Article about the "First Harley"

[HarleyCreation]

When I asked Willie G. why 1954 was the Golden Anniversary and not 1953 he said "They Forgot". :-)

Chris, how long ago did you ask him that?

Willie G. is great guy and has probably done as much or more for modern H-D than anyone, but that is a rather flip answer to an important question and a long time puzzle that many people have wondered about.

In 1954 there were still guys alive and working at H-D who must have known the facts about the early days because they had known all the founders. Arthur Davidson, the last founder, had only died 4 years earlier! Picking 1954 was an intentional act on somebody's part and it's hardly likely that they, uh, "forgot." In 1954 they KNEW the early history had been messed up back in the teens and they had a burst of integrity, but alas, that spot of honesty would again be forgotten or covered up by the time of the 1963 anniversary claim and the "1905" parts-bike model wearing a "1903/04" date-plate.

That 1954 50th Anniversary Model date was one of the mysteries that got us going on this. We knew it was an important clue that had to mean something! The other clue was that the early history given in the Golden Anniversary Enthusiast didn't match the histories given out in in the teens or those given out in more modern times but rather stood alone and different. The old guys in 1954 didn't come right out and admit that serious errors had gotten into print back in the teens under Lacy Crolius, but they purposely left us important critical clues that would finally help us figure it out, break the puzzle, and arrive at the truth.

I wonder how the new HOG Museum handles the 1954 "50th Anniversary" conundrum?

[Chris Haynes]

"There came to Milwaukee one day a Frenchman who was given employment in one of the departments then in charge of William Harley."


Sounds like total BS to me.
I find it coincidental that in 1907 H-D incorporated, stopped building boat motors and that same year Ole Evanrude started his company.


"In the rear of Walter Davidson's home there was a coal house. This was put into shape and a small lathe was installed and each day after working hours these three young men would hasten to their improvised factory."

They did huh?
What about the machinery they used in Henery Melk's garage before the backyard "Factory" was built?

[pem]

Your right Herb, a big thanks to Rick for the information he uncovered in that lawsuit. It answered a lot of questions and nobody can dispute what was said as it was all under sworn testimony. Nobody would lie under oath would they?

Here's a little tidbit from the Atlanta Constitution article. In 1913/14 Atlanta was chosen as the southern headquartes for The Motor Co. There was a boatload of ads and a couple articles in the local newspapers.

Paragraph heading; Tells of Gas Engine

"There came to Milwaukee one day a Frenchman who was given employment in one of the departments then in charge of William Harley. During the noon rests this Frenchman told Mr. Harley of the wonderful gas engine being built by Count De Dion in whose employ the Frenchman had formerly been engaged. The story of the gas engine so interested Mr. Harley he being an inventive genius he decided to build a motorcycle for his personal use.
As he, Walter and William Davidson were chums and personel friends the three decided to utilize their spare time in constructing a motorcycle.

In the rear of Walter Davidson's home there was a coal house. This was put into shape and a small lathe was installed and each day after working hours these three young men would hasten to their improvised factory. After months of hard work a motorcycle was built and completed but on being taken out for a trial it was found that the machine would not run down hill. Then followed a series of changes with the result that a fairly good motorcycle was turned out. When it appeared on the streets of Milwaukee it attracted considerable attention so much so in fact that the builders received several orders from young men in Milwaukee for motorcycles like the original. This is the way in which the Harley-Davidson motorcycle was born. Later on an order was received from Omaha for 100 of these motors. The old coal house quarters became too small and a larger place was obtained with additional machines and so the factory grew until the boys began to wake up to the fact that their first plaything had developed into a business."

Interestingly there is no mention of any dates in this article except for a date of 1908(could be 1909) where they state "In 1908 their factory had grown to the extent that it was necessary to employ several hundred operatives." They(The Motor Co.)give complete credit to the Frenchmen for the original idea of building a motorcycle.

There is also a section detailing the number of employees in 1914 and the amount of money spent to buy machinery. If you guys are interested I could transcribe this also.

It almost seems that Lacy Crolius was trying out different versions of the companies history to see which one would work the best.

Dick Werner

[Chris Haynes]

I think they did to a point. That comes from the fact that the 1954 models were designated as the 50th Anniversary Models, which makes perfect sense if 1904 was the real proto year as the only known original evidence shows. In recent years there have been gymnastic like attempts to explain away the 1904-1954 conundrum that stands like a major speed-bump in the way of the "1903" myth.

Somebody knew, and made that decision back in 1954. Who was that brave and honest soul?

When I asked Willie G. why 1954 was the Golden Anniversary and not 1953 he said "They Forgot". :-)

[HarleyCreation]

.... you wonder if they ever let their guard down and told the future Harleys and Davidsons the real story.

I think they did to a point. That comes from the fact that the 1954 models were designated as the 50th Anniversary Models, which makes perfect sense if 1904 was the real proto year as the only known original evidence shows. In recent years there have been gymnastic like attempts to explain away the 1904-1954 conundrum that stands like a major speed-bump in the way of the "1903" myth.

