Elwell Parker equipment dates back to the later 1800s and Silent Hoist & Crane to the early 1900s. Hoist Liftruck in Chicago, Illinois was created from the acquisition of Silent Hoist and purchased Elwell Parker in 2000. Hoist's website has some good black and white photos, as well as brief history of their company. In fact, Hoist just announced that they are going to begin building countainer handlers for ports in addition to their pneumatic line over 80 years since Silent Hoist equipment was prominent in New York ports in the 1920s.