Horse Racing on Ice Was Popular in the Twin Cities

A horse race on Lake of the Isles ice track during the early 1920s IhaOMi I^MDINICi ©M DCI Was Popular in the Twin Cities ROBERT M. IRVING and KENNETH CARLEY FOR MANY YEARS the famihar summer the Twin Cities. Among the earliest partici dirt track cry of "They're off!" also signaled pants doubtless were lumbermen who had the start of winter horse racing on ice in moved from Maine to Minnesota and con Minnesota. The Twin Cities especially were tinued to indulge in the ice sport they had a long-time center of the colorful sport that enjoyed in their native state.^ had as enthusiastic devotees as other cold One of the earliest winter races to make weather pastimes like skating, tobogganing, the press was described by the Saint Paul skiing, and iceboating. The combination of Pioneer and Democrat of January 14, 1856, frozen surfaces on lakes, rivers, or streets, of when Minnesota was still a territory. "The the necessary elements of cold and snow, and sporting portion of St. Paul was tremen of fast horses added up to a form of recrea dously excited," said the paper, by a Satur tion that was irresistible to many Minne day morning race on the Mississippi River sotans from territorial days until well into ice between a stallion owned by Captain the twentieth century. William R. Dodd and a gelding, Tom Rrown, Horse racing on ice was probably coinci dent with the first permanent settlement in ^The authors are indebted to Bruce E. Nowlen of St. Paul for furnishing considerable information, Mr. Irving is associate professor of geography at aside from sources cited, for this article. Mr. Nowlen, the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, who recently turned ninety-one, was associated in Canada. He received his doctorate at the Uni several capacities with horse racing, dirt and ice, in versity of Minnesota in 1966. Mr. Carley is this area starting in 1908. For years he reported the results of ice races for newspapers, especiaUy the editor ofjhis magazine. Minneapolis Tribune. 372 MINNESOTA History owned by John W. Cormack. "It is said that thing better than snowy streets for races $1000 was put up, on the result of the race, prompted the Minneapolis Park Roard to by the respective owners of the horses," the construct an ice racing track on Lake Cal paper reported. An ice track was marked houn at the cost of $100. Maintenance was out from the bridge connecting Harriet Is left to private parties. Calhoun's expanse land with the west side of the river, "to a accommodated an excellent half-mile ice point opposite the Rotary Mill." Dodd's path, but it also offered little shelter from horse pulled a light cutter and Cormack's a the wind. Therefore Lake of the Isles soon sulky. "There were four or five hundred per became the ice course site. Except during sons on the ice, and nearly as many on the the winter of 1896, when racing for some bluff, witnessing the race," said the paper. reason was shifted to Lake Calhoun again " 'Tom Rrown' was the winning horse, beat for a season, the Lake of the Isles course ing his competitor to the judges' stand about served as the chief center in Minnesota for thirty feet. We have not heard the time." horse racing on the ice. It played this role The reporter's parting shot was: "All this for some 40 years — through the 1929 sea racing, we imagine, is merely intended to son.^ improve the breed of horses; and not to trans Lake of the Isles, as its name implies, pro fer money from the fiats to the sharps." ^ vided a lovely setting for a half-mile race Although ice racing began early in St. Paul course. As early as 1893 the Minnesota and continued there off and on for some Horseman commented that "the Lake of the eighty years, it was in Minneapolis that the Isle course is one of the best located ice sport had its largest and most consistent fol tracks in the world as it lies well protected lowing. One of the favorite racecourses in from stormy winds and is also conveniently Minneapolis once was along Hennepin Ave close to the city." In 1895 the same weekly nue. However, as congestion increased and it said: "The ice track is the best possible lo became more and more difficult to compete cation for the spectators as well as the speed without interruption, races were moved to ers, as it lies quite a bit lower than the Tenth Street South and eventually to fash boulevard drive where the lookers-on mostly ionable Park Avenue. For street racing on congregate." Another time the same publica the snow, horses were hitched to cutters. As tion observed that "it was almost impossible one might expect, owners