The Cactus Derby

From LA to Phoenix - 1914
Twenty-two files document the Los Angeles to Phoenix off-road race of 1914. The winner was Barney Oldfield in the Stutz racer he also drove to fifth place in the 1914 Indianapolis 500. Other top drivers in the race included Louis Chevrolet, Cliff Durant, Louis Nikrent.

Cactus Derby Entry List

This content was recovered from Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook, which is a very disorganized collection. While there is no record of the newspapers that originally published the articles, they are most likely from Los Angeles where the topic, the 1914 Los Angeles-to-Phoenix (Cactus Derby) off-road race.
 
Oldfield Cactus Derby at Barstow

This article was originally published on November 19, 1914, but the newspaper's name has been snipped from the clipping. The article was a part of Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook and is in better shape than most of the material from that source.
 
Second Day of Cactus Derby

This article was originally published November 10, 1914, but the name of the newspaper was snipped from the clipping. The article describes the second day of the Los Angeles - to - Phoenix off road race, commonly referred to as the "Cactus Derby." The racers had ended the first leg of their endurance test at Needles, California where they spent the night refreshing themselves and their machines.
Riding on the Howdy Special

This peculiar article is dated November 14, 1910 but the newspaper name is snipped off the clipping, which occurred all too frequently with these excerpts from Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook.
Firestone Celebrates Cactus Derby Victory

These are two brief articles summarizing the 1914 "Cactus Derby" (Los Angeless-to-Phoenix) off road race. Both articles ran in October 1914 and, I believe (but not certain) they appeared in the Los Angles Tribune.
Oldfield Writes of Cactus Derby Win

This content was extracted from Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook. As with most of the material in the scrapbook, the organization is very poor but I am always grateful just to see it at all. There are four articles, not all of which were printed on the same day.
Broken, Muddy Cars Stumble to Finish

This content was extracted from Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook. Included are two articles from daily newspapers, although the source was snipped from the clipping. Both were published on November 12, 1914. Unfortunately, neither article is complete. However, both contain interesting information about the finish of the 696 mile race. Bill Bramlette, driver of the number 19 Cadillac that finished fifth, drove the final few miles with a broken steering arm.
Cactus Derby Finish

This is another collection of articles from Barney Oldfield's scrapbook. Like most of the articles in the scrapbook, the name of the publication has been snipped off the clipping. However, the date associated with the article about the finish of the 1914 Los Angeles to Phoenix Cactus Derby is intact, and it is November 12, 1914.
 
Needles, Prescott and Phoenix

This is another collection of articles from Barney Oldfield's personal scrapbook. Again, as with almost all the articles, the names of the newspapers are snipped from the clipping. There are two main articles in this collection. One is in poor condition, but if you use the zoom feature and are patient, you can get through. This article provides good detail on the first leg (the race was conducted over three days) from Los Angeles to Needles, where the racers spent the night. There was also a stop in Barstow along the way in this first leg.
Cactus Derby Start

This content includes two articles obtained through the Barney Oldfield scrapbook. The name of the newspaper was snipped off the clipping, but there is a November 9, 1914 date associated with the content.