A Plethora of Fads Emerged During the 1920S with One Such Craze, Endurance Swimming, Capturing the Fancy of Hundreds of Women Sw

52

THE FAD OF NORTH AMERICAN WOMEN'S ENDURANCE SWIMMING DURING THE POST-WORLD WAR I ERA by Judith Jenkins George Depauw University

A plethora of fads emerged during the 1920s with one such craze, endurance swimming, capturing the fancy of hundreds of women swimmers and the interest of hundreds of thousands of North Americans.^ On occasion over one hundred thousand spectators witnessed hundreds of swimmers challenge both the sea and the elements of nature to pursue their goals of crossing hitherto unconquered waters or setting new records. This study traces the rise and fall of the popularity of endurance swimming during the post World War I era. Specific focus centers upon the English Channel and Catalina Channel swims, the Toronto Canadian National Exhibition Marathon, the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island and swimming pool endurance records, and upon the women who accomplished these feats. Gertrude Ederle, Mille Corson, nee Gade, Myrtle Huddleston, n6e Eaton, and Lottie Schoemmel, nee Moore, were the outstanding endurance swimmers of the 20s and 30s with Ederle acquiring heroine status that has continued through the present day. All four of these women represented the working socio-economic class, with Ederle having strong German ethnic ties, while Corson was a recent Danish immigrant. Corson, Huddleston, and Schommel had children, with Huddleston and Schoemmel being single mothers using swimming as a means of family livelihood. An intertwining of financial reward, notoriety, weight reduction, patriotism, and personal challenge became the motivation for why these women pursued the hardships found in endurance swimming. The historian, Paula Fass, has suggested that the decade of the 1920s was undoubtedly the first period of time that could be characterized by its youth-centered fads. Fads have been typified as having a boom period of rapid growth followed by an abrupt curtailment of interest in the fad, and then a surge of interest in a new fad.2 An article which appeared in a 1930 issue of Saturday Evening Post^ suggested that the fads of the 1920s were initiated by two occurrences. First, American journalism fueled fads by the amount of attention given to them through newspaper coverage. Marathoners of all types received, on occasion, print and picture space similar to that granted to heroes and heroines of the day such as Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart. Johnson stated that, "under ordinary circumstances it 53

calls for either luck or effort for the ordinary human to lift himself to the distinction of public attention. Setting a marathon record calls for neither. "4 The second reason proposed for the flourishing of fads was nationalism. In the United States, Americans wanted the U.S.A to be first in everything, a result of the new nations long-standing rivalry with Great Britain and other Western European countries 5 These factors heightened interest in sport and promoted a sporting craze in many of the new and emerging forms of athleticism. It would seem that just hearing of a record was enough to send r'""l'"i° ^ ^''^"^y *° ^^^^ *'^^* '^^'^°'^' ^^^^ giving rise in the to the first modern age of marathoning. While some youth set endurance records doing zany things such as perambulator or baby carriage pushing, flag pole or tree sittings or pushing a peanut with one s nose, while wearing a steel nose cone and kneeling on knee pads, to the top of Pike's Peak,7 others accomplished marathon feats of a more traditional nature such as bicycle racing,8 marathon dancing,9 and, marathon or endurance swimming. Interest in the pursuit of marathon swimming was aroused through news about Gertrude Ederle's daring English Channel swim and interest grew further when sizable purses were offered for other types of endurance events such as the Catalina Channel and the Canadian National Exposition marathon. Interestingly, the Catalina and English Channel swims, and the swim around Manhattan Island remain today as benchmarks of endurance swimming achievement. io Interest in endurance swimming originated with the English, who were fascinated with swims requiring perseverance rather than sprints against time. The greatest of the English distance swimmers was Captain Matthew Webb, whose renown for being the first to successfully cross the English channel in 1875 became the source of the dare, swim the English Channel to prove your greatness"" The Eng ish Channel has been reputed to be one of the most hazardous small stretches of water to swim; the cold water temperature, strong currents, and tides have all added to the Channel's formidableness. Although only five men had successfully crossed the English Channe by the mid-1920s, there were many attempts by women in 1926. Various factors emerged during the 1920s to cause younq women to discard their former Victorian ways and to seek new directions in life through sport. Brown stated that the post-war economic environment progressed through several stages- an immediate post war boom, and then a recession in 1921, followed by 54 what has been called the "Golden Glow" of prosperity in 1922-29. The good times experienced by many Americans resulted in increased leisure with a proportionate increase in sport participation and sport spectatorship.i2 Some women, the flappers, assumed a flippant attitude which resulted in adventurous leisure choices. Slossom described the typical flapper of the era as "caring little for approval or disapproval as she went about her 'act', whether it were to be a marathon dancing contest... or a Channel swim. "i3 Women's swimming events after World War I consisted of short distances, until an Englishwoman, Mrs. Arthur Hamilton, attempted in 1920 and 1921^4 to swim across the English Channel. Hamilton was only the second woman to attempt the swim; her effort had been preceded by another Englishwoman, Annette Kellermann, in 1905.15 Mille Gade, an immigrant swimming champion from Denmark, swam down the Hudson River from Albany, New York, to the Battery in New York City harbor in 1921. The estimated distance of this swim was 150 miles and was completed in a six-day stint requiring 63 hours and 35 minutes.16 This phenomenal feat, however, was looked upon with disfavor by long distance swimmers as the physical effort was aided by currents and tides. Earlier in the year, Gade had tested her stamina by swimming twenty-eight miles around Manhattan Island. A boat rowed by Clemington Corson, her husband-to-be, kept pace with Gade during both of the swims. Gade's time for the Manhattan Island swim fell short of Ida Elionsky's record of 11 hours and 35 minutes set in 1916.17 Six-day endurance sporting events had been common in pedestrianism and bicycling in the latter 1800s and the early decades of the 1900s, while six-day swimming contests were contested in swimming tubs at Madison Square Garden in the 1922 Physical Culture Show. Ethelda Bleibtrey and her partner, Lucy Freeman, were victorious, by swimming approximately 1,000 laps in six days.is Bleibtrey was a triple gold medalist in the 1920 Olympics with medals in the 100-meter and 300-freestyle and the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. 19 Bleibtrey, along with Gertrude Ederle, a 1924 Olympic medalist, and Martha Norelius, the 1924 and 1928 Olympic champion in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4 x 100-meter freestyle in 192820 were short distance swimmers who later converted to long distance swimming. In contrast, the Women's Swimming Association of New York (WSA), the authoritative organization for women's swimming in the 1920s, believed that long distance swimming developed swimming form, and that improved form resulted in both enhanced 55