and spectators to get on or off the course" because "teams often placed sizable side bets on the contests. laden with merry loads were crowded to Ry 1886 the increased demand for some- gether" on the boulevard drive surrounding the lake.4 The Isles course was situated in at least '-^ Saint Paul Pioneer and Democrat, January 14, three different spots on the lake throughout 1856, p. 2. '^Theodore Wirth, Minneapolis Park System, the years. In 1925 the Minneapolis Tribune 1883-1944, Retrospective Glimpses Into the History reported: "The track is located at the same of the Board of Park Commissioners of Minneapolis, place on the lake that it has been for several Minnesota, and the City's Park, Parkway, and Play ground System, 221 (Minneapofis, 1945). For re years, with the finish near the canal connect ports of racing on Lake Calhoun, see Northwestern ing Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun." Horseman and Sportsman, February 7, p. 3, Febru Most of the time the track was curved as the ary 14, p. 3, 1896; Minneapolis Journal, February 7, lake was not considered large enough for a p. 12, February 13, p. 10, 1896. ^Minnesota Horseman, December 16, 1893, p. 6, straightaway course haff a mile long. In the January 11, 1895, p. 3, January 5, 1894, p. 3. The last few years of racing, however, news tide of this publication varied through the years stories referred to the Isles course as a and so did the frequency with which it appeared. ^Minneapolis Tribune, January 1, 1925, p. 24. "straightaway," so one must have been For mentions of "straightaway," see Minneapolis worked out.^ Tribune, January 13, sport section, p. 2, and January 20, sport section, p. 2, 1929. The horses were housed in a round tent Winter 1969 373 with portable board walls. The tent was put If accurate, this would put the club's begin up near the track at the start of every racing ning at about 1888. season and thus became a familiar sight in The first races had horses pulling sleighs — the Isles area. Rruce E. Nowlen recalls a rather clumsy setup. The widespread that the tent was heated by a large wood- adoption, in 1892, of the low-wheeled, rub burning stove and that the body heat of hot ber-tired racing bike really made serious ice horses just through with a race added to the racing possible. From at least the early 1890s warmth. Retween racing heats, fans would until 1929, the Lake of the Isles Driving crowd into the tent to get warm on cold days. Club, later called the Minneapolis Driv Mr. Nowlen also remembers that the ing Club, sponsored competitive horse racing judges' stand was "an elevated affair of every Saturday afternoon during the winter the type still used in summer at county fair season, ice conditions and weather permit tracks."^ The stand had windows on two ting. The afternoon races, called matinees, sides for good viewing of the starters and were usually for amateur members of the the entire course. A kerosene stove kept it club, although professional reinsmen were reasonably comfortable for the officials, a allowed to compete once in a while in special newspaperman or two, and honored visitors. events. In addition to Saturday matinees, It was the starters who had to rough it by races were held on such holidays as New standing on the ice all afternoon no matter Year's Day and Lincoln's and Washington's what the conditions. In later years automo birthdays. Sunday races evidently were biles provided the starters a warm place be frowned upon in Minneapolis (not in St. tween heats. Paul), but in the early days some families Crowds that frequently numbered into the took their horses and sleighs out on the Isles many hundreds or even the thousands also ice for a Sunday afternoon brush. stood on the ice on both sides of the course Meanwhile, a second ice racing organiza or watched from conveyances on the boule tion, the Crystal Lake Driving Club, was vards. Most people in the early days had formed in 1910 largely to give north Min sense enough to combat cold by wearing neapolis horsemen opportunity to race near warm clothing, which probably included at home on the ice of Crystal Lake in Rob- long underwear and an extra pair of trousers. binsdale. An excellent haff-mile straight Ruffalo fur coats were also much in evidence away was cleared off. To avoid conflicting in early years. According to Theodore Wirth, schedules with the Lake of the Isles group, long-time superintendent of parks, the the Crystal club usually conducted races on speedway had a grandstand during the win Wednesday afternoons. Some horsemen be ter of 1899-1900.

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