HISTORIC STORYLINE

1838 Start of James Cunningham, Sons & Company, building horse-drawn carriages.

1865 End of the Civil War on April 9th.

1865    Harry L. Day, born on December 12th in Dayton, Nevada.

1886 The Day family, seeking more fertile opportunities, moves to Wardner, Idaho from Truckee, California.

1886 Birth of the modern car with German inventor Karl Benz patenting his Benz Patent-Motorwagen.

1889 Hercules claim staked by Harry Day (bookkeeper & clerk), age 24 and Fred Harper (local prospector).

1890 Statehood granted for Idaho on July 3rd.

1892 First major labor confrontation during attempts of miners to unionize.

1899 Second major labor strike (with the Days, being sympathetic to the laborers).

1900    Marriage of Harry Day to Helen Bernadette Dwyer at the Cataldo Mission, Idaho.

1901 Hercules big discovery after 12 years of hardship working claim and leveraging new partners.

1901+ Harry focuses on growing mining operations while working through a host of challenges as independent operator.

1902    Birth of Harry's only child, Henry Lawrence Day, in Spokane, Washington.

1902 Automobile Association of America (AAA) is formed.

1905 Harry and family move to Wallace, Idaho (from Burke, Idaho).

1908 James Cunningham, Sons & Company begins building motor vehicles.

1908 Henry Ford launches the Model T for $825 (over 15,000,000 would be produced through 1927).

1910 The Big Burn destroyed much of Wallace after burning through 3 million acres of forest.

1910    Harry joins group that purchased the Portland Hotel (including Edward Boyce, married to sister Elenor Day).

1914 World War 1 begins (lasts through 1918, with approx. 16 millions deaths attributed).

1919    Harry pays $7,468 for his James Cunningham, Son & Company Inside Drive Limousine (San Francisco).

1919 Henry begins his studies at UC Berkeley (Graduating in 1923).

1920    Harry purchased home in Montecito, near Santa Barbara.

1921 Harry and Henry attend Rose Bowl in Pasadena (at Tournament Park), where the Cal Bears football team beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 28-0 to win the NCAA title.

1922 Harry and Henry return to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where the Cal Bears tied the Washington & Jefferson Presidents 0-0, to repeat as NCAA champs.

1922    Harry continues Hercules management while gradually turning over duties to his son Henry.

1932    The Cunningham is retired into cold storage with more than 130,000 miles traveled.

1937    Marriage of Henry L. Day to Lois Ecius Flohr.

1939    Birth of Henry’s only child, Barbara Flohr Day.

1939 World War II begins (ends 1942, 45- 60 million deaths attributed).

1942    Harry Day died in Santa Barbara on November 19. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Spokane. (age 77).

1947 Henry consolidates all mining properties into newly formed Day Mines, Inc.

1973    Henry extracts the Cunningham from cold storage for restoration in Clarkston, Washington.

1974    Restoration by Robert Larabee celebrated on a tour around Coeur d’Alene with the family.

1974    Henry drives the Cunningham in the Centennial Parade for Wallace, Idaho, joined by his grandson Michael.

1978 Days of the Hercules, written by John Fahey, published by University of Idaho Press.

1981 Day Mines, Inc. merged into Hecla Mining Co., elevating it to the largest silver mining operation in the US.

1985    Death of Henry L. Day. Cunningham title conveyed to Henry's daughter Barbara Day (Whitesel).

1986    Long term care and storage arranged by Barbara's youngest son, Michael Day Whitesel.

1993    Barbara transferred tile of the Cunningham to Michael.

2000    The Cunningham is entered into the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach.

2001    Display at Concours d'Elegance, Forest Grove, Oregon, before going back into cold storage.

2021. Preparations begin for the Cunningham’s roadworthiness.

2022    The journey begins!