03/08/2022
What is now a baseball field used to be a race track for horses and cars!
Today, the sounds at this location in Webster City include crowds cheering on the Lynx baseball team. Going back to 1867, the crowd was cheering horses racing around what would be called the Driving Park Track! In 1910, cars took the place of horses.
Jack Stanford is said to have built the first mile track in 1867 to show off and train his speedy trotters and pacers. The last formal horseracing meet was held here in 1909. On July 4th, 1910 cars took over the track thanks to Rupert Jeffkins and W.E. "Buster" Brown. The last jalopy race was held here in 1939.
The old image with this post states - Overland Bug (38) Winner of free for all, Webster City, Iowa July 4th, 1910. Speed 55 mph when picture was taken. The Overland Bug was driven by Jeffkins, who also has an interesting racing history that I will share at the end of this post.
Be sure to check out our website for newspaper articles and drone video - https://ohpmarketingservices.com/webster-city-postcard-project/
A huge thank you to Nancy Eich Kayser for providing all of the historical information. Thanks also to McMurray Hatchery and Peterson Construction for supporting the postcard project. Credit-The Daily Freeman-Journal
Here is the story of Rupert Jeffkins, as written by Nancy Eich Kayser:
He was only in Webster City for a short year, but he introduced the city to the sport of auto racing. And, the city has embraced the sport with enthusiasm ever since.
Rupert Jeffkins, born 1881 in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, came to Webster City, Iowa in late 1909 as the chief mechanic for the Hanson & Tyler Auto dealership.
Jeffkins claimed European and Midwest racing experience and it is presumed that Jeffkin’s connections with the Overland Car Company precipitated his connecting to the local firm.
The racer’s need for speed and his flamboyant personality easily combined with local druggist, W. E. “Buster” Brown to sponsor and promote the very first auto race in Webster City on July 4, 2010.
The event, held at the Driving Park Track on the west side of town, attracted a large crowd to watch local car buffs race against each other and witness Jeffkin’s high speed racing demonstration. He sped around the track at the top speed of 55 mph in his stripped-down Overland Bug which was considered fast for the track conditions.
Promoting the event cost Jeffkins his job as chief mechanic as the owners informed him that race day would be his last day of employment due to spending too much time promoting the race.
A few days later someone vandalized three cars in the auto dealership’s garage. Hanson & Tyler charged Jeffkins with mischief and he was arrested. Local merchants stood his $1,000 bail. The case was tried in December 1910 and the jury found Jeffkins not guilty.
The Aussie opened a garage in Webster City and began promoting auto racing around the state. He is credited with starting the first auto races in Marion, Linn County, Iowa on Labor Day, 1910. The Cedar Rapids papers called the event a failure in that torrential rains the day before created muddy roads, preventing many racers and spectators from attending. It is ironic that one of his local sponsors was the head of the Linn County Good Roads committee.
Jeffkins then hooked up with the Velie Motor Vehicle Company of Moline, Illinois. The company was founded by and named for Willard Velie, a maternal grandson of John Deere.
The Velie company sponsored Jeffkins in the 1911 Indianapolis 500 in a Velie race car. He was unable to qualify his car and was slated as the relief driver for another Velie-sponsored car driven by Howard Hall. They finished 17th out of 26 finishers.
“Jeff” then drove a Velie-sponsored car in the August 1911 Elgin, Illinois race meet. He contended, but engine problems caused him to place third, two laps short of completing the race.
The racer moved to California in late 1911, competing in several races in a Buick along with helping promote early California racing events.
Perhaps Rupert Jeffkins’ claim to fame rests with his performance in the 1912 Indianapolis 500. Chosen as the riding mechanic for racer Ralph DePalma, the two in a German Mercedes made lasting Indy history.
With DePalma driving and Jeffkins riding, the two were leading the race by five laps when engine trouble on the 198th lap stopped them on the track. Unable to fix the broken piston, DePalma and Jeffkins pushed the heavy car around the track and across the finish line with the large crowd cheering them on. The photo of the two pushing the car is revered in Indy history.
Jeffkins, always the promoter, had the 1912 Indy filmed. He then toured the country showing the film and giving lectures, being considered a minor celebrity in Hollywood.
News reports in April of 1913 indicated that Jeffkins, now living in Vancouver, British Columbia, would enter an English Napier car in the 1913 Indy 500. However, track records do not show him as qualifying.
Jeffkins returned to Australia in the summer of 1913 where he promoted auto racing for the remainder of his life. He died in 1954 and is considered an icon of Australia racing.
