Annotated Title List - 40-card Stereo Travel set - August 19-21, 1909 Indianapolis Race
(Annotations in parenthesis)
jrowe@vintagephoto.com
This rare 40-card stereo set documents the first races held at the Indianapolis Speedway August 19-21, 1909. The rectangular 2 ½ mile racetrack was built at an estimated cost of $650,000 by a group of local businessmen on 328 acres about 5 miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana. The track included two long and two short straightaways and was initially paved with a mixture of crushed rock and tar. After the races, issues with the surface led to resurfacing the track with over 3 million paving bricks, and the track became the famous “Brickyard” a few months later – in December 1909.
Several races were held on the 2½ mile course August 19-21 to help promote automobile manufacturing businesses in Indiana. The race drew top drivers from across the country, some like Barnie Oldfield and Louis Chevrolet are still famous, others including Bob Burman, Jap Clemens, Ralph De Palma, Tobin DeHymel, Ray Harroun, Eddie Hearne, Tom Kincaid, Charlie Merz, and Lewis Strang are remembered only by racing aficionados.
Pioneer automobile manufacturers flocked to the event to compete for international coverage. Like the drivers a few companies like Buick, Fiat and Mercedes Benz are still familiar. Other marques attending the event like Apperson, Jackson, Marmon, Marion, National, Stoddard-Dayton, and Stearns disappeared long ago.
The first day program included two 5-mile, two10-mile races, and the 250 mile Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race. The second day included one 5-mile, two 10-mile and one 50-mile and several kilometer and mile record time trials. The final day schedule included a 5-mile, 10-mile, 15-mile, and 25 mile races. The culminating event was the 300-mile race for the 8 ½ foot tall $10,000 silver Wheeler-Schebler Trophy – claimed to be the most valuable ever offered for an automobile race and equal to the prize claimed by Glenn Curtiss for his 2 ½ hour flight from Albany to New York City in May 1910.
There were two fatalities during Thursday’s races. Driver Wilfred Borque and his mechanic Harry Holcomb were racing Knox No. 3. As Bourque was battling for the lead in the 250 mile Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race, the wheel slipped as he came through turn 4 on lap 58. The Knox swerved, hit a rut, and flipped over into a ditch. Holcomb was thrown into a post and was killed instantly. Bourque was trapped under the car and sadly also passed away. Borque was engaged to Miss Alexandria Boivin of West Springfield Massachusetts. The couple had been planning to marry on September 14. Ironically, Borque had promised his fiancée that he would give up racing after competing in the Vanderbilt cup race that fall.
The events generated huge crowds and adoring local press coverage. Each day’s racing results and records were noted, along with glowing stories about the potential for future events. Unfortunately, the “main event,’ the final Wheeler-Schebler Trophy race, was called to a halt after only 235 miles of the advertised 300 miles. As a result, the sponsor decided not to award the $10,000 silver trophy. The August 23, 1909 Indianapolis News note that:
“ …there was much regret over the enforced necessity of cancelling the event. Special cars had been built and thousands of dollars had been spent in the effort to win the big prize…”
The Stereo Travel Company stereo set documenting the 1909 Indianapolis events was likely produced by Lynn C. Skeels, who originally founded the Globe Stereoscopic Company in 1904. Lynn sold his company to the Stereo-Travel Company in 1908. After the purchase, Skeels continued as a primary photographer for the Stereo Travel Company.
One copy of this rare stereo set was sold to the New York Public Library by Robert Dennis when they purchased the collection of 35,00 stereoviews he displayed at the 1939 Wolds Fair for $5,000 in 1940. Robert immediately began collecting again, and eventually found a second set, which was acquired by the NYPL when they purchased his second collection (consisting of approximately a similar 35,000 views) in 1982. A third set surfaced in Texas and was sold for approximately $6,000. A fourth was offered recently on eBay as a Buy It Now– originally listed for the same amount as the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy purse - $10,000 and apparently selling for close to that amount. The individual views are rare, and there is no record of how many of the sets were originally produced.
Title: No. 5 - Driver William Bourque and mechanic Harry Holcomb ready to start in 250-mile race in Knox No. 3, Thursday August 19, 1909. Bourque was battling for the lead in the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race. On lap 58 as he came through turn 4, the wheel slipped, the car swerved, hit a rut, and flipped over into a ditch. Holcomb was killed instantly. Bourque was trapped under the car and sadly also passed away.
