Glenns Valley Hill Climb - 1906

These articles report on the first hill climb contests held in the Indianapolis area in May 1906. Three are from the Indianapolis News and one is from the Indianapolis Star. I want to note that this contest was conducted within a week of the Decoration Day races held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Indianapolis-based Leaders in the automotive realm were establishing their "ownership" of the month of May in the Hoosier capital.
 
Attachment GlennsValleyNews052306 was published in the May 23, 1906 Indianapolis News - the city's evening paper. This article leads with a callout box proclaiming plans for an auto parade - a much-discussed topic in relation to both the Decoration Day races and the hill climb. The information here indicates that plans called for the parade to start at the city hay market on Kentucky Avenue and head north to Washington Street. Also, they were considering concluding it at Monument Circle. In the end the parade was cancelled.
 
The article reports that all arrangements had been made for the hill climb which was scheduled for the following day on Three Notch Road. A final meeting of organizers was scheduled at the Fisher Automobile Company on North Illinois Street that evening. The cars were to weigh in at 10 am race morning on the city hay market scales. The first event was scheduled for 2 pm. 
 
All Indianapolis-based manufacturers were said to be represented among the entires. Interestingly, the event was open to additional entries until noon on race day. National Motor Vehicle Company had a six-cylinder model entered along with two four-cylinder touring cars. Fisher's dealership entered a Stoddard-Dayton touring car, a Maxwell runabout and a National six-cylinder.  
 
The Gibson-Short Company planned to enter a what is referred to as a "Rea Mountaineer" (my guess is this is a typo and the name is really Reo Mountaineer) two-cylinder car. They also worked with the Marmon factory to enter one of their machines - a four-cylinder car. The Indiana Automobile Company, another dealership, had six cars entered: a Franklin, Winton, Oldsmobile, two Cadillacs (a touring car and a runabout) and a Peerless. The Federal Motor Car Company entered the "Little Buick." Premier Motor Car Company had three entries: a middleweight runabout, a Model F touring car and a one Model L De Luxe touring car in the heavyweight class.
 
The article in attachment GlennsValleyNews053406 has a headline that boasts an impressive message: "Forty Cars Qualify For Hill Climbing." The location of the Glenns Valley hill is again comfirmed as seven miles southwest of Indianapolis on Three Notch Road. I love confirming things!
 
As for the 40 cars, they qualified when their owners weighed them in on the Kentucky Avenue hay market scales that morning. Many of the cars were entered in multiple events. The other announcement was a disappointment as the big auto parade was cancelled. The reason given was that the parade did not fit into the overall schedule. That seems peculiar, especially at the last minute, but no further explanation was made.
 
Attachment valleyhills052506 contains an Indianapolis Star (morning paper) published May 25, 1906, the day after the hill climb. This article reports on the results of the contests. The star of the meet was Edgar Apperson who made the best time up the hill to do the quarter mile (10 percent grade) in 31.2 seconds. He was first up the hill and posted a time none of the other 41 entries could touch. Second fast was Frank Moore in the Fisher Automobile Company- entered Stoddard-Dayton who was a full second slower.
 
The spectator count was an estimated 500 people. Every car ran the same distance - 440 yards, a quarter mile. Telephones at the starting line and at the finish facilitated accuracy of timing.
 
Marmon reportedly showed well against larger machines. Howard Marmon was the driver. He won the sixth event of the day for heavy touring cars with a time of 40.6 seconds. He also brought home a second place in the tenth race with a mark of 36.6 seconds.
 
There was a minor controversy in that the entrants of the Buick disputed their time and claimed they had matched the Premier entry for fourth place. They wanted a special tie-breaker runoff but were denied. The other disappointment was that Barney Oldfield had been invited to compete but did not arrive in town in time to join. A note is made that the races started promptly at 2 pm and the cars did a parade (starting around 1:30) of sorts through downtown on their way to the scene of the meet.
 
