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Pardon the radio silence while I work on my Seattle bike history book

Hello, dear readers. I am currently working hard on the second draft of the book I’m writing for UW Press about bicycle history and culture in Seattle. I was initially hoping to be able to keep the blog going through all of this, but it’s proving more fruitful for me to stay focused on the book. So I apologize for this unscheduled quiet period on the blog. It will be worth it, I promise.

Also, in the process of doing research, I have digitized much of the “Cycle News” column in Seattle’s old Argus weekly newspaper from the turn of the century. It’s sort of like Ye Olde Seattle Bike Blog. Do I know anyone who would want to help me figure out a way to publish this archive on the site? I have a stack of PDFs with character recognition, but I’m not sure the best way to make this usable and searchable on a website. That could be a fun project for after I finish this draft. Email me at [email protected].

For a taste of what’s in this column, here’s how these “wheelmen” reacted when a major bike shop brought a gas car to town:


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The Fred T. Merrill Cycle Co has received an Olds gasoline mobile. The machine runs smooth and develops a high speed, and is noiseless. It is a Iuxury to ride behind an Olds mobile.
Don’t fall under its spell, you fools! From the July 26, 1902 Cycling column in the Argus.

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Comments

2 responses to “Pardon the radio silence while I work on my Seattle bike history book”

  1. Jort

    In an open thread-type comment — did anybody see that the Port of Seattle is bribing SDOT with $9 million so that they can issue a veto over the W Marginal Way bike lanes? Also, they’re proposing a “truck parking area” right where the long-planned E Marginal Way bike lanes would be. Why was the power to veto a bike lane offered up as a condition of getting a few dollars for the bridge repair bill? Here are the sordid details (warning, slimy content): https://westseattleblog.com/2021/09/west-seattle-bridge-port-agrees-to-contribute-9-million-heres-what-it-gets-in-return/

  2. Kevin

    Upload the PDFs to archive.org! They’ll index them and make them searchable.

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