The great 1909 car race
July 17, 2008
By Administrator
Museum hopes to re-enact historic event through North Bend
Prior to 1909, the only horsepower that concerned most Snoqualmie Valley residents was the four-hoofed variety that was depended upon to help till a field or get a crop to market.
Few people, according to local historians, owned automobiles. With local roads being shaky and access to surrounding towns limited, the railroad was the dominant form of long-distance transportation.
That all changed in a major way with the announcement that, as part of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, a coast-to-coast automobile rally – the first ever of its kind – would include a passage across Snoqualmie Pass, and in turn, participants would pilot their horseless chariots through the town of North Bend.
“This set off a great deal of concern,” said Gardiner Vinnedge, director of the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum in North Bend.
“People wondered how we were going to look. And it also was responsible for a number of appropriations for road repair.”
To commemorate the monumental race, and other aspects of the AYPE – which amounted to the unofficial World’s Fair for Seattle – a number of activities have been planned throughout the area.
The Museum – which received a $3,500 grant from 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency – is seeking memorabilia of the great race as part of a 2009 centennial celebration.
Vinnedge said its still unclear as to what the Museum will unveil for the commemoration – much will depend on the ability to secure memorabilia – but potential events include a car show and a possible display at the Museum.
A re-enactment of the great road rally, featuring 50 Model T Fords, is in the works, which means North Bend residents of today will get to step back in time and witness what North Bend residents of a century past experienced with wide-eyed wonder.
According to historylink.org, as many as 35 automobiles were expected to participate in the rally, but when President William Howard Taft officially opened the Exposition on June 1, only six motorcars – two Model T Fords, an Itala, a Stearns, an Acme and a Shawmut – embarked on the great adventure.
Twenty-three days later, the first vehicle, Model T No. 2, rolled into Seattle, but was ultimately disqualified because, according to historical accounts, the team replaced the car’s engine enroute.
The second-place auto, the Shawmut, piloted by driver Bert Scott and mechanic James Smith, was awarded the Guggenheim Trophy and $2,000 prize money.
Ford loyalists, however, including the Model T association that plans on re-enacting the rally, still claim that Ford rightfully won the Guggenheim Trophy, which in itself was rumored to have cost as much as $3,500 to make.
While the teams had to slog through mud for most of the transcontinental rally, it was the crossing of Snoqualmie Pass that was the most grueling portion of the race.
Taken into context, according to unofficial records, only 105 automobiles total crossed the Pass during the entire year of 1909.
Only four of the six that departed New York were successful in traversing the Pass, and the accounts that exist today are remarkable.
Snow and mud tortured the teams on the road across the pass, described by some accounts as “little more than a wagon road.”
In her book, “Snoqualmie Pass: From Indian Trail to Interstate,” author Yvonne Prater depicted a portion of the race as follows:
“We were on top of the last difficulty,” reads an un-named account attributed to the team of the third-place finisher. “We had pushed through the snow with less trouble than we had expected. We would be in Seattle by 4 o’clock.”
Then the Pass sprung a late June surprise on the team.
“When a rock hidden in the mud and snow sprang up to give us one last foul blow. For seven hours we worked on the top of the mountain up among the clouds remedying the trouble that rock had caused.”
The team, piloting a Model T Ford, was in third place at the time of their misfortune. Ultimately the pair, which declared the final 90 miles of their trek as “easy,” claimed second place.
Other accounts tell of one of the Fords nearly going up in flames as “someone struck a match on the side of the gas tank of the other Ford while it was refueling.”
The subsequent fire “destroyed 15 gallons of precious gasoline, damaged the car, and sprang a leak in the tank, which caused problems for the rest of the trip.”
Vinnedge said in his own family’s history, the memories of the cars slogging down old US-10, were vividly detailed. He’s certain other Valley residents possess memorabilia or other race-related lore.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the effort to commemorate the great road rally may do so by contacting the Museum at 425-888-3200.
Reach reporter Ed Farrell at efarrell@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434
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8 Responses to “The great 1909 car race”
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Go to historicellensburg.org and hit history link. The history of the Northern Pacific Railroad Station in Ellensburg, WA has a brief paragraph about the great 1909 car race. Apparently each local community was responsible for making the road passable. The kittitas County Commissioners in 1909 had an interesting comment
about when a cleanup should occur. cc
i couldn’t tell you if i knew
I’m the grandson of Bert Scott, the driver of the # 2 Ford car who was the winner. We have the trophy in our possession and I personally have the gold watch he received, given to me by my dad, Jack Scott. I intend to be in Denver for the re-enactment this summer, and hope to attend the finish.
I am one of Bert Scott’s granddaughters. I had the honor in 1984, of watching my Father, Jack Scott, Bert’s only son, drive the last 100 mile leg into Seattle, in the 75th Anniversary race. It was such a thrill to relive my Grandpa’s legacy; to see so many wonderful people dress in vintage clothing and re-enact an event so dear to our family; but the best part of all was to see the excitement in my Dad’s eyes to be a part of something so dear to him. My Dad has talked about the upcoming 100 year anniversary for year’s, with the hope of traveling with one of the drivers in the event. Sadly, he passed away this past fall. We miss him terribly, but know in our heart he would pray for the participants in the event, for good weather, and a safe ride. May God Bless them all.
I am part of the reinactment. To read and see what our trip is about go to http://www.oceantoocean.ning.com.
Dear Burt and Barbara, Mary and I are co-chairmen of the 2009 Rerun. We met your wonderful father and mother (grandmother and grandfather) in Kansas City in 2005 going across country to prepare for the trip and were in their house and took them out to dinner Jack was a wonderful man and autographed his book about his Dad’s l909 trip as well as gave us a nuimber of pictures and showed us the trophy, then very tarnished. We have included those pictures and excerpts of the book throughout the 256 page triptik for the 2009 run. We were so touched by yoour reminiscence, Barbara, that we are copying it and will include it in the end of the triptik before it is bound. We look forward to meeting you both in July . Burt, we have arranged if you want, and I hope you do, to be in a replica of the l909 Ford Number 2 to be driven by Mike Roorda from Florida and be first at the finish in July when the car cuts the tape over the original gates to the l909 AYP Exhibition as occurred in l909 and have a rep;lica of the laurel wreath which a farmer gave Burt in l909. Our E mail address is oldcarnut33@ yahoo.com. Yours ever, Mary and Peter Bernhardt. And please give our warmest wishes to your wonderful mom/grandmom.
I am also Bert Scott’s grandaughter. My sister and I helped my dad, Jack Scott, research and write his book on his father’s heroric drive throughtout the United States. Such a thrill to know my grandfather completed, and won, such a marvelous part of American history. I met some of the people responsible for putting on the reenactment of the race and plan to be in Seattle along with my sister and brother. My daughter will also be coming along and possibly my son. Our family is very proud of Bert Scott and James Smith in winning the race of 1909. We will have my dad’s book with us and the statements that they did not put in a new engine. Indeed they only had the same axel that was in the car straightened after a wreck.
I am the great granddaughter of T. Arthur Pettingill, the mechanic for the Shawmut. He had passed down a collection of photos of the race to his daughter. When they were being shown at a Rotary meeting in Massachusetts, they were stolen. Such a historical archive lost. If anyone has any photos of the Shawmut and the drivers, I would sure love to get a copy. You can contact me at information at acmedigitaldesign dot com
Thanks,
Susan