# AMAZING collection of Photographs:  St. Louis, Mo. 1914-1917



## chitown (Feb 26, 2013)

Glass Plate Photography
Thomas Kempland Collection
J. R. Eike Photography, St. Louis, Mo. 1914-1917
Courtesy of Thomas Kempland, Concord Village, Mo.

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm

Be sure to check out the Anheuser Busch photos. Really a treasure of photography... AND TEEN BIKES:


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## chitown (Feb 26, 2013)




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## WES PINCHOT (Feb 26, 2013)

*Great pics*

Thanks for sharing some great pictures!


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## bikeman76 (Feb 26, 2013)

*Great Photos*

Those are great !   Thanks Chris.


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## markivpedalpusher (Feb 26, 2013)

Awesome!!!


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## DonChristie (Feb 26, 2013)

That's like Bike porn! So much good stuff in those pics! Are those Racycles in the first couple pics? Smith motor wheel?


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## cyclingday (Feb 26, 2013)

Those pictures of the Motordrome are fabulous!
 It looks like brand X was well represented that day. It doesn't get any better than an autographed Wells Bennet out on the board track with the mighty Excelsior Twin.


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 27, 2013)

The chainring on the double bar looks massive.


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## Rivnut (Feb 27, 2013)

With the basket on the handlebars and the size of the crank sprocket on the bike in the first picture, someone was going to make some fast deliveries.


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## bricycle (Feb 27, 2013)

I'd kill for dat 'lil car! Thanks for sharing those fabulous pics!!!


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

I would so love to wander into that bike shop...


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## Boris (Feb 27, 2013)

bikewhorder said:


> I would so love to wander into that bike shop...




Me too. No security cameras. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!


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## Ranger Dan (Feb 27, 2013)

Any guesses as to what this might be?  Bell?  Fairing?  Warp drive?


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## bricycle (Feb 27, 2013)

Ranger Dan said:


> Any guesses as to what this might be?  Bell?  Fairing?  Warp drive?
> 
> View attachment 86200




That is an air and bug deflector.


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## vincev (Feb 27, 2013)

I still wear a tie when I ride my bike.


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## bricycle (Feb 27, 2013)

vincev said:


> I still wear a tie when I ride my bike.




...yea, we can see.... it's a red one with a Maltise cross hang'n on it....


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## Ranger Dan (Feb 27, 2013)

bricycle said:


> That is an air and bug deflector.




You say that with such authority I'm pretty credulous.


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

Ranger Dan said:


> You say that with such authority I'm pretty credulous.




I would say he answered your question very chalantly.


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## Boris (Feb 27, 2013)

bikewhorder said:


> I would say he answered your question very chalantly.




Now there's a word you don't hear being used much anymore. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

Dave Marko said:


> Now there's a word you don't hear being used much anymore. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!




I think someone has hacked Dave's Cabe account!  The above comment appears to be trying to steer the conversation back on topic.


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## Boris (Feb 27, 2013)

No, no, no it's still me. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

Dave Marko said:


> No, no, no it's still me. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!




Sure it is "Dave".  Does anyone have Dave's contact info so we could contact him and let him know his accounts been hacked?  Actually I guess I could just go to the member map and get all the personal info I need.


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## Boris (Feb 27, 2013)

bikewhorder said:


> Sure it is "Dave".  Does anyone have Dave's contact info so we could contact him and let him know his accounts been hacked?  Actually I guess I could just go to the member map and get all the personal info I need.




Arrggghh! I knew I never should have put myself on that map. Seriously though, thanks for the great photos Chitown!


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## vincev (Feb 27, 2013)

Unlike the brown nosing Dave I actually thank you for the great photos Chitown!


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## vincev (Feb 27, 2013)

Speaking of the Members Map!


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## Oldnut (Feb 27, 2013)

*Photos*

Thanks for the Picts .really first class


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

This looks to be one of those smith motor wheels in action. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjRPn1-WkZY


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## bikewhorder (Feb 27, 2013)

I wonder who won the raffle for the bike in the shop window


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## chitown (Feb 27, 2013)

*Dave, I don't understand what you are trying to say.*



cyclingday said:


> Those pictures of the Motordrome are fabulous!
> It looks like brand X was well represented that day. It doesn't get any better than an autographed Wells Bennet out on the board track with the mighty Excelsior Twin.




