In the 1880's the small town of Ellis, Kansas, was on the fringe of the "wild" West. Buffaloes still roamed the prairie, and buffalo meat was more common than beef. Indians occasionally came to town, and cowboys often rode in from the ranches.

The only connection between Ellis and the rest of the country was the Union Pacific Railroad. To young Walter Chrysler this railroad was more important than anything else in Ellis. It was more important than anything else in the country or even the world.

Walter's father was an engineer on the Union Pacific Railroad, and Walter wanted to become an engineer, too.  There could be no finer job, he thought, than driving a locomotive across the vast plains of Kansas.

Later on, when Walter began to grow up, he changed his mind about becoming an engineer. He developed a great love for tools and decided that he would rather be a machinist. Then he would have an opportunity to make things—a fond ambition in life.

Walter Chrysler began his career as an apprentice machinist in the roundhouse at Ellis. From this simple beginning he rose thorugh sheer ability, ambition, and perseverance to...

From the dust jacket