A BIGFOOT with 10-foot tires is proudly displayed outside BIGFOOT headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis, MO -- It is difficult for anyone following old 66 to miss the mammoth ten-foot tires underneath the standard size pickup parked alongside one of the many routes the historic highway took through St. Louis. With a large American flag flying from the bed, the rig sits outside the headquarters of Big Foot 4x4 Inc., the “driving” force behind the worldwide popularity of the monster truck industry.

The monster truck business possibly would not exist if Bob Chandler had not been riding a motorcycle near St. Louis in 1973. He might have not had the accident that ended his career in construction. But injuries did not end off-road family fun in his F-250 4x4 pickup.

Pursuing his off-road hobby with vigor, Chandler kept breaking parts and discovered there was no place in the Midwest to get 4x4 service. Recognizing a potential market, he started Midwest Four Wheel Drive and Performance Center in his garage.

Despite his new business of working on trucks, his habit of driving his truck so hard meant broken parts continued to be a problem. “It is because of your ‘big foot,’” he was told. Soon the nickname appeared in small letters on his truck door for the first time.

Bigger and better parts were added to the truck, which he used as a promotional tool for the business, and the truck itself became an attraction. In 1978 rear steering was added allowing the rear wheels to turn, and in 1979 the truck appeared in a Denver car show.