Monson's Marion - Indiana Trophy

This image comes from a photograph in the June 19, 1909 Indianapolis News. This is a picture of one of two Indianapolis-based Marion race cars entered in the June 18, 1909 Indiana Trophy support race to the June 19 main event - the Cobe Trophy race, named after the cup donor Ira M. Cobe. This Marion, in the hands of driver Adolph Monson, finished third and the other, driven by designer Harry Stutz, finished ninth. Harry Stutz, who would go on to found the Stutz Motor Company in 1911, was at this point he was chief engineer at Marion. It is unclear whether Harry or his cousin Charles Stutz who had earlier been announced as one of the drivers ended up driving in the race. These races were organized by the Chicago Auto Club with American Automobile Association (AAA) sanction. The race course was over notoriously poor public roads in northwestern Indiana between Crowne Point, Indiana and Lowell, Indiana while skirting the community of Cedar Lake. And yes, the newspaper apparently printed this image backwards by mistake as evidenced by the number "6" on the car.