According to Ford, its first official pickup rolled out of a Highland Park, Michigan, assembly plant on July 27, 1917. Aimed at farmers, the truck was ready to be used and abused by the people Henry Ford grew up around. Over the next 100 years, the truck transformed from a farm implement and industry tool to one of the most popular vehicles on the road.

The modern Ford pickup name, F-150, was introduced in 1975, along with the ad slogan “Built Ford Tough”

Of course, the trucks grew in leaps and bounds in popularity (and size) through the 1920s and ‘30s, but we had to wait until 1948 for Ford’s prominent F-series to hit the streets. For the more common Ford Truck nomenclature, we had to wait until 1953 to get the Ford F-100 attached to the half-ton pickup. Ford also introduced the Ranchero in 1957, which was essentially a standard two-door Ranch Wagon with only part of a roof. The modern Ford pickup name, F-150, was introduced in 1975, along with the ad slogan “Built Ford Tough.”

Ford’s 2018 F-150 Police Responder will join sheriff’s offices, border patrol, and state and local agencies this spring.The new police-pursuit-rated F-150 features Ford’s …

Since then, we’ve seen three big additions to the Ford pickup family: the Super Duty line, plus the performance-oriented F-150 Raptor and the F-150 Lightning. Both the Super Duty line of heavy-duty pickups and the Raptor have cemented Ford trucks in the modern world as both robust tools for work and a possible race trucks, just a roll cage away from competing in desert races. The Lightning, meanwhile, was Ford’s attempt at a powerful muscle truck, aiming directly at GMC’s Syclone pickup.

With as much history as Ford pickups have, it’s hard not to see them thriving in their second century. Ford’s F-150 will likely see hybrid tech in the coming years, which will be a far cry from the lowly 1917 Model TT.