made. It is on display at the Durham Museum in Omaha. There is a picture of it at the beginning of this page, except they printed it incorrectly. It says it is a 1918 Douglas truck. Well I guess that is wrong..haha, since they never made it until 1932. The company started making trucks in 1918 until the late 1930’s. My grandpa’s name was Emil Knudsen. My uncle Don refurbished the whole truck as you see it now. Where can I find more information on the value of this truck? As far as I know there are only 2 maybe 3 in existence. Thanks in advance. You could email me if you’d like. cruzfan@gpcom.net Linda
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My dad got a 1918 Douglas touring car for free in about 1950 from our neighbor in Omaha. They had hired someone to close in their garage and took a trip as the work was done. I guess they just assumed the contractor would remove the car first. When they got back and realized the old car was still in their new family room, he offered it to my dad if he could remove it without destroying the new room. He accepted the challenge, took the car apart and walked it, piece by piece, through a walk through door to our house next door where he cleaned, polished and put it all back together again. This was quite a feat as my father was no mechanic. (unlike his son). I fell through the battery holder of this car as he was working on it (I was probably about a year old). He ended up with a real prize and won first place Concours D Elegance at Offutt AFB in 1953 ( I still have the Silver trophy ) He also helped start and was the first president of the Horseless Carriage Club of Omaha. Just as a side note of historical interest their club did fundraising for polio research. I understand only about 50 of these were made. I’d sure like to know where this one is .
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