— Advertisement —

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:


— Advertisement —

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.

About the author:


Related posts:

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.

— Advertisement —

Got a tip? Email Tom.

Get posts via email

Shorts

Join the Seattle Bike Blog Supporters

Supporters receive endless love in addition to the satisfaction of knowing you helped power independent bike news in the Seattle area. Please consider supporting the site financially if you are able, starting at $5 per month:

Bike Events Calendar

Jun
3
Sat
9:00 am First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
Jun 3 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Every month volunteers gather to collect garbage and help beautify our neighborhood. On average, we collect about 15 bags of garbage per clean up, which means 1,000’s of small pieces of plastic that do not[…]
Jun
4
Sun
10:00 am South Seattle Infrastructure Tour @ Cafe Red (patio)
South Seattle Infrastructure Tour @ Cafe Red (patio)
Jun 4 @ 10:00 am
South Seattle Infrastructure Tour @ Cafe Red (patio) | Seattle | Washington | United States
Let’s check out some new, ongoing, and future bike infrastructure projects (including new bike runnels) in South Seattle on a 7.4 mile bike ride at a Leisurely (10-12 mph average on flat ground) pace! Bring[…]
Jun
5
Mon
7:00 pm D5 Candidate Forum on Mobility
D5 Candidate Forum on Mobility
Jun 5 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Join us for a chance to hear what Seattle City Council Candidates for District 3 Representative have to say about transportation, mobility, and climate issues in Seattle. Moderated by Colleen Echohawk.Virtual options available.Monday, June 5,[…]
Jun
6
Tue
7:30 pm NW Greenways Meeting @ Broadview Tap House (N 125th and Greenwood Ave)
NW Greenways Meeting @ Broadview Tap House (N 125th and Greenwood Ave)
Jun 6 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
The next NW Greenways meeting will be in-person at Broadview Tap House on Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30pm. Broadview Tap House (at N 125th and Greenwood Ave) is dog and family friendly and, with the longer[…]
— Advertisements —

Latest on Mastodon

Loading Mastodon feed…

Latest on YouTube