Wilson Trailer Company
Industry
Founded
1883; 141 years ago (1883) in the Huron territory, South Dakota
Founders
Frank Taplin Wilson & George Washington Wilson (brothers)
Headquarters4400 South Lewis Blvd
Sioux City, Iowa 51106
Number of locations
Headquarters, 4 production facilities, 1 service center
Products
  • Livestock trailers
  • commodity (grain) trailers
  • flatbed trailers
  • gooseneck livestock trailers
  • self unloading belt conveyors
Number of employees
501–1000[1] (2021)
Websitewww.wilsontrailer.com

Wilson Trailer Company is an Iowa corporation, independent (privately held) cargo trailer manufacturer headquartered in Sioux City. Wilson manufactures (i) industrial road transport trailers for livestock, grain, and the like – flatbed and gooseneck design, aluminum and custom – and (ii) trailer-equipment and accessories such as self-unloading belt conveyors.[2][3]

History

Frank Taplin Wilson founded the company in 1883 as a small wagon and carriage shop in the Huron territory, South Dakota. In 1890, he moved to Sioux City, Iowa, to join his brother, George Washington Wilson (1859–1913). Wilson Trailer is still family operated by the fourth and fifth generations.

 
 
  
 Frank Taplin Wilson (1863–1947) & Kate Florence Jenkins (1872–1950)
co-founder, et ux.		George Washington Wilson (1859–1913) & Fannie Ann Main (1863–1953)
co-founder, et ux.
 
 
 Mildred Ruth Wilson (1897–1981) & Clarence Arthur Persinger (1895–1959)
daughter, et ux.
 
 
 Clarence Wilson Persinger (1923–2010) & Louise Elizabeth Gunderson (1925–2018)
grandson, et ux.
 
  
Wilson Gunderson (Bill) Persinger (born 1949) & Lynn Humphries
great-grandson, co-CEO, et ux.		John Thomas Persinger (born 1959) & Connie Jo Rosene
great-grandson, co-CEO, et ux.
 
 
Tiffany L. Persinger (born 1977) & Christopher M. Hunt (born 1976)
great-great-granddaughter, et ux.
Vice President Operations, since February 2021


Big band history – sleeper buses

In the late 1930s, Wilson began manufacturing sleeper buses for big bands, notably territory bands.[4] Lawrence Welk has speculated that he was the first to design and use a sleeper bus.[5][6]

Production plants

Wilson Trailer has six facilities:

  1. Sioux City, Iowa — headquarters
  2. Yankton, South Dakota — modern production facility
  3. Moberly, Missouri — modern production facility
  4. Lennox, South Dakota — modern production facility
  5. Sioux City, Iowa — modern production facility
  6. Sioux City, Iowa — corporate parts and service center

External links

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ "Wilson" at LinkedIn.
  2. ^ Davis, April 17, 1976.
  3. ^ Lawrence Welk sleeper (photo).
  4. ^ Shotwell, March 6, 1988.
  5. ^ Coakley.
  6. ^ Billboard, November 13, 1937.

References

  • Billboard (November 13, 1937). "Low-Price Bands Save Dough By Using Bus, Truck Trailers" (PDF). 49 (46): 17. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via americanradiohistory.com; David Frackelton Gleason (born 1946), Cleveland. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Coakley, Mary Lewis (1907–1995) (1958). Mister Music Maker, Lawrence Welk (1st ed.). Doubleday. p. 151. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Internet Archive.((cite book)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 493799 (all editions).
  • Davis, Bob (April 17, 1976). "Wilson Trailer Shows Continued Growth Here". Sioux City Journal. Vol. 112, no. 261. Sioux City. p. A15. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Shotwell, Bob (March 6, 1988). "He Still Waits for Bus; Not Any Bus; A 'Sleeper' From '30s". Des Moines Register. Vol. 139, no. 37. Des Moines. p. 1F. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

Primary references

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