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League history uncovered in Sandusky, OH
Dorene Paul, the reference assistant for the Sandusky Library in Sandusky, OH, was browsing through the archives one day recently when she came upon some artifacts from the early days of the League, then known as the League of American Wheelmen. She found a program from the League’s 13th Annual Meeting, which includes classic advertisements for bicycles, and a period photograph of a woman posing with her bike. ”I just really enjoy browsing through all the vintage items we have here in our Archives at Sandusky Library,” she said. The 19th century League meeting program caught her eye. The materials are posted on the Library’s blog.
(Photo from Sandusky Library Archives)
The program from 1893 reminds us of the long history of the League’s advocacy efforts, then focused on the Good Roads Movement to pave America’s streets. Today the work continues with the annual National Bike Summit. A lot has changed in Sandusky and the U.S. since 1893. “Probably the main thing I noticed in the file with the program from the League of American Wheelmen,” Paul said, “was that the prices of hotel were very inexpensive, and automobiles had not become popular yet, so…it was a much simpler time.”
Darren Flusche
League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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July 9th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Not only were hotel prices lower and automobiles virtually obsolete, the League then primarily consisted of racist elites who road solely for the purpose of recreation.
July 9th, 2010 at 9:04 am
I’ve been giving presentations on the theme of “The DNA of the Cycling Advocate” in which I try to explain why today’s advocates fight so hard to protect our rights. I start with a discussion of “The First Crash” and the Good Roads Movement and talk about the LAW’s early days. I asked the folks at the Bicycle Museum of America, in New Bremen, OH if they had any ‘stuff’ from that era and I was sent copies of several bulletins from the LAW in the late 1800′s. Great stuff! The Cincinnati Cycle Club was founded in the 1880s as well as we are looking for historic materials from that era. I am using these materials in my presentation.
STeve Magas
The Bike Lawyer
July 9th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Steve, can someone from the CCC or LAB scan some of this early treasure and put it online?