knife
Catalog Number
2013.34.8Description
Rooks Transfer case knifeHistory
John Rooks (1898-1944) of Rooks Transfer Line began his freight, baggage, and trucking business in 1920 from his home base at 250 West Fourteenth Street in Holland, MI.In 1928 the first specially designed trucks brought new automobiles directly from Detroit assembly plants, thereby keeping the speedometers at zero miles.
John Rooks moved his operations to 147 East Seventh Street by 1934,
and by 1940 he had moved again to 13-15 West Seventh Street.
Rooks Transfer added refrigerated service in the 1940s, and John Van Dyke Jr. replaced John Rooks as president by 1949.
The company provided overnight delivery service from Holland, Zeeland, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Allegan to Chicago.
About 1953 James Rooks, brother of John and one of his drivers, split off Rooks Express as a local carrier. James retired in 1969 and his son Lester, who had driven for his father since 1961, took over. When Van Dyke sold Rooks Transfer in the early 1980s, it had 60 tractors, 150 trailers, and 180 employees. Lester Rooks closed Rooks Express in 1978.