Milton Reeves

Milton Othello Reeves (August 25, 1864 – June 4, 1925) was an early pioneer of the American automobile industry.[1] He was born on a farm in Rush County, Indiana, on August 25, 1864, to William Franklin Reeves and Hannah M. Gilson and educated in Knightstown.After some months of study and experimentation, Reeves invented a variable-speed transmission to control the saws' speed.Marshal was the driving force behind this venture having first invented a tongueless corn plow in 1869 and in 1875 he formed the Hoosier Boy Cultivator Company with his father and uncle.[4] Reeves is credited as building either the fourth or fifth American automobile, called at the time a motocycle.By 1899 Reeves' brothers were no longer supporting the motocycle's development mainly because of the lack of reliable engines.In 1905 he produced an air cooled, valve in head motor with individually cast cylinders, splash lubrication, and intake and exhaust manifolds on opposite sides.Other auto companies using Reeves engines at various time during the period were Auburn, Autobug, Chatham, Mapleby, and Moon.