By the time Ford ended Model T production in 1927, more than 15 million Model T cars and 1.5 million Model TT trucks had been built. Together, they transformed how America moved—bringing affordable transportation to cities, farms, and small towns across the country. That revolution even extended into Maine's remote lumber camps.
A Ford on Snowshoes
This 1927 Ford Model TT is fitted with a Virgil White snowmobile conversion, patented in 1917. The conversion replaced the front wheels with skis and the rear wheels with a tracked drive unit, allowing the truck to travel over snow, ice, and frozen logging roads.
Essential Winter Transportation
Virgil D. White of Ossipee, New Hampshire patented the term “Snowmobile” decades before modern recreational versions existed. Widely used in lumber camps and rural industries, these rugged winter machines were also relied upon by doctors and the postal service to reach isolated communities when winter conditions made ordinary travel impossible.
Donated by Ted Crooker. Accession No. 2025.12.004.
A Ford Built for the Winter
This interactive 3D model reveals how skis and tracks replaced wheels to keep people and supplies moving through snowbound landscapes.
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