speed and endurance in swimmers.21 The WSA provided American women with their first opportunities to train for national and international competition. In 1923 Mille Corson crossed sixteen of the thirty miles of the English Channel, and was the first American woman to attempt the crossing.22 There were no attempts in 1924 to cross the channel; but in the meantime, Gertrude Ederle, the future channel star, occupied herself with training for the 1924 Olympics. However, Ederle did not perform up to expectation, receiving just bronze medals in the 100 and 400-meter freestyle and the anticipated gold medal in the 4 x 100- meter freestyle relay.23 in 1925, as a prelude to her first English Channel attempt, Ederle became the first woman and the fastest person to swim from the Battery to Sandy Hook in the New York City harbor, a distance of twenty-one miles.24 jhe following New York Times statement seemed to be prophetic of her future: Miss Ederle's exploit stands out as the greatest combined speed and endurance ever accomplished by a swimmer of her sex, and is particularly interesting in view of the fact that she sails tomorrow to attempt the notable swim across the English Channel.25 After the New York Bay conquest, Ederle immediately sailed to France, where she and an entourage of hundreds waited until the time was right for the crossing from Cape Gris-Nez, France, to England. Unfortunately, rough seas were encountered in the crossing, leaving the one hundred passengers, and the musicians who provided musical accompaniment for the swim, seasick. A tenacious Ederle gave up within sight of the English shore when it was impossible to continue battling the high seas. Although she was disappointed in falling short of her goal, her swim was publically heralded as an achievement; she had completed twenty three and one-half of the thirty miles in a time faster than any man or woman before her.26 when conditions were unsuitable for a second attempt she set sail for the United States determined to attempt and to complete the English Channel swim the following year. It was perhaps happenstance that Gertrude Ederle became both the first American and the first woman to successfully cross the English Channel the following year, on August 6,1926. Just several days earlier, Clara Belle Barrett stopped two miles short of the English coast,27 and only twelve days after Ederle's triumph, Corson, an earlier Channel aspirant, became the second American and second woman to cross 56 the Channel.28 Yet, it was to be Gertrude Ederle who had a claim to fame when she became the sixth person, and the first woman, to cross the Channel. She completed the arduous swim on August 6, 1926, with an all-time record of 14 hours and 31 minutes for the crossing.29 Ederle's momentous achievement caused an immediate stir among the populace and she became an instant celebrity. This heightened interest was seen even as Ederle finished the channel swim. She was met by thousands of cheering spectators who had thronged the beach and lit bonfires to enable the shore watchers to see Ederle's approach. As she neared the end of the crossing, automobiles honked their horns and tug boats sounded their sirens. Well-wishers surrounded the nineteen-year-old swimmer as she waded ashore.^o The ecstatic welcome continued long after Ederle's accomplishment. Upon her return to the U.S.A., her fellow New Yorkers greeted her with a ticker tape parade and a reception the magnitude of which had been accorded to no other person. A reporter, who wrote, "City's Throngs Give Greatest Welcome to Gertrude Ederle," for The New York Times, reported: New York City yesterday welcomed Gertrude Ederle home from her victory over the English Channel with a demonstration that for numbers, noise, spontaneity and variety surpassed any previous reception to a distinguished person. No President or king, soldier or statesman has ever enjoyed such an enthusiastic and affectionate outburst of acclaim by the metropolis as was offered to the butcher's daughter of Amsterdam Avenue, hailed as the "Queen of Swimmers. "31 The harbor salute by assembled flotilla was larger than any before it, and the parade, viewed by tens of thousands of persons, greatly exceeded earlier greetings given to Theodore Roosevelt and Lieutenant Commander Richard Byrd. Excited bystanders broke through police lines and delayed the parade's progress toward City Hall. More than ten thousand people gathered outside City Hall and as Ederle entered the Hall the crowd stormed the locked doors. Inside City Hall, Ederle's response to Mayor Walker's welcome offers insight into one of the reasons for her swimming quest. She said, "I certainly am proud to bring home the honors for my country and for the City of New York. It was for my flag that I swam. "32 Other reasons for swimming not stated at that time were for the pride of her family and 57

