In the early part of the 20^th century, Cleveland was a center of automobile manufacturing and one of the successful firms was the White Motor Company. Starting in 1901 they produced first steam cars and then tractors, trucks, buses, and military vehicles. Eventually the company was sold to Volvo.

In the 1930s, White produced fleets of small buses specifically designed to carry passengers through the major national parks of the western United States. 33 of the distinctive vehicles, with roll-up canvas convertible tops, continue to operate today in Glacier National Park.