Noble G. Olds and Henry G. Olds — wagon wheels for a continent — Founders & CEOs, Fort Wayne

Noble G. Olds and Henry G. Olds — wagon wheels for a continent

Speed

The exact page text, read by your browser's voice.

Founders & CEOs

settled 1861 · works organised 1881

The Olds fortune began with a carpenter: Noble G. Olds, a carpenter and machinist, settled in Fort Wayne in 1861 and established the family's lumber yard, machine works and wagon-wheel making. His son Henry G. Olds (1839–1902) organised the Olds Wagon Works in 1881 — incorporated in 1882 with $200,000 capital, Henry as president and W. H. Olds as vice-president and treasurer — and built it into one of the largest employers of its time in the city, its plant on the south side of Murray Street between Calhoun and Lafayette. Wagon making ceased in 1907. Neither man holds a People profile; the family's fortune and its Brookside house are the Wealth section's, cross-referenced here and not retold.

Sources:

Businesses and Businesses — "Olds' Wagon Works" (Noble G. Olds's 1861 settlement and trades; the 1881 organisation, the 1882 incorporation and officers; wagon making ceasing 1907).
Great Fortunes — "The Olds Family: Wagon Wheels for a Continent" (the fortune and Brookside), cross-referenced.

Cite this page

Using this page? Copy a credit line. Last updated November 10, 2026.

Source: Noble G. Olds and Henry G. Olds — wagon wheels for a continent, Moosed History by Project Moosed, https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/fort-wayne/founders-ceos/noble-g-olds-and-henry-g-olds-wagon-wheels/

@misc{moosed-noble-g-olds-and-henry,
  title        = {{Noble G. Olds and Henry G. Olds — wagon wheels for a continent}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/fort-wayne/founders-ceos/noble-g-olds-and-henry-g-olds-wagon-wheels/}},
  organization = {Project Moosed},
  note         = {Moosed History. Last updated 2026-11-10. Accessed 2026-11-10},
  year         = {2026}
}