Davis-Westholt Manufacturing, Inc.
Westholt Manufacturing Inc.
925 West Harry
Wichita, Kansas 67213
Known originally as Davis-Westholt the company was founded sometime between 1939 and 1941. The story goes that two men who were welders for Beech Aircraft started Davis-Westholt as a small aircraft parts factory. One of the men's name was Loyd R. Westholt. Their first customer was Beech. By December 24, 1941 they were starting construction on a 19,000 square feet manufacturing facility on the NE corner of Harry and Mc Lean Blvd to meet the demands of the defense industry as World War II loomed over the nation. During this time the company also manufactured farm machinery.
Loyd R. Westholt was born on November 3, 1900 and moved from Long Island, New York to Wichita, Kansas in 1939. He continued as President of the company until his death on February 12, 1972 at age 71. His burial took place in Johnson County Memorial Gardens, Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Sometime in the early 1980's, possibly 1982 or 1984, Westholt Manufacturing declared bankruptcy.
Tent trailers were only one aspect to Westholt's business. Research to-date shows Westholt to be involved in the manufacturing of tent trailers from 1960 until 1966. These dates represent my best estimate. I tend to believe Westholt exited the camping trailer market as a result of the design changes taking place within the industry. Either the company had to redesign their trailers and retool their manufacturing facilities or focus on other more profitable lines of business.