Somebody knew, and made that decision back in 1954. Who was that brave and honest soul?

[HarleyCreation]

Artifacts from 10x15 woodshed?

Dick, That's a great summary!

Lang himself said under oath incourtroom testimony that he didn't hear of H-D until the autumn of 1904 or sell any until 1905. That fits perfectly with the known evidence of the day and not somebody's later advertising fantasy. We can thank Earl (R.M.) for finding that courtroom testimony.

I had forgotten about the "Coalhouse" article which we didn't have when the Creation book was written. Can you quote the part about the "Frenchman" and other origin materal for us? That is something nobody will have seen. As I recall, there were other oddball claims in it as well.

Exeric, I think you put your finger on it. Plus Harley wanted to look more like a pioneer to compete with Indian. It just got more and more messed up as time went on. Crolius had no desire to root out the facts, which he could easily have done, but only wanted to make exciting advertising copy. But I'm confident that part of the $50 million H-D, Inc. spent on the new HOG Museum went towards giving an accurate account of their early history.

Here's something new from an article on the HOG Museum. A claim that I have not heard before. That they have artifacts out of the original 10x15 foot woodshed. Wow, what are the artifacts? Where did they turn up?

• Artifacts from the company's original workshop, a 10-by-15-foot garage that sat about three miles west of the museum. "That's the part of Harley-Davidson's history that blows me away the most," Lee said. "A bunch of young guys in their 20s decided to build motorcycles."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...IVE_S1.article

[exeric]

By 1912-1914, H-D was a big, established, internationally recognized corporation. I think all of us have seen what fast success can do to a person's ego. The founders were simple men suddenly at the helm of great company that made magic carpets. Motorcycles were miracle machines and you needed good stories to go with them. It's probably safe to say that Lacy Crolius was a seasoned B.S. artist and knew that the stodgy personna of the founders needed some creative P.R.

All of that makes sense and it's good marketing strategy but you wonder if they ever let their guard down and told the future Harleys and Davidsons the real story. I guess it's like they say, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

[pem]

Nobody has ever produced any credible informaton from the years 1903 and 1904 such as blueprints, drawings, photos, letters, parts books or inventory records of any kind of the so called 3 1903 Harley-Davidson production motorcycles. Nor of any of the 8 1904 production motorcycles. And what about the prototypes and pre-production models? I'm sorry but if there were 11 production motorcycles built in those 2 years where are the foundry records? Who built the frames? Who did the machining? Who's name is on the blueprints? Where are the blueprints?

Herb has discovered the only public record of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from the years 1903/04 in the fall issue of 1904 newspaper article. Herb has given the only reasonable explanation on where the first frames came from. For the factory to keep claiming that they have the first produtction motorcycle from 1903 is pure marketing hype. I have spent considerable time and effort going over some of the same research material that Herb has looked at and believe me Herb didn't miss too much.

The simple fact remains the Motor Co. basis it early history on a newspaper article from the March 31, 1914 issue of the Milwaukee Journal titled "Harley-Davidson Motor Co.: Its Marvelous growth and Developement, Hum of Wheels Spins Romance - True Tales Reads Like Fiction" and a magazine article from the May 18, 1916 issue of Motor Cycle Illustrated.
Both of these articles were quoted heavily in an article from the August 24, 2003 edition of the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel where the Motor Co. responded to Herb's research in the public record. In the 2003 article written by Marty Rosenblum they(HD) use
the fairy tale about C.H. Lange buying one of the first 3 1903 production machines. Without a doubt this is completely untrue as proven by Herb's research and an article I located in a Nov. 1911 issue of the Wisconsin Motorist where they talk about C.H. Lange.
In the article they say "He began in 1905 with three machines, all he could get, and has worked up to his present capacity in the six years intervening". And I find it curious that the C.H. Lange fairy tale now takes place in the year 1904 in the official history on The Motor Co.'s website. For years it was 1903. It's still wrong but they are getting closer. Another magazine article detailing the early years of The Motor Co. comes from the June 13, 1912 Motorcycling titled "A Romance of Motorcycle Achievement", previously unknown, states that in 1903 "A second hand gas engine of 4 horse power was bought to provide power. A lathe, then a drill press, were added to the equipment." The Motor Co. had to buy another makers motor to run their factory machinery. I find that a little ironic. The article also states, "1904 found the combination ready to go ahead with an improved motorcycle, and three were turned out that year. C. H. Lange, of Chicago, secured one of these machines, one-third of the entire output, and has been trying to obtain the same proportion ever since." The article goes on to say "In 1905, the 10x15 factory recieved an addition of the same size, so that the factory as shown in photograph No. 2 boasted a ground area of 10x30. Arthur made a new set of patterns, with many little refinements, such as brackets to hold the engine to the frame, thinner flanges, etc. Seven machines were built."