a promised new automobile. Various financial offers were extended immediately to Gertrude Ederle, and were reported to be nearing one million dollars by the time of the city parade. Messages of congratulations were relayed to her by Governor Smith and President Coolidge and were further reflections of the state and national sentiment of pride.33 An editorial writer asked, "What can be saner than the enthusiasm her feat arouses, what more wholesome than the pride her countrywomen will feel because she is one of them?"34 The popularity of Ederle has been, perhaps, unrivaled in women's sport history. Her feat aroused pride among females, as well as pride in nation, and showed that sporting women of the working class could aspire to greatness, an aspiration that had formerly been reserved for men and occasional women of the upper class. Millie Corson, a swimming instructor for the Naval training ship lllinois,35 followed Ederle's lead when on August 28,1926, she became the seventh person to swim the English Channel. Several thousand persons watched the completion of the grueling swim. Corson's time of 15 1 /2 hours was faster than all five of the men who previously had completed the crossing but not as fast as Ederle's time. Moreover, since Corson had been accompanied by two experienced male swimmers who were forced to quit the swim,36 her success further called attention to the athletic ability of female endurance swimmers. Corson's motivation for swimming the Channel centered around the financial needs of her two small children.37 within twenty-four hours after the crossing, she had been offered contracts totaling more than $200,000.38 Newspaper reporters focused upon the fact that Mrs Corson was married and had two small children, and T Walter Lissberger who proposed a challenge match between Ederle and Corson said that he "... like(d) the idea of a woman with two children showing the world what she can do. "39 William Wrigley, Jr., chewing gum manufacturer and baseball magnate, was so inspired by Gertrude Ederle's 1926 English Channel swim that he almost immediately offered a sizable purse to Ederle if she could swim the San Pedro Channel from Catalina Island to the Southern California mainland.4O Wrigley had a particular interest in this swim since the Wrigley family owned Catalina Island, a semi- tropical paradise noted for its beauty and seclusion. This channel was also called the Catalina Channel and was referred to as "the big ditch." The twenty-two mile stretch of treacherous water had never been swum, and experienced fishermen of the area claimed that it 58 was more hazardous to cross than the English Channel. Water temperature in the channel was a chilling fifty degrees, and floating kelp beds and rip tide currents made its crossing even more hazardous.^1 When Ederle turned down the Catalina challenge,42 Wrigley decided to sponsor a swimming marathon from Catalina Island to the mainland. The prize was the biggest offer for any swimming event. Forty thousand dollars was offered, with $25,000 awarded to the first man or woman to finish; also, if a man finished first there would be $15,000 presented to the first successful woman. One hundred and fifty-three entrants, twenty of whom were women, came from across the United States and Canada to vie for the prize. Two of the female entrants were well known swimmers: Clara Belle Barrett, English Channel aspirant, and Lottie Schommel, distance swimmer,^ and a hitherto unknown swimmer. Myrtle Huddleston.44 Mille Gade Corson, the second woman to cross the English Channel, declined swimming in the marathon because of her objection to a change in marathon rules which permitted swimmers to cover their bodies in black axle grease and to swim unclothed. Corson vowed that she would "not enter a swimming match and compete with any woman who [wouldn't] wear a bathing suit."45 Only one swimmer out of the 102 starters completed the Catalina Marathon. The seventeen-year old winner, George Young from Toronto, Canada, had asked Wrigley for a sixty-dollar loan so that he could finance the trip from Canada on a rickety motorcycle. Young received the $25,000 prize and was heralded in Canada as a national hero. Margaret Hauser and Martha Stager were within a mile or two of crossing when forced to stop, but Wrigley rewarded each of them with a $2,500 prize. Clara Belle Barrett completed thirteen miles of the distance,46 while cramps forced Myrtle Huddleston out of the race at nine miles.*^ The Catalina Marathon received more newspaper lineage than any other aquatic sport event in history, and some have claimed it as one of the most spectacular events in aquatic sports. The marathon cost Wrigley over $125,000 but he declined staging another Catalina marathon due to concern for safety of the participants rather than its financial cost.'*8 The Canadian National Exposition began hosting marathons in 1927 with the first several marathons using the Wrigley name. However, the Wrigley name was linked through the Canadian Wrigley Company and not to William Wrigley, Jr.49 59

