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Cora V. Taylor
Cora V. Taylor (March 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] Early lifeCora V. Phillips was born in March 1884 in Owosso, Michigan to Richard and Mary Phillips. She worked as a clerk at the D M Christian store in Owosso before her marriage to Wayne E. Taylor on 30 October 1907[3] and the two owned a 600 acre stock farm in Owosso.[4] Bus companyThe 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][5][6] Wayne Taylor served in the Army Signal Corps in World War I and Cora ran the bus line.[7] 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.[8] 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".[9] Taylor was interested in Michigan history, researched the Michigan Native populations, and named each bus line after an Ottawa, Potawatomie or Chippewa tribal chief.[9][8] 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.[6] The company was still owned by Taylor family members as of 2023.[2][10] CommemorationTaylor 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.[11] References
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