The announced officals were:

• Meixell (timer)
• Whitlock (timer)
• Dorsey (timer)
• Edgar Apperson
• W.G. Hunter
• G.H. Hamilton
• Frank Wheeler (future founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
• George Kern (starter)
• P.C. Avery (clerk of the course, Avery also held the patent for compressed acetylene gas for Prest-O-Lite car headlights and was a partner with Fisher in that company)

 
The article also includes race results and I provide them here for better legibility than you will find in the attachment. Be sure to corroborate with the attachment as any thorough researcher would:

• Free-for-all owner's contest:

1. Edgar Apperson, Apperson, 40 HP, 31.2 seconds
2. Carr, Buick, 20 HP, 41.2 seconds
3. Wall*, National, 35-40 HP, 42.0 seconds

*My guess is this was Guy Wall, who was a National engineer and would eventually design the 1912 Indianapolis 500 winner. However, no first name is provided so I agree this is speculation.

• Steam car race - cancelled due to no entrants
   
• Light car race (entries under 1,433 pounds)

1. Elston, Franklin, 12 HP, 35.6 seconds
2. Harry Stutz, Franklin, 12 HP, 53.8 seconds
3. Davidson, Cadillac, 10 HP, 57.8 seconds
    

• Medium car race (runabouts, 1,432 to 2,204 pounds with one passenger)

1. Waltman, Premier 16 HP, 42.0 seconds
2. Whittle, Buick, 22 HP, 42.2 seconds
3. Brown, Premier, 24 HP, 43.2 seconds
    

• Medium car race (light touring cars, 1,432 to 2,204 pounds with three passenger)

1. Frank Moore, Stoddard-Dayton 30-35 HP, 36.2 seconds
2. Whittle, Buick 22 HP, 46 seconds
3. Cherry, Leader 20 HP, 38.6 seconds
    

• Heavy car race (touring cars over 2,204 pounds with four passengers)

1. Howard Marmon, Marmon 30 HP, 40.6 seconds
2. Cherry, National 35-40 HP, 43.6 seconds
3. Harry Stutz, Peerless 28-30 HP, 47.4 seconds
    

• Stock cars (listing between $850 and $1,500)

1. H.P. Whittle, Buick 22 HP, 37.0 seconds
2. Waltman, Premier 16 HP, 40.6 seconds
3. Carr, Buick 22 HP, 42.6 seconds
    

• Stock cars (listing under $850)

1. Cherry, Leader 16 HP, 50.6 seconds
2. Davidson, Cadillac 10 HP and Willis, Maxwell 10 HP, tie @ 1:00.6 seconds 
    

• Stock cars (listing between $1,500 and $2,000)

1. Elston, Franklin 12 HP, 39.2 seconds
2. Lambert, Lambert 30 HP, 42.6 seconds
3. Hammond, Premier 20 HP, 43.6 seconds
    

• Stock cars (listing between $2,000 and $3,000)

1. Frank Moore, Stoddard-Dayton 35 HP, 32.2 seconds
2. Howard Marmon, Marmon 30 HP, 36.6 seconds
3. Jap Clemens, National 35 HP, 38.8 seconds.
    

• Stock cars (listing over $3,000)

1. Edgar Apperson, Apperson 40 HP, 33.0 seconds
2. Harry Stutz, Peerless 28 HP, 42.4 seconds

 
Attachment GlennsValleyNews052506 contains an article that was first published in the Friday, May 25 Indianapolis News. I like the setting it paints in its opening, so let's just permit it to speak for itself:
 
"Glenns Valley hill had a large population yesterday afternoon, the attraction being the hill-climbing contest for automobiles. Persons came from miles around in automobiles of all sizes and kinds, and in buggies and wagons, likewise of all sizes and kinds, and there were many persons living in the neighborhood who just strolled over to see what was going on."
 
As reported elsewhere this article indicates the course was one quarter mile long. "Soft spots" were said to be at the side of the road and provided some hazard. The first car off the line, the Apperson in the hands of Edgar Apperson, recorded the fastest time of the day at 31.2 seconds.  
 
The Stoddard-Dayton of Frank Moore is noted for recording the second best time at 32.2 seconds. Here's another excerpt that beautifully describes the setting.
 
"When the big machine reached the top of the hill it seemed to leave the ground like a rocket, but when the dust had cleared away it was seen to have landed on all fours and to be ambling peacefully along."