Collection of the Jeremy Rowe Vintage Photography – vintagephoto.com
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Jeremy Rowe
jrowe@vintagephoto.com
©Jeremy Rowe 2017
PUBLISHER: Stereo Travel Company
PHOTOGRAPHER: Lynn Skeels
MOUNT COLOR: gray
DATE: c. 1909
(Annotations in parenthesis)
1. Start Event A. Thursday. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
2. Line-up for start Event A. Thursday. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909. (Louis Chevrolet Buick No. 37 in foreground)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
3. (Louis) Chevrolet (Buick No. 37) after winning 10-mile race. Thursday. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
4. Ready for the 250-mile race Thursday. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909. (Lewis Strang Buick No. 36 in foreground, Thomas Kincaid National No. 6 adjacent)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
5. (William) Bourque and mechanic (Harry Holcomb) ready to start in 250-mile, in which they lost their lives. (Thursday August 19 in Knox No. 3)Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
6. Start 50-mile Friday I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
7. (Louis) Chevrolet (Buick No. 37) in 250-mile race. Thursday.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
8. Stoddard-Dayton, (Louis) Switzer in 50-mile, Friday. (Race winner)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
9. Finish 5-mile Friday, Nationals 1st and 2nd.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
10. Stopping for repairs. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
11. Start 10-mile Free-for-all. Friday.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
12. Start 100-mile. Friday; Buick (No. 36), (Lewis) Strang, won. Time 1 hour 32 min. 48 ½ sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
13. First lap 100-mile. Friday. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
14. “In the Stretch.” Marmon and two Buicks.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
15. Grand Stand, Judges, Stand, etc. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
16. Vast crowds lining fences. I. M. S.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
17. Guardians of the track.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
18. Marmon (Bruce Keene No. 17) in 15-mile, Saturday.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
19. (Spectator) Cars in parking space. I. M. S.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
20. Getting ready – 10-mile Amateur, Saturday.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
21. Starting 10-mile Amateur, Saturday. (Eddie Hearne Fiat No. 24 in foreground)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
22. No. 29 in 10-mile Amateur, Saturday.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
23. Fiat (No. 23), (Eddie) Hearne, winning 10-mile Amateur, 9 min. 44 3/10 sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
24. (J. Walter) Christie’s world-beater. Record one mile in 18 7/10 sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
25. Waiting call to race. (2 Marmon – Ray Haroun no. 16 visible in foreground, Stillman No 15 behind)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
26. (Barney) Oldfield (Benz No. 27) winning 25-mile. Broke all records from Vanderbilt (?) to 25 miles. Time, 21 min. 21 7/10 sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
27. National (No. 6), (Johnny) Aiken, winning 15-mile. 13 min. 27 5/10 sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
28. Watching them whiz by. I. M. S. Races. August, 1909
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
29. Start 300-mile race (Johnny Aiken National No. 8 in foreground), Saturday. I. M. S. Races. August 21, 1909.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
30. National, (Johnny) Aiken (No. 8), lowering all records 25 to 100 miles. Time for 100 miles, 91 min. 41 9/10 sec.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
31. Brush between Buick and (Herb Lytle) Apperson (No. 1) in 300-mile, Saturday. ($10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy race)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
32. Stoddard-Daytons (No. 20 and 22) in the stretch.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
33. Rushing down at 80 miles an hour. (poss. Lewis Strang Buick No. 46)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
34. (Bert) Miller (Stoddard-Dayton) and (Lewis) Strang (Buick No. 46) fighting for the lead.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
35. 37,000 people saw Saturday’s races.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
36. “Don’t go near the tack.” (Guardsman posed next to track rail)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
37. Crowds on the Bleachers.
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
38. At the half-mile. 300-mile, Saturday. ($10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy race)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
39. Coming down the back stretch, 300-mile, Saturday. ($10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy race)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
40. Jackson, two Buicks and Stoddard-Dayton at the mile. Middle 300-mile. Saturday. ($10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy race)
Copyright, 1909, by Stereo-Travel Co.
©Jeremy Rowe 2017