Auto Trends 1909 + Hill Climb

The article in the attachment below was published in the July 10, 1909 Indianapolis News. It touches on two topics: 1) trends in the auto industry at the time and 2) a recent running of the Plainfield, New Jersey hill climb.
 
The trends were three cited developments:
Empire Auto Company Announced - 1909

The article in the attachment below reports on the establishment of the Indianapolis-based Empire Automobile Company in 1909. It was published in the July 5, 1909 Indianapolis News.
Charles Thatcher's Good Roads

Charles Thatcher was an early 20th century "good roads" advocate - described in the attached article below as "the good roads national boulevards apostle." The article is from the July 2, 1909 Indianapolis News and describes the passage of Thatcher through the city of Indianapolis as he waged a multi-state tour to raise support for upgrading roads across the country.
 
Wright Brothers: Air Alternative to Roads?

As everyone in America digested the reality that a new product called the automobile was transforming everyday life opinions differed on how to best take advantage of it. One of the challenges was the country's highway infrastructure, which was almost entirely dirt roads well into the 20th century - especially in the countryside. While these trails were adequate for the mode and pace of animal-drawn conveyances, carriages propelled by internal combustion engines were a different proposition.
 
Barney Oldfield & Old Glory

Barney Oldfield's flair for promotion was reflected in the names he gave his cars. For most of his career, he operated his own race team, purchasing race cars he thought had the mechanical guts to allow him to stand on the throttle and annihilate records. The car names were all a part of the Oldfield brand. Check out a sample:
Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio: Oldfield Drives "Old Glory"

This is a great, colorful article capturing a moment in American motorsport that excites the imagination.
Trio of Speed Kings to Columbus - 1909

Three American "speed kings" of the age, Barney Oldfield, Johnny Aitken and Jap Clemens left Indianapolis to represent the National Motor Vehicle Company's race team at contests in Columbus, Ohio

The first competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a national championship gas filled balloon race organized by Speedway President Carl Fisher. Fisher and his co-founders James Allison, Frank Wheeler and Arthur C. Newby were anxious to recover their investments in the Speedway. Since construction of the track did not begin in earnest until April 1909 it took months to prepare the track for motorized competition. Fisher, fascinated with aviation, sought to host the national championship balloon racing competition - and generate revenue for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company. He formed the Aero Club of Indiana, became the 21st person to earn a balloon pilot's license in the United States and worked with mentor George Bumbaugh to develop balloon vehicles. Their craft was called the Indiana and together they survived a harrowing ride through turbulent wind currents. Check out a photo gallery of this great event elsewhere on First Super Speedway.

Bumbaugh Flies "Chicago" Balloon

Attached are a pair of articles reporting on the ballooning adventures of Carl Fisher's balloonist mentor, George Bumbaugh, In the wake of the June 1909 National Championship Balloon Race at the

This folder has numerous articles on the inaugural auto races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These races occurred only days after the Speedway hosted the Federation of American Motorcycles (FAM) race meet. The auto races were a blend of success and tragedy. Most of the major American drivers entered – Barney Oldfield, Ray Harroun, Bob Burman, Tom Kincaid, Lewis Strang, Louis Chevrolet, Jap Clemens, Charlie Merz, Eddie Hearne, Ralph De Palma and Tobin DeHymel among them. With the exception of a Fiat and a Benz, the entries were American, including: Marmon, Marion, Stearns, National, Jackson, Stoddard-Dayton, Buick and Apperson. Tragedy came in the loss of several lives, including Willfred Bourque, who became the first driver to die in a racing accident at the Speedway.

Dates for First IMS Auto Races Set

Get ready to meet Frank Hower, Walter Hempel and Homer George - all for the most part forgotten today, but influencers in

This collection of articles reviews the plans of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to stage an air show during the autumn of 1909. The effort came in the wake of the tragic first automobile race where five lives were lost including two spectators. This forced the founders to pave the track in effort to advance safety. This probably had something to do with the eventual cancellation of the air show but also it is likely Speedway management simply did not plan far enough in advance. The logistics of staging the event may have overwhelmed them and the availability of top pilots and airplanes may have been tight.

Airplanes & Balloons Promised

The founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were full of ideas, some beyond their grasp.