HISTORY OF “OLD BLUE”

My grandfather, Robert C. Peterson purchased this 1965 Ford F-100 4×4 in 1965 while he was a mechanic at the Bowman Sales & Service in Bowman, ND. The pickup quickly was nicknamed “Old Blue” by several family members and the name stuck.
Old Blue was primarily a farm and ranch pickup that was often seen with a fuel tank and tool boxes in the back and was no stranger to hauling a load of gravel or a tall stack of square bales on the farm and ranch. Old Blue was the only 4×4 in the family so, many times, it was the only vehicle that could be relied on during the harsh ND winters. When the family or neighbors couldn’t get to town, Old Blue could!

Rob and Old Blue went hand in hand. Couldn’t see one without thinking about the other. At a very young age, I took a liking to the old pickup. I would walk or ride bike to Rob’s farm in order to drive Old Blue back to my parents’ house to get it all cleaned up only for Old Blue to be back in the field or doing chores on the farm the following Monday. Jared grew to love this old pickup and threw many hay bales and rocks in the back of the pickup over the years while it idled across the field in 1st gear!

Old Blue remained original for the most part, but it needed its 352 engine replaced for once in its life and the second 352 was tired, but kept running as long as you kept oil in it! The drivetrain remained unchanged throughout the years. Grandpa Rob always joked around with me that he was going to make Old Blue into a pickup trailer and they always went back and forth with the jokes that pertained to the old pickup. It was something they both loved, the pickup and the jokes!

In 2011, Grandpa Rob and I went on a pheasant hunt on the farm. I wanted to drive Old Blue. “Why the heck do you want to drive this old junker?!” joked Grandpa Rob. “Because I love this old thing! I promise you, I will restore it someday if you let me! It would be so awesome!” I exclaimed.

While on their way home from hunting pheasants, Grandpa Rob asked me what I would ever do with Old Blue if it was mine. “You wouldn’t make it into some hot rod mud-bogger with loud exhaust and stereo would you?!” joked grandpa Rob. I went on to tell of my vision, dreams, and aspirations that I had for Old Blue. Some minor modifications, but not varying a whole lot from what the pickup was known to be. I talked about how special it would be to restore Old Blue even if Grandpa couldn’t understand why I would want to do such a thing.

Grandpa Rob passed away in June of 2012 and just days before his passing, they talked on the phone and Grandpa was joking about it being time to make that old hunk of junk pickup into a trailer. I reminded him of the conversation we had about it being restored someday and Grandpa Rob just laughed. “You’ll have more money into it than it is ever worth you young whipper-snapper!”

It was a short time later that Rob’s will was read and in it were the words, “Old Blue is to be willed to Jared.”

I stuck to my promise to my grandpa and after 10 years since his passing, I was finally able to make that promise, and my dream a reality. I completed the restoration exactly how I told my grandpa I would do it. “A bigger engine with more power, mild lift with bigger tires, air conditioning and a tilt steering wheel, bright paint, and of course, loud mufflers and stereo grandpa!!”

Old Blue remains a legacy within the family and many friends. Many have watched the transformation of this “old junker” into a sight to be seen. Never forgetting Grandpa Rob and the many memories that were made with this old pickup. OLD BLUE!

Thank you!

Jared Bloomgren