Several swimmers attempted to cross the "big ditch" after the Wrigley marathon race, but no woman succeeded until Mrs. Myrtle Huddleston completed the crossing on February 5, 1927, with a time of 20 hours and 42 minutes.50 The Long Beach Press Telegram proclaimed on its front page, "Swim Assures Unique Fame to Winner- Myrtle Huddleston Only Woman to Negotiate Catalina Channel "5i Unfortunately this proclamation did not prove to be true as Myrtle Huddleston has been lost from aquatic annals, even though her Catahna victory and other later endurance swims were extraordinary Huddleston's story is unique not only as measured by personal circumstances but by the odds that she overcame when competing Her life certainly revealed the experience of women from the lower economic class who sought to acquire financial gain throuqh professional athletic endeavors. Myrtle Huddleston, beauty parlor operator in Long Beach California, was a thirty-year-old widow with an eleven-year old son when she was encouraged by a friend to learn to swim just several months prior to the Catalina Marathon.52 Huddleston was an adept pupil and her potential was observed by Orville Ferrell, Pacific Coast Club, who took her under his tutelage.53 Huddleston initially undertook swimming to lose weight,54 but as her swimming improved she began to focus on swimming the Catalina Channel. The primary motivation behind her desire to swim the channel was her wish to acquire money to provide for the educational expenses of her son Everett, who was then a fifth grader at a parish school.55 Huddleston's quest, but inadequate finances for training, were discovered by a Long Beach policewoman who appealed to the Long Beach Press Telegram to editorialize Huddleston's need. Assistance came in the form of a tourist sponsoring a benefit dance while trainers volunteered their instruction, and boat owners offered use of their crafts These monies and aid in kind permitted Huddleston to pursue the channel challenge, for without this help she could not have attempted the swim.56 Although Huddleston was unsuccessful during the official Catahna Marathon, she did succeed on her third attempt to cross the channel just several weeks after the marathon. On February 5th Huddleston set out with three other aspirants, Lottie Schoemmel,' Martha Stager and Pete Meyers, for the California mainland from Catahna Island. Huddleston was the only one of the four swimmers to conquer the "big ditch" that day, and in so doing she became the first woman to cross the Catalina Channel. This feat had earlier been 60 accomplished by two men; George Young, the Catalina Marathon winner, and shortly thereafter by Henry F. Sullivan, a successful English Channel swimmer. Huddleston's time for the crossing was 20 hours and forty-two minutes, approximately five hours longer than Young's swim and almost two hours faster than Sullivan.57 Huddleston's struggle to survive the swim assumed a surreal nature; a large barracuda attacked the swimmer in mid-channel and bit her about the body and arm,58 a badly cramped right leg took away the use of this limb for a portion of the swim, and, additionally, fog separated her from the accompanying boat for about 30 minutes.59 Delirious toward the end, she was only able to complete the swim through dogged determination. Bleeding^o when lifted from the frigid 45-to-49 degree waters into the awaiting dory, she lay unconscious in the boat for several minutes.^i The exertion from the endurance swim caused Huddleston to lose twelve pounds, dropping in weight from 190 to 178 pounds.62 Her victory was aided by her coach, an English Channel conqueror, Charles Toth,63 and her son, Everett, who had shouted the following encouragement from the boat, "Come on. Mama, don't give up!"64 when the feat was accomplished he exclaimed, "Oh, mom! You did it, doggone it, you did it!" She replied, "I did it for you son! "65 Huddleston attributed her victory not only to her son but also to pride in her American nationality.66 Huddleston attempted to swim the English Channel in 1929" but, after completing most of the distance and enduring for 21 hours and 13 minutes, the attempt was abandoned because of the tide and stiff headwinds. She had hoped that monies from a successful crossing would finance her son's college education.68 Funding for Huddleston's Channel attempt probably came from donations by residents of Long Beach, California.69 Huddleston received money for crossing but her several vaudeville offers after the Catalina70 notoriety waned. There were other women pursuing endurance swimming as well. Charlotte (Lottie) Moore Schoemmel swam approximately twenty- eight miles around Manhattan Island on September 19, 1926, completing the swim in 15 hours and 21 minutes, which was faster than Corson's 1921 time, but short of Elionsky's 1916 record.^i In October, Schoemmel bettered Corson's previous time for swimming the 150 miles down the Hudson river from Albany to New York City with a new record time of 57 hours and 11 minutes. Schoemmel, also a mother of two, had been unsuccessful in earlier attempts to obtain 61

funding to attempt the English Channel swim.72 However, she was to succeed in setting records for various types of endurance swims In 1927 Schoemmel swam the greatest distance among the women entered in the 21-mile open Wrigley Marathon, which was held in conjunction with the Canadian National Exhibition.73 Meanwhile in 1926 an American, Ella Elberts Sullivan defeated two male finishers in a field of twenty-seven and took first place in the thirty mile swim in Montreal, Canada.74 Also, Helen Wainwright swam around' Davis Island in Tampa Bay in 1926, a distance of eleven miles.75 Later, in 1930, the International Professional Swimming Association conducted a swim around Manhattan Island. The twenty-eight mile race was contested, in spite of a policeman, attached to the New York City Health Department, arriving just before the race to warn swimmers of the water pollution and risk of contracting typhoid fever. Anne Priller Benoit of Toronto was the first woman to complete the race, with just SIX minutes separating her from the winner, Sam Shields. Benoit bettered the women's mark set by Lillian Garrick in 1929.76 The Canadian National Exposition, held in Toronto, was begun in 1874 as a Canadian fair, and over the years it grew into one of the biggest shows of its kind in the world.77 Today the three-week program is considered to be the world's oldest and largest annual exhibition or fair.78 in 1927, a swimming marathon was incorporated into the exposition events, and was selected for the program as a gesture of appreciation for the Canadian, George Young, who had Trvll u l''^ Marathon in 1927.79 Endurance swimming delighted the fairgoers from 1927 through 1937. Participation declined in the 1930s. Diminished interest in the fad and economic depression brought about the curtailment of the exposition swimming marathon in 1938. Curiously, the exposition program included a different kind of marathon in 1939, a typewritinq rnarathon which challenged national teams to type the most pages of Shakespeare in the two weeks allotted for the competition so 62

CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION Women's Marathon

Miles Swimmers Spectators Purse Winner/Home 1927 21 200 +Open Unknown $50,000 None $3,500 to Lottie Schoemmel New York City 1928 10 53 Unknown $10,000 Ethel Hertle New York City 1929 10 54 100,000 $10,000 Martha Norelius New York City 1930 10 33 Thousands $10,000 Margaret Ravior Philadelphia 1931 10 36 200,000 $10,000 Margaret Ravior Philadelphia 1932 10 29 Thousands $6,000 Margaret Ravior Philadelphia 1933 10 36 Unknown $6,000 Ruth Tower-Corsan Toronto 1934 5 22 Unknown $4,000 May Looney Warren, Ohio 1935 5 15 25,000 $2,000 Charlotte Acres Vancouver 1936 3 14 Unknown $2,000 Susan Robertson Seabright, N.J. 1937 3 Unknown Unknown $1,250 Lenore Wingard Homestead, PA.

