# 1902 Cleveland Bicycle receipt and undated seat bag



## C Bikes (Jul 30, 2020)

I'm collections manager for a historical park, and we have two bicycle-related items that I'm of course curious about, since I'm an avid cyclist. The bicycle receipt is self-explanatory. Unfortunately we don't have the bike. Does anybody have an image of a 1902 Cleveland model 84 and/or know more about it? I"m wondering if anyone would be able to date the seatbag or contents. Would that possibly be from the 1902 bike?


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## bricycle (Jul 30, 2020)

Welcome to ur Group!
some of our Cleveland owners are gonna want that now...


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## gkeep (Jul 30, 2020)

Very nice historical items. I assume that is the Cottle family that Cottle Road is named for? I grew up in Cupertino and Saratoga area, which historical society has these items? Did they come as part of a donation from the family?

There are a number for threads about these, https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1901-cleveland-a1.64617/.
This is probably a good representative of the era, https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/cleveland.173253/.
Here's a 1904 Scientific American advertisement for Pope Manufacturing who at that time made Clevelands. Pope bought out many companies and continued to use their names and badges on bikes. Any of the bikes mentioned in this ad would probably look the same. Pope would have made frames and just put different badges, decals and details on them. Here is a 1904 Pope Cleveland catalog listed now on E- bay. http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=114162591173.







Couple posters from that time came up in a search.








This is a place it all happens when it comes to vintage bike auctions. You can search the old catalogs online and probably find a 1902 model. https://www.copakeauction.com/bicycles-splash/bicycle-catalogs/.
Thanks for sharing this bit of Silicone Valley history!

Gary


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## C Bikes (Jul 31, 2020)

Gary, thanks for sharing the posters and links. I work at Martial Cottle Park, which is a combined County and state park on Snell Rd near Blossom Hill in South San Jose. There were several branches of the Cottle family that ended up in that area. The Cottle Rd branch was related but not closely. 

Park just opened in 2015, operated by the county. Before that it was a farm surrounded by suburbia that the family had hung on to so it could someday be a historical farming park. We have a ton of stuff from the family.

The Martial on the receipt is most likely Martial Jr., who was 19 in 1902. His dad, for whom the park was named, was 69. It would be nice to think he decided to take up bicycling that late, though.

I actually had a ‘40s bicycle for a few years that was a Cleveland with a different  badge, but sold it and regret it now. What’s one more bike in the garage.


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## Barnegatbicycles (Jul 31, 2020)

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/original-american-bicycle-company-1900-catalogue.106948/ this catalog lists a model 84.


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## Rusty McNickel (Jul 31, 2020)

Barnegatbicycles said:


> https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/original-american-bicycle-company-1900-catalogue.106948/ this catalog lists a model 84.



This catalog is a compilation of Pope products and was published for the 1900 Paris expo. It features the 84 which is a womens model, in text only. There is a view of what I believe is the womens mod 93 based on gearing features. Otherwise, visually there was probably not any glaring differences between the two models I would suspect. Bear in mind that by 1902 the 84 may not have been produced. This sale could have been a left-over or a used unit. A 1902 catalog would be helpful.








BTW, that beautiful bag is typical for a women's frame as the configuration was meant to fit into the nooks and crannies behind the head tube or under the saddle inside the rear triangle.


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## gkeep (Jul 31, 2020)

C Bikes said:


> Gary, thanks for sharing the posters and links. I work at Martial Cottle Park, which is a combined County and state park on Snell Rd near Blossom Hill in South San Jose. There were several branches of the Cottle family that ended up in that area. The Cottle Rd branch was related but not closely.
> 
> Park just opened in 2015, operated by the county. Before that it was a farm surrounded by suburbia that the family had hung on to so it could someday be a historical farming park. We have a ton of stuff from the family.
> 
> ...



I've did a fair amount of hiking in the South Valley in the 70s, Santa Teresa and Almaden parks. Always looking for old bottle dumps.  My brother has had a house on Redmond since about 1972 or so. Nice that another historic farm park could be saved in this day and age. Growing up I watched so many of the old Victorian farm houses , fruit sheds and barns get bulldozed and developed its the 60s and 70s. The "Valley of Hearts Delight" must have been a great place to cycle through in 1902!

In the 70s my folks built a house outside the back gate to Garrods. They also had a lot of their old family heirlooms going back to the 1880s. I went to school with some of the Picchettis and would love to go back there and hike one of these days. When they turned their ranch over to become a park they had a huge barn sale around 1978 or so? I remember victrola, player pianos and boxes of old rolls, Edison cylinder records. I bought a few for fun.

I have a number of Italian and French Prune plum trees in my yard that I grafted from random old trees, one graft came from an ancient tree in the Santa Teresa Kaiser parking lot...I'm  an old farm history geek as well as old bike nerd.


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## Barnegatbicycles (Jul 31, 2020)

mrkmcdonnell said:


> This catalog is a compilation of Pope products and was published for the 1900 Paris expo. It features the 84 which is a womens model, in text only. There is a view of what I believe is the womens mod 93 based on gearing features. Otherwise, visually there was probably not any glaring differences between the two models I would suspect. Bear in mind that by 1902 the 84 may not have produced. This sale could have been a left-over or a used unit. A 1902 catalog would be helpful.
> View attachment 1239029
> 
> View attachment 1239030
> ...



I could have sworn 02 models had the 2## style model numbers. @MrColumbia. Might have an 02 catalog.


