Cora V. Taylor

Cora V. Taylor (1887-January 22, 1971) was an American businesswoman from Michigan known for founding what is now the Indian Trails bus service with her husband Wayne Taylor.[1][2] She was the first woman in the United States to be issued a chauffeur's license.[1]

Cora V. Taylor
Born
Owosso, Michigan
DiedJanuary 22, 1971(1971-01-22) (aged 86–87)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Taylor was born in March 1884 in Owosso, Michigan to Richard and Mary Phillips. She married Wayne E. Taylor and the two owned a 600 acre stock farm in Owosso.[3]

The Taylors started the Phillips-Taylor Livery Service in 1910 which originally moved people and packages via Model T touring cars and autobusses from the local train station to locations around Shiawassee County.[2][4][5]

Wayne Taylor served in the Army Signal Corps in World War I and Cora ran the bus line.[6] She drove on some of the early routes, leading her to become the first woman issued a chauffeur's license in the US on April 19, 1914. The Taylors bought their first bus in 1915.[7]

As the bus line expanded and added Flint to their routes, the Owosso-Flint Bus Line became known as the Indian Trail Route because it traveled along US-12, known locally as the "Old Indian Trail".[8] Taylor was interested in Michigan history, researched the Michigan Native populations, and named each bus line after an Ottawa, Potawatomie or Chippewa tribal chief.[8][7] The bus line eventually became known as Indian Trails in 1935. Taylor succeeded her husband as president of the company when he died in 1954.[5] The company was still owned by Taylor family members as of 2023.[2][9]

Taylor was inducted into the Michigan Department of Transportation's Hall of Honor in 2006 and the Cora Taylor Safe Driving Award was created by Indian Trails in 2009.[10]

References
  1. "Cora Taylor". State of Michigan. 2022-11-30. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  2. "Indian Trails, Michigan". Indian Trails History. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  3. "Shiawasse "Show Place" Farm Sold". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. December 1, 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  4. "Indian Trails bus company celebrates 100 years in business - ABC7 Los Angeles - ABC7 Los Angeles". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  5. "Bus Line President Dies at 86". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, MI. January 22, 1971. p. 2. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  6. Walsh, M. (2020). Making Connections: The Long-Distance Bus Industry in the USA. Taylor & Francis. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-000-15221-0. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  7. Cook, Tom. "Owosso Downtown Historic District" (PDF). City of Owosso. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  8. "Cora V. Taylor & the Indian Trails Bus Line". Shiawassee History. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  9. Burden, Melissa (2008-02-16). "Mid-Michigan companies major players in motor coach industry". mlive. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  10. "Cora Taylor". State of Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
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