The first marathon at the exhibition was in 1927, and was open to men and women. The cold Lake Ontario water and 21-mile distance took its toll on the competitors and before the race was half over, close to 200 swimmers had been rescued by accompanying boats. Several swimmers were kept from drowning by other swimmers, including a rescue by a legless swimmer.82 The marathon was open to both men and women and was won by Ernst Vierkoetter of Germany. The four female swimmers who went the furthest were also rewarded with cash prizes. Lottie Schoemmel, who swam the farthest distance among the women, stepped from a covering garment and participated in the marathon clad only in axle grease.83 63

In 1928 the race was altered by shortening the distance and holding separate marathons for men and women. The top five female finishers were eligible to participate in the men's marathon which was held one week later.84 Only second-place finisher Olive Gatterdam, chose to compete in the latter marathon.85 in subsequent years, no record was found of female participants; thus, the two marathons became separated totally by gender. The swimming attraction of the 1928 marathon was Gertrude Ederle, whose appearance in a swimming event was the first since her English Channel crossing. The crowd was wild with enthusiasm and spectators jostled to get a view of Ederle, who finished a disappointing sixth.86 Martha Norelius, America's 1924 and 1928 gold medalist in the Olympic 400 freestyle, won the 1929 marathon,87 while Lenore Wingard, nee Kight, who was a bronze medalist in the 400 freestyle in the 1930 Games, won the last marathon in 1937.88 An incident of note occurred in the 1929 marathon, when one of the swimmers had a terrifying encounter with a large lamprey eel, which attached itself onto the side of the swimmer. By the time the Red Cross boat arrived the swimmer had detached the eel but was too frightened from the' encounter to continue.89 The Canadian National Exhibition rnarathons did much to promote the sport of endurance swimminq during the post World War I period. Endurance fads reached their zenith in the late 1920s Chamberlain discussed a variety of these contests and termed the enchantment with these events as the "silly season." In 1928, the sport promoter, CC. Pyle, staged a coast-to-coast runners' marathon known as the Bunion Derby. Dance marathons, too, reached a new peak Celebrities and others gathered nightly at Madison Square Garden New York City, and other places across the country to watch or participate in the gaiety. Chamberlain surmised, "When Lindberg took off from a Long Island flying field on his voyage to Paris he started a string of endurance contests of all sorts."90 Children were involved, too, in setting endurance records. Thousands of youth at St Paul, Minnesota, were reported to be obsessed with setting endurance records involving bouncing balls and skipping rope^i Additionally, Chamberlain commented about how swimmers had sought to break records as seen by the mid-1920s rush to swim the English Channel.92 The craze for endurance records carried over to pool endurance records in the late 1920s. The regulations required that the swimmer 64

Stayed afloat, unaided, without touching the sides or bottom of the pool.93 Pool endurance records have not been lauded within swimming circles because of the belief that attention rather than athletic prowess was the focus of the event.s* But, who can deny that staying in motion and afloat for days upon end does not require a strong will and physical strength and that these strenuous demands are certainly a form of athleticism? Pool endurance records follow.

POOL ENDURANCE RECORDS Year's Time Record Setter 1880 31 hours Edith Johnson, England 1928 32 hours Lottie Schoemmel 1928 32 hours, 20 min. Nyle Austin 1928 50 hours. 10 min. Myrtle Huddleston 1928 54 hours. 28 min. Myrtle Huddleston 1928 56 hours. 56 min. Mrs. Lee Fourrier 1928 60 hours, 1 min. Myrtle Huddleston 1928 61 hours Martha Hill 1928 72 hours. 2 min. Lottie Schoemmel 1930 85 hours, 15 min. Myrtle Huddleston and Corrine Rossberg (tie) 1931 87 hours. 48 min. Myrtle Huddleston

Myrtle Huddleston, of Catalina Channel fame, captured most of the public interest for endurance pool swims. Her son, Everett, lived in a tent near the pool while his mother attempted to set records. Because Huddleston was a large woman, her weight and weight loss from the swims were noted by some news reporters. In the swim on July 24, 1928, Myrtle Huddleston dropped her weight from 249 to 215.96 Even though her overriding concern was to earn money from these swims to finance her son's education, these achievements were performed to the detriment of her physical health. After the swim on July 24, she was taken to the hospital where her condition was critical, and it was said that she was suffering from exhaustion.97 Both the public and the newspaper reporters appeared to have tired of endurance contests, as can be seen by the statement of a San Francisco Chronicle journalist, ". . . And everywhere else, yawns instead of cheers rewarded tree sitters and other endurance contests,"98 and was observed by the decreased newspaper coverage of endurance events in general, beginning in 1929. A1930 newspaper 65

