Where did the idea for the first wrecker come from?
Thomas: “In 1915, Mr. Holmes made his first recovery down by Chickamauga Creek, just outside of Chattanooga. “Mr. Holmes was a mechanic and owner of Chattanooga’s first independent auto repair garage. He also attended a business school owned by a Mr. Wiley, who ran his Model T into Chickamauga Creek. Knowing that Mr. Holmes had a garage, he called on him to recover his car from the creek. It took approximately eight hours, using eight to ten men, to pull the car out. “Three months later, Holmes built his first wrecker using his own twin-boom design. The wire rope from one boom was hooked to a rock or a tree while the other was used to pull the car out. “Many wreckers built today use the same design as Mr. Holmes’ first wrecker – they even have the same angles.
