📷 Throwback Thursday: Hutch - Then & Now Collection

Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs - Hutchinson Motorcycle Races - State Fair Grandstand - Oct. 12, 1910. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

Hutch Post, in partnership with Steve Harmon and the Conard-Harmon Collection, is proud to present Throwback Thursday. Enjoy a weekly release from Steve Harmon as he presents the "Hutch - Then & Now Collection."

STEVE HARMON
Hutch Post Contributor

Today's "Throwback Thursday Collection" takes us to "Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs."

Automobiles and motorcycles started proliferating in the Hutch area about 1906. This, in turn, generated a new idea by E.N. Sapp of Wichita to promote the first auto and motorcycle races at the State Fair Grandstand on Sept. 12, 1910. The first photo shows the motorcycle division winners on their rides.

Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs - Hutchinson Motorcycle Races - State Fair Grandstand - Oct. 12, 1910. M.L. Wilson - Wichita, second place on a single Harley-Davidson. Paul Wainer - Ellsworth, third place on a twin Indian. Ray Webbar - Wichita, first place on a single Indian. Fred Selle - Great Bend, fourth place on a twin Thor. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

This event built even more excitement over cycling. The second photo shows the Excelsior Dealership at 3 S. Main in 1912 with all its enthusiasts out front.

Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs - Hutchinson Cycle Co. feat. Excelsior Auto Cycle - 1912 - 3 S. Main. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

Excelsior was manufactured in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph. In 1915, photographer Marion Bailey gathered the "Hutchinson Motorcycle Club" to pose in front of the newly-built Convention Hall. The third photo shows the club that included all the brands: Harley-Davidsons, Indians, Excelsiors and Thors.

Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs - Hutchinson's Motorcycle Club - c. 1915 in front of Convention Hall. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

The fourth photo shows the same spot today, only the building is now called Memorial Hall.

Hutchinson's Earliest Motorcycle Clubs - Convention Hall = Memorial Hall - June 18, 2023. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

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Throwback Thursday is brought to you by:

Gambino's Pizza
Sleep Shoppe & Furniture Gallery
Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce
STRATACA Kansas Underground Salt Museum

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📷 Throwback Thursday: Hutch - Then & Now Collection - Vol. 27