article m The New York Times revealed that endurance advocates and contestants were receiving ridicule rather than plaudits Florida newspaper publishers adopted a resolution stating that no editorial comment would be made about endurance contests 99 This too seemed to announce the coming drop-off in endurance swirr^ming' events. Huddleston announced at the conclusion of her record breaking pool endurance swim in 1931 that "she was through with such [pool] performances in the future."lOO The fad for this generation, was fading. Lake Tahoe had not been crossedioi until accomplished by Myrtle Huddleston on August 24, 1931. During the swim, she encountered cross currents and winds, and was separated from the two accompanying row boats. Many people stayed up all night to witness the finish of the swim and as Huddleston walked ashore she was met by sirens, whistles and applause. The distance across this mountain- stream-fed lake was approximately fifteen miles, and Huddleston completed the swim in 23 hours and 54 minutes. A prize of $700 was awarded by a Tahoe organization to Huddleston. 102 In October, 1933, Huddleston competed in a 15-mile Chicago Lake Michigan, swim. There were 100,000 spectators lined along the shore to watch the 200 men and women compete for the $10,000 purse Huddleston was kicked in the side at the start by one of the contestants and after swimming over a mile with intense pain she was iT^inn ^u^- '^°'°*^y Nalevaiko won the women's first place prize of $1,000. This was Huddleston's last marathon swim.103 ^ Less than four years later, on January 29, 1937, Myrtle Huddleston quietly slipped from existence in a San Francisco hospital charity ward rL w t^^ from pernicious hypertension. The Sun Francisco Chronicle stated this about Myrtle Huddleston: Through the already dim records of the sports world of just a few years ago comes the vision of the gallant figure struggling against tides, fogs, vicious sea creatures and above all, against the weariness and pains that wracked' her large form ... She was turning blue and her flesh was cracking when they dragged her from the waters and hundreds cheered ... Time after time, as she sought new records or attempted new feats of swimming, she was taken to hospitals and often was delirious. Always she went back into the water ... Her "Sonny" needed an education. 104 66

Huddleston, in her late 3Os,iO5 had been a swimming instructor at Lake Tahoe until weeks before her death. Besides monies acquired through swimming, she had appeared in vaudeville and traveled in Europe. She died alone, penniless and in a charity hospital ward with only one friend near her.iO6 "Sonny", for whom she gallantly fought to provide an education, now lived in Mattoon, Illinois.i07 Much of her life had been spent alone, both as a widow and as a solitary swimmer crossing swimming pools and great expanses of water. Huddleston symbolized many women of her era, and all eras. She was a single mother of working class background striving to raise a child. When she discovered her new found talent of swimming, she diligently sought to improve her position in life for both herself and her son through professional swimming. During her twelve years of swimming, she set many endurance records, was the first woman to cross the Catalina Channel, and the first person to cross Lake Tahoe. Yet, it is difficult to trace her accomplishments in record books. This can undoubtedly be explained by her Catalina Channel victory occurring after the Wrigley Catalina marathon swim, and general indifference to endurance Pool records. However, Huddleston was an exemplar of endurance swimming in the post: World War I era, as she had the most sustained career and held numerous records, the most notable of which was her first accomplishment, the swimming of the Catalina Channel. Marathon swimming, by the early 1930s, had experienced the typical boom to bust growth often associated with fads. The decline of interest occurred at the same time that the Depression deepened, and undoubtedly diminished sponsors and prize monies resulted in fewer events and dwindling participation. World War II halted English Channel swims and not until 1949 did bands of Channel aspirants again gather to make the big swim. In 1950, Florence Chadwick became the third and fastest American woman to swim the English Channel. One year later Chadwick repeated the channel swim in the opposite direction, from England to France.iO8 Alison Streeter, a modern day English Channel fanatic, has 20 crossings to her credit. iO9 On June 5-10, 1986, Vicki Keith of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, surpassed Myrtle Huddleston's 1931 record and, with a time of 129 hours and 45 minutes, became the women's champion of endurance swimming.110 The post-World War I era stands out as the first time that numerous North American women competed in the sport of 67

endurance swimming, and other sports. Not only did women participate in sport in greater numbers, but the public's interest in athletic women grew. According to the historian, Barbara Haber, the 1920s established a media trend of recognizing women athletes as nationally recognized figures. This set the stage for the popular athletic heroine of the 1930s.iii Certainly Gertrude Ederle remains as one of the most popular sports figures of this era, and her name remains as a byword among Americans even today. Thousands of spectators were drawn to the oceans, lakes and pools to observe the swimming marathons of the 1920s and 1930s The fad of endurance swimming lasted less than a decade yet during this time It captivated the public's interest and the athletes' imagination as a test of courage and stamina. Gertrude Ederle Mille Corson, Myrtle Huddleston, Lottie Schoemmel and the other athletes of this era had varied motivations for extending their utmost physical limits; among their reasons were financial gain, family, fame nationalistic pride and, as is true today, the pursuit of their personal bests. These women did not shirk at physical exertion and helped to close the door on the Victorian era of women's sports and open the way to today's active lifestyles.

Endnotes iSwimmers are from the United States unless noted as Canadian to ^n^ii'^.^/f"' ^''^ Oa'nned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s. (Oxford University Press, 1977)- 227

bid., 110. 5lbid., 13. 6"New Tests Devised to Try Endurance," New York Times, (July 26, 1930):

'Nunnally Johnson, 13. 8"New Tests Devised to Try Endurance," 15. ^Dorothy M. Brown, Setting a Course: American Women in the 192O's (Twayne, Boston, 1987)): 18. lOMJchaelOMJh l J. Scott, "Heroic or Insane?" Swim: For Adult Fitness and Competitive Swimmers. (July/August 1993)- 22 (A.S.7ares fcaJ9'77r90r "" i^DorothyM. Brown, 19. 68

