Flyerboy

Dave - Absolutely! I have done that very thing many, many times. One thing that really rings my bell is to have an original photo from 100 years ago (or a good copy of one) in hand and stand on the exact spot where it was taken. It is like looking back in time. Very, very cool. Bob.

All - It has been some time since I have commented or posted, but I visit regularly, and I am really enjoying this thread and the commentary. I love finding "original dirt", and I think that is the perfect term to apply to it. And I can relate. I have done much the same thing throughout Wyoming and Utah with New York-Paris. Keep posting. Thanks. Bob.

Cleveland G - Just took a look at your blog and this already is shaping up to be very entertaining and informative. It is my intent to do something similar next spring following, as accurately as possible, the actual, on the ground route of New York-Paris through Wyoming, my home state of Utah, and Nevada. Will be waiting for the next installment. Bob.

Very, very nice!

Dave - I have yet to edit the photos I shot at the LOC, but I may try and post a shot or two of the Clason map when I figure out how to do it correctly. The 1908 map shows many wagon roads all through Wyoming, but the "Best auto roads" over-printed in red are not that extensive. Seems to be very selective, actually. Of course, the main route is the southern one, following the UP railroad, but there are others that head north west and converge on Yellowstone. If you wish, PM me and I will be glad to send you some shots. Bob.

DennyG - The LOC is an incredible place. When I first went there in 2008, I did not know what to expect. I believe you can take a self guided tour of the general collections in both buildings. But if you think there is anything you might want to investigate, I would urge you to go through the security screening and application process and obtain a reader card. This will get you access to all the various collections. It takes about a half an hour to obtain a card and it is good for 2 years. It costs nothing. Most, if not all of the collections are in secured areas and this will get you into just about everything. I think you should go with a specific goal or topic to research, if only for a few hours, and I am positive you will get hooked and want to get back there again. Bob.

Dave - Thanks for reposting the link to the map collectors newsletter. It is very interesting reading. Don't be fooled about long distance travel by auto in the early days. There were many who were venturing out, especially in the west. In Wyoming men like Elmer Lovejoy and Payson Spaulding were travelling far afield in their frail machines. Utah also had a number of epic journeys by L.H. Becraft and others. All very interesting paths of research. My intent is to find the facts about this early Clason roadmap and I will post what I find out on this forum. I noted that within the last year, the New York-Paris trove of 350 photos has been listed in the on-line catalog and even a few photos from the group have been scanned. It is just the tip of the iceberg though. Most of the information about the photos such as who took them and when is incorrect. I am making my own catalog and putting the photos in a chronological order and attempting to identify locations and faces in the photos. Having studied this event for as long as I have, I can just about do that for every photo. You said it warrants a book. I think so, and I have been working a manuscript about the western portion for the race for about 2 years. Just takes time and concentration and the occasional trip back east. Bob.

