By The Chronicle Staff

Mention American automotive history and one state probably comes to mind immediately: Michigan.

Detroit isn't called the Motor City for nothing. But travel a little farther south and you'll find another state that played a remarkably important role in putting America behind the wheel – Ohio.

In fact, automotive historian Daniel Strohl made the case in Hemmings that Ohio deserves considerably more recognition for its contributions to the American automobile industry. Cleveland was such an important center of early automobile manufacturing that it made a legitimate run at becoming America's Motor City before Detroit eventually claimed the title.

The story begins near the very beginning of the American automobile.

Alexander Winton, a Scottish immigrant who settled in Cleveland, drove his first automobile in 1896.

Winton became one of America's most important early automakers. His vehicles participated in early long-distance journeys, including some of the first attempts to cross the United States by automobile, Strohl noted in the Hemmings.com.

More importantly, Winton helped convince Americans that the automobile wasn't simply an unusual mechanical experiment — it was something ordinary people might actually want to own.

Then there was Packard.

Today, Packard is generally associated with Detroit and its enormous factory on East Grand Boulevard. But the company actually got its start in Warren, Ohio.

James Ward Packard and his associates built their first automobile there in 1899. The company originally planned to remain in Ohio and reportedly considered constructing a larger manufacturing facility in Cleveland before ultimately relocating automobile production to Detroit in 1903, Strohl said.

Ohio's Packard story didn't end there. Packard Electric remained in Warren, producing wiring and electrical components before eventually becoming part of General Motors in 1932, according to the Hemmings.com article.

Cleveland also became an early center for something that seems surprisingly modern today: electric cars.

Hundreds of companies experimented with battery-powered automobiles during the industry's early years, and Hemmings reports that Cleveland alone was home to approximately 100 electric-car companies. Among the most successful was Baker Electric, established in 1898.

Baker became one of America's best-known early electric automobile manufacturers. Thomas Edison was reportedly a fan of the company's cars, and Baker even experimented with electric racing vehicles. The company later merged with fellow Cleveland automaker Rauch & Lang before eventually leaving automobile production.

Ohio also produced luxury automobiles.

Cleveland-based Peerless was once mentioned alongside Packard and Pierce-Arrow as one of America's prestigious "Three Ps." Peerless automobiles could cost $6,000 or $7,000 in the mid-1900s — extraordinary amounts of money at the time.

The company continued building automobiles until 1931 and even developed an aluminum-bodied V-16 prototype in an unsuccessful attempt to remain in the luxury-car business, according to Hemmings.com.

Then there are the people.

Barney Oldfield, one of America's first great automobile racing celebrities, was born in Wauseon, Ohio. He began racing bicycles before moving into automobiles, eventually working with Henry Ford and becoming one of the country's most recognizable speed personalities.

Charles Kettering was another Ohioan whose influence stretched far beyond the state. Born in Ohio, Kettering established the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company — better known as Delco — and became one of the most influential inventors in automotive history.

Ohio's Akron-based rubber and tire industry also became essential as automobile ownership exploded across the country, Hemmings.com reports.

Even the automatic transmission has an Ohio connection.

Cleveland inventor Cyrus Kurtz developed an automatic transmission years before Canadian inventor Alfred Horner Munro received credit in many historical accounts. Kurtz had operational automobiles equipped with his system in production by 1920. His company didn't survive, but his work became part of Ohio's largely forgotten automotive story.

And then there is perhaps Ohio's most recognizable automotive connection of all: Jeep.

The Jeep wasn't technically born in Ohio. That distinction belongs to Butler, Pa., where American Bantam played an important role in developing the original military vehicle.

But Toledo became Jeep's home.

Willys produced military Jeeps in Toledo during World War II, helping create a relationship between the city and the vehicle that continues generations later. Today, Jeep production remains an important part of Toledo's identity, with Wranglers and Gladiators continuing to roll out of Ohio assembly plants, Hemmings.com reports.

Honda also plays an important role in Ohio’s more recent automotive history. The company’s Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) was the first U.S. auto plant established by a Japanese automaker, beginning with the production of the Accord on Nov. 1, 1982.

Today, the Accord has been in continuous production in Ohio for 44 years and MAP has produced more than 13 million Accords, according to Hondanews.com.

MAP also builds the Accord hybrid, including subassembly of the hybrid battery unit and the plant is the exclusive global production facility for the Acura Integra.

In December of 1989, Honda opened the East Liberty Auto Plant just down the road from MAP as the second Honda auto production facility in the U.S.

The East Liberty Plant builds crossover and SUV models, including CR-V and CR-V hybrid and is the exclusive global production facility for the Acura MDX. ELP has produced over 7.2 million vehicles since its opening.

Ohio's automotive connections don't end there.

John William Lambert built a gasoline-powered automobile in Mechanicsburg in 1891, according to Hemmings. The last Divco delivery trucks were built in Delaware.

The Owen Magnetic, associated with Cleveland's Baker Rauch & Lang, became an early example of a gasoline-electric hybrid system. Columbus later became home to the remains of the DeLorean Motor Company after businessman Sol Shenk purchased its inventory following the company's collapse.

Ohio remains connected to automotive culture through companies such as Columbus-founded Jeg's and Summit Racing, which takes its name from Summit County.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the story, though, is what could have been.

During the earliest days of automobile manufacturing, Cleveland wasn't simply another city making cars. It was one of the industry's major centers.

Northeast Ohio developed a network of manufacturers and suppliers producing everything from automobiles and rubber to bearings and paint. After Detroit surpassed Cleveland in production volume, Cleveland remained particularly important in the production of expensive luxury automobiles, Hemmings.com reports.

Detroit ultimately won the Motor City title, but Ohio helped build the industry that made that title worth having.

From some of America's earliest production automobiles and electric cars to Packard, Peerless, racing legends, automotive innovations and manufacturing, the Buckeye State's fingerprints can be found throughout more than a century of automotive history.

Michigan may be America's most famous automotive state.

Ohio has a pretty good argument for being one of its most important. ■