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## Gladiron (Jul 31, 2020)

C Bikes said:


> View attachment 1238570
> 
> View attachment 1238572
> 
> I'm collections manager for a historical park, and we have two bicycle-related items that I'm of course curious about, since I'm an avid cyclist. The bicycle receipt is self-explanatory. Unfortunately we don't have the bike. Does anybody have an image of a 1902 Cleveland model 84 and/or know more about it? I"m wondering if anyone would be able to date the seatbag or contents. Would that possibly be from the 1902 bike?



Stunning penmanship / calligraphy.


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## gkeep (Jul 31, 2020)

Here is an early shot of Santa Clara Valley riders from the Silicone Valley Bikes Festival website. They might have ridden with Miss Cottle. Those head badges are very similar to the shape of Cleveland head badges. You might want to contact who ever created their website and ask if they know the origins of this photo, it's a long shot but there might be more in the archives.


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## C Bikes (Jul 31, 2020)

mrkmcdonnell said:


> This catalog is a compilation of Pope products and was published for the 1900 Paris expo. It features the 84 which is a womens model, in text only. There is a view of what I believe is the womens mod 93 based on gearing features. Otherwise, visually there was probably not any glaring differences between the two models I would suspect. Bear in mind that by 1902 the 84 may not have been produced. This sale could have been a left-over or a used unit. A 1902 catalog would be helpful.
> View attachment 1239029
> 
> View attachment 1239030
> ...



Thanks. Fascinating! Now the question is what woman this bike was bought for.


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## C Bikes (Jul 31, 2020)

gkeep said:


> Here is an early shot of Santa Clara Valley riders from the Silicone Valley Bikes Festival website. They might have ridden with Miss Cottle. Those head badges are very similar to the shape of Cleveland head badges. You might want to contact who ever created their website and ask if they know the origins of this photo, it's a long shot but there might be more in the archives.
> View attachment 1239228



Wow. Great photo. That’s late 1890s sleeves. They got a little outlandish around that time. I will definitely check with them to see if they have more pics.


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## MrColumbia (Aug 1, 2020)




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## Rusty McNickel (Aug 1, 2020)

C Bikes said:


> Thanks. Fascinating! Now the question is what woman this bike was bought for.




Its difficult to say exactly who this bicycle was bought for. It may have been used by more than one family member. However....
At the time of sale, of the women in the household, Mother, Edith 68 yo, was born in April.  Daughter, Leona 21 yo was born in August. Daughter, Maybella 20 yo was born in March. _Youngest daughter, Ethel was born September 9, 1891. _

Its not too unreasonable to speculate that this 22 inch frame Cleveland was purchased six days prior as a September 9th birthday gift for the eleven year old Ethel Cottle.

Now, to find that Cleveland.  Owners, check your serial numbers!!!!!


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## rustjunkie (Aug 1, 2020)

C Bikes said:


> View attachment 1238570
> 
> 
> 
> I'm collections manager for a historical park, and we have two bicycle-related items that I'm of course curious about, since I'm an avid cyclist. The bicycle receipt is self-explanatory. Unfortunately we don't have the bike. Does anybody have an image of a 1902 Cleveland model 84 and/or know more about it? I"m wondering if anyone would be able to date the seatbag or contents. Would that possibly be from the 1902 bike?




could we see a few more pics of the bag please?
it's a frame bag btw


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## Rusty McNickel (Aug 1, 2020)

rustjunkie said:


> could we see a few more pics of the bag please?



...and contents!!!!!!


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## redline1968 (Aug 1, 2020)

Wow i could use it i have a cleveland shaft drive oops its mens but icould use the bag..  :0


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## C Bikes (Aug 1, 2020)

mrkmcdonnell said:


> Its difficult to say exactly who this bicycle was bought for. It may have been used by more than one family member. However....
> At the time of sale, of the women in the household, Mother, Edith 68 yo, was born in April.  Daughter, Leona 21 yo was born in August. Daughter, Maybella 20 yo was born in March. _Youngest daughter, Ethel was born September 9, 1891. _
> 
> Its not too unreasonable to speculate that this 22 inch frame Cleveland was purchased six days prior as a September 9th birthday gift for the eleven year old Ethel Cottle.
> ...



Good research! That makes sense that it would  have been Ethel, the baby of the family.  She could have ridden it to Oak Grove School, which was about 2.5 miles away. We have her school picture from maybe a couple years earlier. Leona is actually Leora, and they called her Lely. Ethel is the one who decided the ranch should become a park, and her son Walter Cottle Lester, last in the line, was the donor c 40 years later.


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## C Bikes (Aug 1, 2020)

mrkmcdonnell said:


> ...and contents!!!!!!


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## C Bikes (Aug 1, 2020)

Online public collection website entry, with pictures and detailed description of seatbag and contents.   It’s a Clevelandbag, and is even prettier close up. 

https://sccparks.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/E188455A-6F4A-4F69-9E6D-758150199597


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## Rusty McNickel (Aug 1, 2020)

C Bikes said:


> Online public collection website entry, with pictures and detailed description of seatbag and contents.   It’s a Clevelandbag, and is even prettier close up.
> 
> https://sccparks.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/E188455A-6F4A-4F69-9E6D-758150199597



Thanks for the link. Very cool stuff. Just an fyi, what is listed as "tire lever" are actually called a "hook spanner" for turning notched nut fasteners.


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