"Preston W. Slossom, The Great Crusade and After, 1914-1928. (MacMillan, New York, 1929): 157. i*"Fails in Attempt to Swim Channel," Weiv York Times, (Septenfiber 3, 1920): 10. "Swimmer Fails in Channel Attempt," New York Times, (August 22, 1921): 11. iS"Fails in Attemptto Swim Channel," 10. i6"Danish Girl Ends 153-Mile Swim," Weiv York Times, (September 9, 1921): 11. i7"Girl Swims Around Manhattan Island," Wew York Times, (June 27, 1921): 15. i8"Women's 6 Day Race in Madison Square Garden," Wew York Times, (October 28,1922): 19. The Times did not print a summary of the race but the October 28th article stated that Bleibtrey and Freeman had completed 952 laps at the end of the fifth day, and were practically assured of first place as the pair led the race by 113 laps. i9David Wallenchinsky, The Complete Book of the Olympics, (Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1992): 522. 20|bid., 528, 543. 2iHazel Rawson Cades, "Far, Fast and Fashionable," Womans Home Companion, {August 1930): 12,113. 22"Mrs. Clemington Corson Covered 16 Miles," Wew York Times, (August 8,1923): 5. 23David Wallenchinsky: 522,543. 24"Girl Swims to Hook From the Battery," Wew York Times, (June 16, 1925): 1. 25|bid., 1. 26"Miss Ederle Loses Hard Channel Fight; Sets Speed Record," Wew York r/mes, (August 19,1925): 1. 27"Miss Barrett Still Resting," Wew York Times, (August 7,1926): 3. 28"Mrs. Corson Swims Channel," 15 1/2 Hrs.; Is Mother of Two," Wew York Times. (August 29,1926): 1. 29"Gertrude Ederle Swims English Channel in Record Time of 14 Hours 31 Minutes; American is First Woman to Cross," Wew York Times, (August 7, 1926): 1. 30|bid., 3. 3i"City's Throngs Give Greatest Welcome to Gertrude Ederle," Wew York r/mes, (August 28,1926): 1. 32|bid., 3. 33|bid., 1. 34"Miss Ederle's Welcome," Wew York Times, (August 27,1926): 16. 35"Corson Children Will Head Parade," Wew York Times, (September 3, 1926): 14. 36"Mrs. Corson Swims Channel, 15 1/2 Hrs.; Is Mother of Two," Wew York Times. (August 29,1926): 1. 37|bid., 1. 38"To Give Mrs. Corson a Welcome by Navy," Wew York Times, (August 69

30,1926): 1. 39" Mrs Corson Swims Channel, 15 1/2 Hrs.; Is Mother of Two " 3 '>0"Offers Prize to Miss Ederle," Wew York Times, (August 12 1926)- 3 1927vl7" *° ^"^"^ ^""^^^ ^°' *"^*^''"^ ''''"'" '^^^ ^°'^ "'"«' (January 15, to Attempt Catalina Swim," Weiv York Times. (August 26, 1926):

""153 to Swim today for Catalina Prize," 17

K, T,.. ^''"^ ^^''^' 0"'y 0"e of 192 to Finish: Two Women Out NearGoal," Weiv Kor*r/mes,(January 17,1927)- 1 Uj) 48Alma Overholt, The Catalina Story, (Catalina Museum Society, 1971):

Museum Society, ?hl ; w ^' T ^'"'""'^ ^^' ^^^^- ^''^ ^"°*« ^^O'" 3 'e«e^ written by Ph.lip K. Wngley, the son of William Wrigley, Jr.: "To sum up, the original Wrigley Marathon, individually and privately financed, was a success Commercial imitations of it were not, which of course means that the Wrigiev Company, as such, was never involved except indirectly by a Canadian Company of the same name." ^^ sowalter H. Case, History of Long Beach and Vicinity. (Vol 1, 1927): 531-

^Tm Times, 53"Mother, 30, in Delirium, Wins Battle,e, " 227 1927^ 1^°""^" Conquers Catalina Channel," New York Times, (February 7, 55"Woman Swims Channel in Twenty-Hour Battle," 2 56"Long Beach Woman Helps Mermaid to Conque'r Channel " 1 =" Woman Conquers Catalina Channel," 1 58|bid., 1. 59"Mother, 30, in Delirium, Wins Battle," 1. 60"Swim Assures Unique Fame to Winner," 1. 61 "Woman Swims Channelin Twenty-Hour Battle," 1 ""Swim Assures Unique Fame to Winner," 1. ""Woman Swims Channel in Twenty-Hour Battle," 1 64"Woman Conquers Catalina Channel." 1. 65"Woman Swims channel in Twenty-Hour Battle " 1 66lbid 1 70