It has been a very busy summer, and, thankfuly, it is slowing down a bit. I have not had much of a chance to comment on posts or even contribute, so I thought I would share with this forum a little about my recent trip to Washington DC. Rather, Maryland, specifically, to visit my son and his family and play with my grandkids. The last time I was there was at Christmas 2009 and since then I have a new grand daughter that is just 5 months old. It was quite a trip with many, many fond memories. However, whenever I venture back there, I always plan a side trip into the city and spend a full day at the Library of Congress. Mostly I spend the time in the photo archives, but in 2009, I spent part of the day in the map collection looking at old maps of Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. This is associated with my neverending quest to pin down any and all information I can dig up concerning the 1908 New York-Paris auto race as it pertains the the western states. It took two years, but I was able to follow-up on a couple of things that I stumbles upon in 2009. First, I recopied some photos that I shot in 2009 that came out a little blurry. The LOC and the prints and photos archive will let you make a digital image of anything they have if you use it for research or study. Between 2008 and 2009, during two seperate trips, I uncovered an unknown collection of almost 350 original photos associated with the 1908 race. Apparently, before I looked at them, the last time this collection was accessed or viewed was in 1956. The photos are in a state of deterioration, so I wanted copies of all of them, so I could try and identify and date when they were shot. All are US photos and there are many that were shot in the west. I also revisited and got some better images of an interesting map of Wyoming in the map collection. It is a 1908 Automobile Road Map of Wyoming, published by the Clason Map Co. of Denver. When I first signed on here, Dave suggested that this was a find as most of the scholarship about the Clason Map Co. suggested that they did not produce any automobile maps earlier than 1910 or so. Possibly, this then is just a generic map of Wyoming that shows mostly the railroad routes and wagon roads that was published in 1908. I viewed a similar one for Utah published the same year. It was just repurposed and overprinted with a new title and the best automobile routes in bright red at a later date. But not so. The LOC ascention stamp on both maps (there are 2) is dated July 15, 1908. Any way you slice it, this is a 1908 automobile road map of Wyoming, published by the Clason Map Co. So here is what I think. The Clason Map Co. was responding to a very sudden and heightened awareness of drivable roads, and a new demand for information, especially through Wyoming, because of the New York-Paris auto race. E. Lynn Mathewson was a well known Denver auto dealer who had been chosen to drive the American entry, the Thomas Flyer, from Cheyenne to Ogden, Utah. A REO pilot car was to help with the western part of the race, also driven by a Denver resident named Martin Fletcher. Harold Brinker, also a Denverite, would take over the wheel of The Flyer at Ogden and take it on to the coast. The race concluded in July with the Thomas Flyer declared the winner, so the map was available before the end of the race. Maps like this, and the information they contained really helped launched the good roads movement in the west. So that was my trip. Grand kids and the Library of Congress. It was a good trip. Bob.

Dave - The map is entitled "Clason's Automobile Map of Wyoming" and was published by the Clason Map Co., Denver Colo. Copyright 1908. The LoC has 3 copies of it, all in pristine, unused condition. They have been in the map collection since 1909. I found it especially helpful to my line of research as it shows the locations of many long vanished towns and stations along the Union Pacific that are named in many period reports and dispatches. It also shows which side of the tracks the trail ran and many of the crossings. The route through Nevada is more or less correct. My survey of Nevada trails west of Ely is a work in progress. Bob.

Dave - The trail of the New York-Paris race is clear, visible and drivable from Montello, NV all the way to Ely, NV. I have been on a nice portion of it between Currie and Cherry Creek. However, the trail west of Ely, into the Veteran Mine district where Ruth and Rieptown existed is quite garbled because of the years of mining. I believe I have seen the 1907 map you reference. West of Ely, traces of the trail are visible, but very faint on Google Earth. In September, I will be in Washington DC playing with my grandkids, but I always take a day when I am there to spend at the Library of Congress and plan on spending quality time in the map collection looking for maps of Nevada. Last year I studied and photographed a 1908 Auto Roads map of Wyoming that helped answer several nagging questions about some sections there. Bob.

Grover - Dugway has a Shoppette that sells gas. However, the public that can use it are folks that reside on post or are there for business. It is not open to the public outside the insallation. Gaining gate access is a task and you would need an on-post sponsor. Even then, you would be required to stop at the Visitor Center with all your ID and vehicle registration for a quick background check. Might take as much as 30 minutes or more if you are lucky. Anything amiss and they send you packing. I would just take extra fuel and avoid any Imperial entanglements. Bob.

Greetings to all - My name is Bob or Rapid Robert. I have visited or rather lurked here for several years and always found the discussions very interesting and informative. Thought it was high time I registered and got in on the conversations every once in a while. I reside in Salt Lake City. I am an artist and graphic designer by profession, but I currently work for the military. I enjoy all of the topics, and I have several that I have devoted many hours of research and travel to. First and formostm I am passionate about the 1908 New York-Paris auto race, especially as it pertains to roads and trails in Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. I have spent a good part of my adult life collecting material and tracing the route of NY-P. I have driven on about 90% of the actual route, as it exists today, in Utah. I'm working on Wyoming. I am also passionate about the early history of auto racing, especially Land Speed Racing and the Bonneville Salt Flats. This ties into the history of the Lincoln Highway in Utah as well. Love to get out and go exploring when I have the chance. There you have it. Bob.