EUCLID, INC., was one of the world's leading firms in the manufacture of off-highway, earthmoving, and hauling equipment. The company began in 1926 as part of the Euclid Crane & Hoist Co., a firm founded by Geo. Armington in 1909. In 1931 Armington's son, Arthur, took over a small shop adjoining Euclid Crane at 1368 Chardon Rd. in EUCLID and incorporated Euclid Crane & Hoist's off-highway division as a separate firm, the Euclid Rd. Machinery Co. Beginning with 300 employees, the company produced as many as 20 15-ton trucks per month for the construction and mining industries. Euclid tripled its production during World War II and continued to prosper in the postwar period. In 1946 it built a new plant at E. 222nd St. and St. Clair; bought another nearby plant 3 years later; and gained an international reputation for quality equipment. When General Motors acquired the firm for $20 million in 1953, Euclid Rd. was a $33 million business with 1,600 employees turning out 170 trucks per month—over half the nation's off-highway dump trucks.