Unpublished early HD history documents

[pem]

I thought I would post some articles I found while researching Perry Mack. I have come across these articles over the last 28 years. I don't think I have ever seen them anyplace else. I may be wrong. Hopefully they can be used in our club library.

The first article is from "The North Shore Bulletin", Chicago, Il., Dec. 1920, Vol. 4, No. 2. In this version of the Harley-Davidson history the article states "the boys built their first machine in 1904".

This article was published one year after S. Lacy Crolius left Harley-Davidson. He first worked at Harley-Davidson in 1907. He was involved in different jobs until 1910 when he was made Advertising Manager, a position he held until he left Harley-Davidson in 1919. I have written about this before but in 1910 he and his mother and another former Harley-Davidson employee incorporated the Waverley Mfg. Co. in Milwaukee while he was Advertising Manager for Harley-Davidson. This company made Perry Mack's Waverley motorcycle motor which was a significant advance in motorcycle engine design as it was an overhead-valve motor which won it's first time out in public at a race in Milwaukee in the fall of 1910. There was an article in a late 1910 "Wisconsin Motorist" magazine that states Crolius is to give up his position with the Waverley Mfg. Co. as to devote all his efforts towards Harley-Davidson. In early 1911 Crlouis was still listed with Waverley in the Waverley Corporation paperwork but shortly thereafter Perry E. Mack is now listed as President in the corporation paperwork and Crolius is gone.

I mention S. Lacy Crolius because I feel he and Walter Davidson were most responsible for the confusion that has resulted from the different early histories of Harley-Davidson. In future postings you will see the HD ads or articles that say HD first built motorcycles in 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1904.

Dick Werner

[BigLakeBob]

Great reading, keep it coming. Thanks for sharing your efforts of research, we are all benefited from it to say the least.

[pem]

The first article is from 12-11-1913. Harley-Davidson made Atlanta its southern distribution center which will cover 7 states.

The next ad is from the Atlanta Constitution newspaper of 3-29-1914. At the bottom of the ad HD claims to have made motorcycles "for More Than Twelve Years". 1914 - 12 = 1902. More than twelve would make it 1901.

The last ad is from the Iowa Homestead newspaper from Des Moines, Ia. on 08-17-1911. Again HD claims to have made motorcycles in 1901. And some are still running.

[Chris Haynes]

"Both the South and Main Harley-Davidson factories"??? South of what?

[exeric]

"South of what?"

The Mason Dixon line, y'all.

[pem]

5-10-1914 verson of HD history in the Anaconda Standard newspaper from Anaconda, Mt.

[pem]

3-29-1914 version of HD early history from the Atlanta "Constitution" newspaper. First reference of the 1903 shed as a "Coal House".

[pem]

What I find interesting is in the Montana article it is a German who inspired Bill Harley and in the Atlanta article is is a Frenchman who "planted the seed".

[pem]

First public record of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that I could find. Nothing ever was found from 1903 in the public domain. The only reason I found these articles was because Herb Wagner had already done the initial research and found a similar article from another Milwaukee newspaper. In his article they mentioned one HD motorcycle and in the articles I found they mention two HD motorcycles. In one of the articles they list the finishers and no HD motorcycles finished the races. This leads me to believe these were prototypes or experimental versions and not the 1905 production versions which won on 6-2-1905 in their first production appearance. Pretty darn impressive. There were at least 4 HD motorcycles at this race meet at the Wisconsin State Fair one mile dirt horse track in West Allis, Wi.

The 9-9-1904 article is a list of entrants.

[pem]

The "Atlanta" newspaper clipping seems a fantasy piece, the author must have been an ad man dreaming at his desk.

The "Montana" clipping goes along with today's mostly accepted theories. I do find it interesting though this article claims the "improved" engine was ready in 1902.

Good stuff here Dick, thanks for posting!

It is really, really hard to know what is the truth. If you go with the German myth maybe the German was Paul Hildebrand who we know was racing a HD motorcycle in 1904. He was a machinist in 1904 and 1905 and didn't live that far from the Davidson home. However in 1906 he is listed as a electrician in the Milwaukee city directories until 1910 where he disappears from the record. I'll post some more early HD history articles. We know for a fact that Perry Mack raced HD motorcycles in 1905 and was also a machinist. He is the first person to ever have his photo taken(1905)with a HD motorcycle. He is the second person ever to have won a race(1905)on a HD motorcycle. Walter being the first. Perry's 1952 obituary says he worked for HD. His son Bill said Perry said he worked for HD. He was there in 1905. In Perry's divorce paperwork from 1910 his soon to be ex-wife stated that "plaintiff(Perry) is a strong able-bodied man, a machinist and inventor by occupation and profession and, as she verily believes is possessed of large amounts of money and able to properly maintain and support the affiant, if he so desired." And just to make things interesting there is a March 7,1912 Motorcycle Illustrated article that states "Like many others he(Perry)dates his beginning to the bicycle days, having been both a racer and a builder of bicycles. His first motorcycle engine was put in a regular road frame and tried out on the old Garfield Park cement track in Chicago in 1905. He entered a race held there on July 4 of that year". That race was reported in many newspapers and magazines at the time and we know Perry was riding his HD motorcycle in that race.

[pem]

Why is HD's advertising manager starting a corporation in direct competition to HD. The only thing I can think of is that Lacy and Perry were good friends from there early days at HD. Or? Original paperwork(9-25-1910) shows S. Lacy Crolius, his mother and R.D. Sporleder. Then on 2-13-1911 in the Waverley Mfg. Co. annual report Perry is now president, his brother is vice-president and Lacy is secretary. Then shortly after this Lacy is gone from Waverley Mfg. Co.

My theory is that Perry is hiding his involvement with Waverley as he is going through a bitter divorce at this time. Then when divorce is final he surfaces.

Did you notice Lacy is on a 1908 strap-tank HD v-twin?

[pem]

More documents. Here is what Ralph Sporleder looks like. Apparently also a good friend of Perry.

[pem]

More documents. Some articles about C.H. Lang. The one from the Wisconsin Motorist says he started selling HD's in 1905. Not 1903. The 1906 article highlights the cone clutch available on the 1906 HD. Only American made motorcycle with a clutch. The 1908 ad puts the origin date at 1903. In 1908 S. Lacy Crolous is already helping with advertising.

[Chris Haynes]

Herb Wagner's excellent book has sworn testimony from the founding fathers on this subject. 0 motorcycles in 1903. 1 or 2 in 1904. 3 in 1905. C. H. Lang bought all 3 if memory serves.

[pem]

Hi Chris, you are right. Herb's book, "At The Creation" is excellent. I think it is out of print now. I will post HD's official response, by Marty Rosenblum, to his research shortly.

There were at least 2 prototypes/experimental HD's built in 1904 from what I found. There were at least 4 HD's built by 6-2-1905 according to race entries for the races at State Fair Park in 1905. I don't think more than 6-8 were built in total for 1905.

I also posted the 1919 ad where HD was looking forearly bikes for their collection.