67"Mrs. Huddleston in Channel Swim," Wew York Times. (September 14, 1929):40. 68Terry Underwood, "Water & Will," Ultrasport. (July/August 1984): 30. 69" Aquatic Instructor Urges Sending Star to English Channel," Long Beach Press Telegram. (February 9,1927): 1. 70"Woman Victor Over Channel Invited as Club's Honor Guest," Long Beach Press Telegram, (February 9,1927): I. 7i"Woman Lifeguard Swims Around City in 15 Hrs. 21 Min.," Wew York r/mes, (September 20,1926): 1. 72"Ends River Swim; Sets Two Records," Wew York Times, (October 21, 1926): 27. 73"Women to Get Prizes in Lake Ontario Swim," Wew York Times, (September 2,1927): 14. 74"Woman Wins 30-Mile Swim," Wew York Times, (September 7, 1926): 26. 75"Helen Wainwright Swims Round Isle," Wew York Times, (March 24, 1926): 19. 76"Four Beat Records in Manhattan Swim," Wew York Times. (July 28, 1930): 8. 77"Canadian National Exhibition," Wew York Times, (August 14,1938): X, 10. 78Frances Shemanski, A Guide to World Fairs and Festivals, (Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1985): 53. 79"Vierkoetter Wins 21 Mile Marathon," Wew York Times, (September 1, 1927): 1. 80" American Typists Win," Wew York Times. (September 11,1939): 21. 8i"Women to Get Prizes in Lake Ontario Swim," 14. "Ethel Hertle First in Marathon Swim," Wew York Times. (August 30, 1928): 7. "$10,000 Swim Won by New York City Girl," Wew York Times, (August 24,1929): 1. "Miss Ravior First in $10,000 Swim," Wew York Times, (August 23, 1930): 9. "Ravior Wins 10 Mile Marathon Again," Wew York Times. (August 29, 1931):8. "Miss Ravior First in Marathon Swim," Wew York Times. (August 27, 1932): 13. "Mrs. Tower-Corsan, Swimming Pro, Easily Captures 10-Mile Race in Canada," Wew York Times, (August 26,1933): 7. "Miss May Looney is First in Swim," Wew York Times. (September 2, l,3. "Miss Acres Victor in Five-Mile Swim," Wew York Times, (September 5,1935):28. "Swim to Miss Robertson," Wew York Times, (September 4,1936): 13. 71

"Mrs. Wingard Wins Swim," Wew York Times, (September 3, 1937):

82" Vierkoetter Wins Marathon," Wew York Times, (September 1,1927): 1. 83"Women to Get Prizes in Lake Ontario Swim," 14. 84"Ethel Hertle First in Marathon Swim," 7. 85"lcy Water Defeats 199 in Toronto Swim," Wew York Times, (September 6,1928): 1. 86"Ethel Hertle First in Marathon Swim," 14. 87"$10,000 Swim Won by New York City Girl," 1. 88"Mrs. Wingard Wins Swim," 23. 89"$10,000 Swim Won by New York City Girl," 1. 90John R. Chamberlain, "Silly Season Always with Us," Wew York Times (July 29,1928): VIII, 2. 9i"Endurance Craze Seizes St. Paul," Wew York Times, (April 9,1928)- 44 92John R. Chamberlain, VIII, 2. 93"Mrs. Schoemmel Sets World's Record in Endurance Swim," Miami Daily Wews, (April 2,1928): A,3. 94Terry Underwood, 30. 95"Mrs. Schoemmel Sets World's Record in Endurance Swim, Miami Daily Wews, (April 2,1928): A, 3. "Mrs. Schoemmel Swims 32 Hours at Miami: Adds Hour to 47-Year- Old Endurance Mark," Wew York Times. (April 2,1928): 1. "Seventeen-Year-Old Swimmer Sets Women's Endurance Mark" Wew York Times, (May 20,1928): X, 6. "Woman Shatters Swim Endurance Marks: Lifted from Water after Fifty Hours," Wew/or* T/mes, (May 21,1928): 18. "Woman Beats Swim Record, Faints in Pool," San Francisco Chronicle (July24,1928): 1. "Mrs. LeeFourrier "Mrs. Huddleston Sets Endurance Swim Mark," Wew York Times (September 16,1928): XI, 4. "Miss Hill in Water 61 Hours: Claims Swim Endurance Mark " Wew York Times, (Ortober 1,1928): 21. "World's Mark Set by Mrs. Schoemmel," Wew York Times, (October 18,1928):25. "Contestants Wilting in Endurance Contests, Wew York Times, (July 28,1930):2. ' "One Woman Remains in Swimathon," San Francisco Chronicle (January 26,1931): H,1. "Endurance Mark Set," tosAngre/esr/mes, (April 21,1931): 11,15. 96"Woman Collapses, Ends Record Swim," Wew York Times, (July 24, 1928): 15. 97"Woman Beats Swim Record, Faints in Pool," 1. 98"Contestants Wilting in Endurance Contests," 2. 99"No Let-up Reported in Endurance Tests," Wew York Times. (July 27, 72

100"Endurance Mark Set," 11,15. lov'Mermaid to try Tahoe Crossing," San Francisco Chronicle. (August 22, 1931): H, 3. i02"Woman Swims Across Tahoe for 1st Time," San Francisco Chronicle. (August 25,1931): H,3. i03"Nelson Sets record to Win $10,000 Swim; Mrs. Huddleston Injured in Chicago Race," Wew York Times. (October 2,1933): 25. i04"Once Star Swimmer Stricken," San Francisco Chronicle, (January 29, 1937): 1. lOSNo date of birth was recorded on the death certificate. The Wew York Times obituary notice stated an age of 39 years, while the San Francisco Chronicle listed an age of 37 years. i06"Once Star Swimmer Stricken," San Francisco Chronicle, (January 29, 1937): 1. 107"Death Mrs. Myrtle Huddleston Today," Mattoon Joumal Gazette, (January 29,1937): 1. iO8janet Woolum, Outstanding Women Athletes. (Oryx Press, Phoenix, 1992): 85. iO9Michael J. Scott, "Long Distance Swimmers: Heroic or Insane?" Swim: For Adult Fitness and Competitive Swimmers, (July/August, 1993): 22. iiODavid A. Boehm, Ed., 19S9-90 Guiness Sports Record Book, (Sterling Publishing, New York, 1989): 183. iiiBarbara Haber, Holding Their Own: American Women in the 1930s, (Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1982): 173.