The Zig-Zag Club

By Sigur Whitaker
 
The Zig-Zag Cycling Club was a predecessor of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Without the friendship and experience gained as members of the cycling group, it is possible that the Speedway might not have been built.
 
The cycling phenomenon started in the late 1860s with the high-wheel bicycle (the Penny Farthings) which was four feet tall. With a large wheel in the front, it was difficult for most people to ride. In 1885, the “safety” bicycle with two wheels of equal size was introduced making it possible for many to enjoy cycling. The safety bicycle was introduced to Indianapolis by Henry T. Hearsey, who opened a bicycle shop on Washington Street in 1887.
 
Originally called the Indianapolis Cycling Club, the Zig-Zag Cycling Club was founded on August 8, 1890, by Arthur Newby, a part-owner of Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Company which manufactured bicycle chains. The earliest membership was composed entirely of high-wheel riders. The group initially had twelve members including Carl Fisher and James Allison. It soon grew to about 200 members.
 
The club’s first meeting was at the Hay & Willits Bicycle Shop on Washington Street across from the state capitol. After a membership campaign, the club moved to a larger clubhouse at Washington and Alabama Streets and then to the Lorraine Hotel. When the club continued to grow, they decided to rent a two-story house at 144 East New York Street. They could be a loud and rowdy group. One of the members told the Indianapolis Journal, “It is so close to several private residences that our ghost dances and victory celebrations are a great annoyance to the neighborhood.” The neighbors' complaints prompted another move, this time to house at North and Pennsylvania Streets. Their final move was to a large brick house next to the Empire Theater, a burlesque house. When some of the “cut-up” members of the club started being “stage door Johnnies" to the burlesque queens, the older members withdrew their membership.
 
Members enjoyed cycling throughout the city and established a summer camp at Mount Nebo which was near Millersville on the northeast side of the city. On summer days, they would cycle out to the camp in the evening, spend the night, and then pedal back to work the next morning. They would take century rides of 100 or more miles out into the country to towns such as Bloomington, Indiana and Cambridge City, Indiana and then cycle back to town or take a more circuitous route through the countryside, On Sundays, the rides in the countryside would frequently cause accidents with carriages.
 
The club was affiliated with the League of American Wheelmen (LAW). They participated in relay races with other clubs throughout the Midwest. In June 1892, they won the Zig-Zag Silver Cup between Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis. They celebrated starting with the club yell, “Z-I-G ZIG, Z-A-G ZAG, ZIG-ZAG!” followed by a lantern parade through downtown Indianapolis. Each of the eighty riders had at least two Chinese lanterns and some had up to twelve lanterns hung on a framework attached to the bicycle. After the parade, they returned to the clubhouse for what was described as “one of the best natured, noisiest and most clubbable scenes.”
 
Through their affiliation with LAW, the club members arranged bicycle races. To avoid accidents with the carriages, they started arranging races at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on the circular horse track. These races were very popular drawing up to 1,000 participants from neighboring states. The club members would sponsor a Lantern Parade the night before followed by a reception at the clubhouse. Train service was provided from Union Station to the Fairgrounds.
 
The club disbanded in 1896. Two years later, Carl Fisher and James Allison joined Arthur Newby in the establishment of Newby’s Oval for the LAW annual meet. Within a decade these four men were joined by Frank Wheeler and established the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.