US Marine, Submarine Hunter, Azores, 1918

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It was on this day 241 years ago that the leadership of a rebellious British colony approved a resolution which formed two battalions of fighters specifically trained to fight for our independence on land and at sea. Today all of America celebrates the exemplary men and women, both past and present of our United States Marines Corps.

It was America’s involvement in World War I that prompted the US Marine Corps to begin expanding their aviation division, creating two separate air-based forces. In early 1918 The First Marine Air Squadron was deployed to France to engage in areal combat, the second division, the First Marine Aeronautic Company was deployed to the naval base at Ponta Delgado in the Azores. This unit, comprised of nearly 150 men was charged with the task of hunting submarines in the mid-Atlantic, and the young Marine in this photo, posing proudly with his government issue Indian Power Plus was taken at that base in the Azores during the deployment of 1918. However, by November 11, 1918, the Great War was over, and after only a year long deployment the Marines stationed at the Azores and across Europe returned home, bringing with them the admiration of the world as well as a new nickname, “Devil Dogs” as given to them by their German adversaries at the Battle of Belleau Wood.

“I am convinced there is no smarter, handier or more adaptable body of troops (U.S. Marines) in the world…Always spick and span, ready at an instant's notice for duty, the nation owes them a great debt.” - Winston Churchill, 1917.

Frank Hart, Fort Erie, July 1911

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Frank Hart skirting the rails of the dusty oval at Fort Erie in July 1911. “The Wall Street Comet” was running as part of a well-stocked Indian Wigwam team for the FAM National Championship races held at Fort Erie, Ontario, just over the river from Buffalo, NY on July 14th and 15th, 1911. Having been racing motorcycles a since 1908, Hart had honed his skills in the saddles of Indians, Merkel, Excelsiors, and was even privileged in 1909 to have been given one of only two factory racing specials from Reading Standard, the other having gone to Ray Seymour. However, it was in April of 1911 that the stars aligned for the young New York crack after veteran professional Walter Goerke was injured in a nasty spill and Hart was chosen to take his place on the Indian factory team. On May 5th, 1911 at the Benning mile in Washington, D.C., Hart made his debut with the Wigwam onboard what is possibly the first factory overhead 8-valve racer, a non-direct drive version of the 8-valve machines identified as No. 26. It was on that new factory overhead valve twin that Hart leveled the field at Fort Erie, capturing eight 1st place finishes, one 2nd, and one 3rd, subsequently becoming America’s first ever FAM Amateur National Champion. This is Frank Hart, “The Wall Street Comet” and his milestone Indian 8-valve No. 26 riding the rails in a wool cap from that weekend at Fort Erie, July 1911.

Chicago Wins 1908

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Last night a remarkable moment in history occurred when the Chicago Cubs broke a 108 year long drought since their last series victory, beating out the Cleveland Indians to become the 2016 World Series Champions. At the time of their first win, October 14, 1908, baseball was one of the most popular sports in America and the boys from Chicago were a force to be reckoned with. However, Chicago’s star ball players were not the only victors to rise out of the windy city as it was also home to one of the country’s first stars of motorcycle racing. The motorcycle was still quite a young invention in 1908, having only been around for a handful of years, but the era was one of great innovation and the sport of racing was beginning to come into its own. A young Chicago native named Freddie Huyck was among the first to pursue the sport as a career, and one of the first to become a household name. He began racing in Chicago riding for an upstart company in Milwaukee, Harley-Davidson, most likely under the influence of their first dealer C.H. Lang.  Before long his talents were recognized by Indian’s Oscar Hedstrom, co-founder, chief engineer, and director of the racing program at Indian. Huyck was quickly recruited and given access to Hedstrom’s ever-evolving prototype racing machines, becoming one of the first professionally contracted riders in America. The very same week that the 1908 Chicago Cubs beat out the Detroit Tigers to win their previous World Series victory, Huyck was down in Indianapolis for a series of races organized by the newly formed Indianapolis Motorcycle Club. The “Chicago Hurricane” swept the field onboard his new 7HP Indian loop-framed prototype racer, winning every event that he entered. As one of the first men to hit average speeds of over a mile a minute, Huyck also set a new 1-mile speed record making one lap in just over 56 seconds, a record speed of just over 64 mph. Needless to say that if you were a sporting fan in Chicago during the fall of 1908 you were no doubt on top of the world.

Freddie Huyck, the Chicago Hurricane, onboard his 61ci, 7HP factory prototype Indian twin racer at the Indianapolis State Fairground track, October 10, 1908.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs having become the 2016 World Series Champions.

Archive Icon: Arthur Mitchel

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Some images truly captured it all. A world class machine, a pioneer American racer, crisp competition threads, and an abundance of attitude radiating from the marrow of these men of true grit. Taken in downtown Birmingham, AL, around 1912 by local photographer and motorcycle enthusiast O.V. Hunt, this image stands as a perfect depiction of professional motorcycle racing culture during the height of its first epoch. The man, sometimes referred to as “the Bulldog,” is New Orleans native Arthur Mitchel, a true pioneer American racer who began his career in 1905, later making a name for himself as the sport first started coming together on the various tracks around Los Angeles. The machine, a 61ci Flying Merkel factory racing twin is perhaps one of the most rare and iconic machines of the era. One of only a small handful of factory racers constructed after the Miami Cycle Manufacturing Co. of Middletown, OH, purchased the Merkel-Light brand in May of 1911, the newly renamed Flying Merkel with its bright orange paint was a standout machine even then. In the hands of men like Mitchell and the legendary Maldwyn Jones the Flying Merkel presented a solid competitor to Indian and Excelsior, the titans of early teens racing, and today it remains one of the most coveted, adored, and replicated in the antique motorcycle community. At the time that this photograph was taken Art was well into his 30’s and his racing career was beginning to wind down. However, his involvement within the culture continued to occupy his life, spending his time out of the saddle traveling as a FAM official, ambassador, and a dealer representative for a number of the biggest manufacturers throughout the teens. A veteran of late-1800’s cycle racing and a pioneer of early 20th century American motorcycle racing, Arthur Mitchel defines the spirit of America’s pioneer motorcycle racers and is without question an icon of the culture.

A full profile of Arthur Mitchel’s life and contributions to American motorcycle culture will soon be available exclusively here at ArchiveMoto.com