I'm wondering if there is a connection with the Eikes Bike Shop and the Motordrome shots. Maybe he was an Excelsior dealer and brought some boys from the shop down to the track before a race day? Kind of a meet and greet with their board track hero's!

I also find it cool that this is in 1914, the year Wells Bennet signed with Excelsior and the motorcycle is a Pre-Schwinn buyout Robie built 1911 Excelsior with the Schwinn "X" Auto-Cycle logo popped right over the old painted tank. This was the same bike that would have broken the 100mph barrier? and Jake DeRosier rode after returning in 1911 from winning the Isle of Man on an Indian... came to Chicago and raced against the new Excelsiors and went back to Hendee and said "I need a faster bike". Indian showed DeRosier the door and he switched to ride for Excelsior and dominate the field along with the rest of the Excelsior riders. So even though Schwinn owned the Excelsior Racing team, the riders were still riding on 1911 frames as late as 1914!


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## Ranger Dan (Feb 28, 2013)

bikewhorder said:


> I would say he answered your question very chalantly.




And galantly.  Now, if anyone can just tell me how to mount one on a Windows system....


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## cyclingday (Feb 28, 2013)

I thought that it was interesting, that none of the bikes in the Motordrome photo's had chains on them. As far as I know, the chain drive Excelsiors didn't come out until 1913.
Strange bikes for sure.


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## chitown (Feb 28, 2013)

cyclingday said:


> I thought that it was interesting, that none of the bikes in the Motordrome photo's had chains on them. As far as I know, the chain drive Excelsiors didn't come out until 1913.
> Strange bikes for sure.




The chain drive was on the Racing team bikes before they were available for the public. There are chains are on the Indian though. The Excelsiors may have been in the progress of being worked on by some team wrenches when the photo-op took place???


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## hoofhearted (Mar 1, 2013)

CHITOWN ... WOW !!! ... WHAT A GREAT DISPLAY OF EARLY PICS ... WOW !!!  Your selection took me out of the spectator arena ... 
and allowed me to become a participant.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!!!!!!!!

..........  patric


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## chitown (Mar 3, 2013)

hoofhearted said:


> Your selection took me out of the spectator arena ...
> and allowed me to become a participant.




I wouldn't mind just being a spectator with banks like that. True daredevils to race on those tracks.






Question to any motorcycle/board track folks:

Is that an early Nitro system they've got mounted on the tank???


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## bike (Mar 3, 2013)

*A bit off topic= 1913 Flying Merkel with chain drive*

was derrieded by current day collectors cause not belt- Chain was latest innovation from racing.

Maldwyn Jones swithched to HD racing team wrecking crew and ran a FM chasis and or front end-

When Merkel began to flounder, Jones accepted an offer to ride for Harley-Davidson in 1916. While using a Harley engine, Jones continued utilizing the excellent-handling chassis he had developed with Merkel.

http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=47:
During World War I, Jones worked in aviation engine research and development at McCook Field in Dayton. After the war, Jones continued to ride with the powerful Harley-Davidson racing team through 1921. In 1922, Jones was signed by Excelsior 

www.Theflyingmerkel.com interesting site


http://sundayslacker.com/2012/07/22/the-hog-boys-part-two/


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## chitown (Mar 10, 2013)

*Another great resource*

http://www.hathitrust.org/


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## bikewhorder (Mar 10, 2013)

I wanna see what's in those cases in the bike shop pics.  Looks like the shop steadily swiched from motorcycles to bicycles.


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## chitown (Mar 10, 2013)

bikewhorder said:


> I wanna see what's in those cases in the bike shop pics.  Looks like the shop steadily swiched from motorcycles to bicycles.




I think Dave is scoping the place out as we speak.  Dave, they may not have had security camera's but they did have two way mirrors back then and know how to deal with nincompoops who think they can get into the thieving business.  


I edited and put the shop pics in chronological order. In 1914 it looks like he just opened and had a couple Harley's and accessories. In 1915 it's a full on bike shop and it looks like there might be a motorcycle in the back mechanics area but hard to tell. The glass cases are much more stocked than earlier. In 1917 they've added fishing supplies to the mix. Almost a hardware store/sporting goods store in the making.


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