And there is more. Check out the article from The Atlanta Constitution, Sunday March 29, 1914 titled "From Coalhouse to Great Palace". Another history of the Motor Co. Here they make all kinds of claims. "Twelve years ago four young men were employed as mechanics in the shops of the Chicago Milwukaee and St. Paul railway. These young men were Walter Davidson, William Davidson, William Harley and Arthur Davidson." We know that is untrue. They also state in this article that William Harley got his idea for a motorcycle engine from a frenchman. Not Oley Evinrude.

But the real question in all of this is who wrote all of these articles. There are no bylines for any of them. They all appear to have come from The Motor Co. We know at this time period when all of these articles were written S. Lacy Crolius was the advertising manager for The Motor Co. and the most likely author of all these stories. It appears that the present day Motor Co. took bits and pieces from many earlier histories and we now end up with the mess we have today.

Dick Werner

[HarleyCreation]

Good topic!

Here is the text of the same (or similar) article Chris was looking for and 23JDCA808 posted a link to. In the interest of scholarship I've copied it here so that all interested parties can read it, quote from it, and comment on it in this Forum.

Marty is a great guy and during his tenure at Harley's Archives helped make the "Creation" book and other things possible, but IMO some of the statements made in this article are lacking evidence. Others rest on dubious premises and conclusions.

Chris made a good start. Anyone else care to tackle it?

And where the heck is Earl?

History of the Legend
By Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum

Perhaps you have been to the Harley-Davidson Juneau Avenue lobby and have seen the 1903/1904 model in the glass case. Currently, it is not in the lobby but is in our Archives Restoration Shop.

During the AMF years, this rare Harley-Davidson motorcycle was "restored" with knowledge available at the time relative to its authenticity. Recent research, however, resulted in a better understanding as to just exactly how the 1903/1904 model should now be properly restored.

Upon beginning the revised restoration process, a discovery was made that we would like to share with H.O.G.® members. But first, let us discuss the probable origins of this 1903/1904 model.

The accepted production for 1903 is three bikes, and for 1904, eight. These were more than likely sold, with none remaining in company hands. In the mid-teens, Walter Davidson needed all previous models for an exhibition and it is surmised that he built-up the currently owned 1903/1904 model and then ensured that all previous models – and those thereafter – were retained by the company.

The discovery that we made, then, is that the engine for our 1903/1904 model is the oldest, and more than likely the first, Harley-Davidson engine ever produced! It is clearly marked, on nearly all of its internal parts, as Serial Number One.

The frame is not a 1903/1904. It is, though, a 1905-1/2 – again, the earliest Harley-Davidson frame known to be in existence. The frame is not a 1905, nor a 1906, so probably was made between the years as it demonstrates features of both. However, it is the oldest, as is the engine, so Harley-Davidson can proudly announce that it has the "Oldest Harley-Davidson Motorcycle in the World".

When authenticity has been brought to the bike based upon the latest research, it will go back on display.

(http://hdc-hispania.com/blog/2005/08/00001.html)

[Chris Haynes]

Mr. Lang's obituary appears page 21 in the October 1944 issue of The Enthusiast. He passed on September 9,1944. The article states that he had been confined to the hospital for several months. It does not say where he died, but does go on to say the he summered in Michigan and wintered in Florida.
.

[exeric]

I gathered from "At the Creation" that C.H. Lang retired to the west coast of Florida and brought the bike with him. I also read that the pale green early H-D that Lonnie of Competition Distributing owns was found here on the west coast of Florida. Makes you wonder what C.H. Lang brought to Florida.

[Chris Haynes]

23JDCA,
That is what I was looking for. The same information was printed in a nationally distributed magazine.
Now we all know the Dr. Marty is full of it when he says that is the first engine. It is known that the first engine had its motor mounts under the letters "L" in Harley and the second "D" in Davidson in the HARLEY-DAVIDSON cast into the right crankcase. The MoCo's "First Harley" has the mounts located under the letter "H" in Harley and "V" in Davidson.
Also this is the only mention I have ever heard of a 1905 1/2 frame. Has anybody else ever heard of such a thing? I mean there were only a small hand full of bikes built in 1905. Which one had the different frame?
In 1912 Harley-Davidson Board of Directors member and The first H-D dealer C. H. Lang purchased the first H-D from Steven Sparough. Mr. Sparough wrote a letter detailing the history of the machine. This machine sat on display in Mr. Lang's Chicago dealership, but hasn't been seen since 1916. Where is this real First Harley? It certainly is not the one the MoCo has in their museum today.

[23JDCA 808]

http://www.mobilehog.com/images/July...ler%202006.pdf
article starts on page 4. ...bill

[pem]

I sent you a private email.

Dick Werner

[Chris Haynes]

What I am looking for in the article is that Dr. Rosenblum stated that the bike they were restoring was, in fact a, 1905 1/2 model. There is no doubt that the bike the MoCo claims is The First Harley definately is not.