Souls, Almost Lost

According to the local newspapers 60,000 people attended the first Memorial Day of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1910. Understanding the context of history is central to enjoying it and imagining the experience of all those wonderful souls of the day.
 
The article at this link discusses the crowds both in downtown Indianapolis and at the Brickyard track. This was the first full-fledged race meet at the Speedway since it had been paved the previous autumn. Speedway officials did stage a time trial event in unseasonably frigid weather a few days before Christmas 1909, but the May race meet was the first acknowledged race meet.
 
The feature of the three-day event (May 27, 28 & 30 with no racing on Sunday the 29th) was the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy 200-mile contest. That prize, a seven-foot, sterling silver, Tiffany-designed ornate object of art, is true treasure. Ray Harroun, using the same Marmon Wasp he would win the first Indianapolis 500 with a year later, employed the same consistent, even pace strategy to minimize tire wear he adhered to in 1911.
 
The wonder and joy of this article is it will assist your imagination in visualizing the setting of a truly incredible, richly momentous occasion. People trekked to the Hoosier capital from outlying towns by rail, automobiles and horse drawn buggies or wagons.
 
Another precious structure of rare historical significance that thank God still stands in Indianapolis is Union Station, which was packed with tens of thousands of commuters on that glorious day in 1910. The Big Four Railroad provided service to the track as did the Ben Hur Interurban Rail Line, which promoted departures every 20 minutes. All cars were swarmed with standing passengers eager to see the races or celebrate the holiday downtown.
 
As an aside, understand that the best-selling book in America at the time was, "Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ," by Hoosier author Lew Wallace. There is no doubt in my mind the rail service owes its name to this masterpiece of literature.
 
Understand, too, that Indianapolis civic leaders appropriately staged a dignified but grand ceremony to commemorate the military veterans of the day and their fallen colleagues from conflicts such as the Civil War, the conquest of the West and the Spanish-American War. This illustrious observance took place, fittingly enough, at the base of the remarkable landmark that is - and was then as well - the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument of gorgeous Indiana limestone. So ornate, so appropriate, so gut-grabbing, that monument portrays the vast depth of emotion and sacrifice of Hoosiers challenged to the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The Circle road around it was blocked off for a portion of the day.
 
When you read an article like this - so mundane in its day, so enriched by decades of aging now - how you can avoid a tightening in your throat or a mist in your eye is pure mystery for me. For me, just imagining these people, some of them probably among my ancestors, walking these hallowed grounds, feeling the sun, savoring the flavors of original food and drink coating their tongues and clasping hands with loved ones - all the bliss of the sensations of simply living - well, it's almost overwhelming. It's an honor to preserve some record of their role in what I see as incredible history - and, in some small way, sparing them from slipping into the pitch abyss of failed memories. I thrill at the opportunity to mark their presence in the proud record that is First Super Speedway.
 
The accompanying illustration is one of my favorite examples of editorial art, but not associated with the article. This image was published months earlier when the Speedway was opened for its first motorized competition - a motorcycle race meet in August 1909. The connection for me is that the iconic Soldier's and Sailor's Monument peeks above the dust cloud you see in the image.
 
I hope you click thru. I really do - because history can evoke so much emotion, even from everyday life.