Treasure of Cactus Derby Coverage

This content was lifted from the Barney Oldfield scrapbook. Like most of the material from that source, the name of the newspaper that originally published it, as well as the date, was snipped from the clipping. There are five articles in this very messy organization of information.
 
This is a rich collection of articles on the finish of the 1914 Los Angeles to Phoenix "Cactus Derby" off-road race. This includes both colorful descriptions and statistical information. Reportedly, the mud from the record desert rain was so thick Oldfield and his Stutz racer were unrecognizable when they approached the finish in Phoenix.
 
You will also find a good presentation of statistical information with a chart of the finishing order, complete with the names of the driver, his riding mechanic and car. Also, there is a nice break down of the final day (November 11, 1914) reporting the running order at the check points along the way: Glendale, Peoria, Wickenburg, Skull Valley and Phoenix.
 
Two other brief articles describe Barney Oldfield's ride home to Los Angeles on the "Howdy Special" train and his decision to quit racing on dirt oval horse tracks (he didn't) and move to Los Angeles and operate a cafe (he did). Regardless, he did not completely close his driving career for another five years. All of this material contains some excellent quotes from key figures in the event, especially Oldfield.
 
 

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Oldfield_Cactus_Derby_18.pdf1.51 MB