Elwood Haynes

Elwood Haynes rode the crest of industrialization brought on by the gas boom, led the county's recovery when gas ran out and left a legacy of innovation for the entire world. He led the chemistry department at Eastern Normal School (now Ball State University), and became Indiana's leading expert on the Trenton Gas Field., In 1886, he managed construction for the Portland Natural Gas and Oil Company. Haynes invented devices for measuring gas emission from wells and moisture removal from gas lines. He also invented stainless steel and Stellite. He established the Stellite Company in 1912, a company that played a role in two world wars and the space race. It remains in business today as Haynes International Inc., In 1890, Haynes began work on a self-propelled vehicle, and hired a local Kokomo machine shop to build the prototype. On July 4, 1894, he drove his car for the first time. Haynes soon began manufacturing his vehicles thus earning the title, "America's First Car". His prototype is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution., Haynes helped found the Kokomo YMCA, ran for U.S. Senate in 1916 and was appointed to the State Board of Education in 1920. In 2007, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit Michigan.