Introduction on the title is on it’s way.
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THE AUTOMOBILE — Volume XXVII 27, No. 5, August 1, 1912, pages 248 – 249
Course Selected for the Milwaukee Races
Promoters Quietly Abandon Course First Announced and Sign Up All Property Owners Along New Route
MILAUKEE, WIS., July 29 – The four international road racing classics to be run at Milwaukee on September 17, 20 and 21, will use a course 8.2 miles long lying entirely within the township of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee county, instead of the much-touted Greenfield course, in the township of Greenfield, Milwaukee county.
After 2 months of quiet preparation, the Milwaukee Automobile Dealers‘ Association, promoter of the great speed carnival, announced today that the Greenfield course was secretly abandoned on June 1, on which date the town board of Wauwatosa presented an offer to the association of an 8.2-mile course in its township, under the condition that nothing in relation to the new course be made public until the last and final details had been completed. The offer of the Wauwatosa board included the completed course, together with all property rights, for a period of 3 years, taking from the shoulders of the M. A. D. A. the entire expense of building the roads into shape for high speed, which amounts to approximately $2,000 per mile, or $16,500.
The course will consist entirely of concrete road, with a 30-foot roadway, built under the direction of the state highway commission, with state aid. The turns, all of which will be rebuilt, will be of concrete, but the M. A. D. A. will be obliged to stand the expense, as the turns will be through private property excepting in one instance, and the plan under which the town board is building the road will not permit of the construction of special turns for high-speed work at public expense.
The reason that the new course has been kept so absolutely secret for nearly 2 months is that the M. A. D. A. wished to avoid the many harassing difficulties that confronted it almost as soon as announcement of the selection of the Greenfield course was made early in the spring. After signing up all but one or two of the property-owners and residing tenants, the M. A. D. A. believed everything secure when it was discovered that Chicago and Eastern concessionaires were bidding for rights along the roads and when the situation was investigated, it was found that almost every foot of the course would be covered with peanut stands and soda water bars.
Just at this time Chairman Joseph M. Guentner, of the town board of Wauwatosa, approached the association with an offer to build a course and insure titles to every foot of ground bordering on the roads comprising the route, providing the association would keep it a secret until all details were completed. It was a most fortunate turn of affairs, and the offer was eagerly accepted. Two days later the town board had received the signatures of 98 of the 101 property-owners along the course. Within a week, everyone had been signed up. On June 29 the contract for building 8.2 miles of concrete road was awarded to Michael Schmidt, a reliable contractor of Wauwatosa city, and today concrete is already being poured at 10 points on the roads.
Description of the Circuit
The Wauwatosa course is a parallelogram, comprising the old Fond du Lac highway, from the northwestern corner of the city limits of the city of Milwaukee to the point of intersection with the Town Line road dividing the townships of Wauwatosa and Granville. It runs in a northwesterly direction. At the intersection the course runs due west along the Town Line road to Sommerville, where it intersects with the new Fond du Lac road, which it follows in a southeasterly direction almost parallel with the old Fond du Lac road. At the intersection of Burleigh road, the continuation of Burleigh street in the city of Milwaukee, the course strikes due east to the old Fond du Lac road. The two Fond du Lac road straightaways are each approximately 3 miles long; the Town Line road measures approximately 9 miles, and the Burleigh road 1.3 miles.
The Wauwatosa course is far superior to the abandoned Greenfield course in every particular. It is almost flat throughout its entire length. The old Fond du Lac road is a straightaway as flat as a prairie road and it is here where the highest speeds will be attained. The new Fond du Lac road is not so Records at Grand Rapids regular, but probably more so than the most regular part of Disbrow in Simplex Creates New Track the old Greenfield course. The connecting roads at the north and south ends of the course are somewhat rolling, but the grades do not rise above 7 per cent. at any point.
There are two bad turns and two exceptionally good ones. The turn at Wanderer’s Rest cemetery in the southwestern corner of the course, will have to be only slightly changed. It is a four-point cross-road, with rounded turns into each of the four connecting roads. The sweep from the new Fond du Lac road into the Burleigh road is one of approximately 145 degrees.
Advantages of the New Course
The Sherman Park turn, at the southeastern end, and the Sommerville turn at the northwestern corner, are very sharp and the town board is cutting a way through private property to make the round safe. The inside of the two turns barely measures 45 degrees. The Mud Creek turn at the north-east corner of the course measures about 120 degrees.
The location is ideal from a standpoint of accommodating the crowds. Two principal street car lines of the city of Milwaukee terminate at the two south corners of the course. They are fed by more than a score of trunk lines in the city limits. The main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul runs by the course, a half mile from the east leg.
The north city limits of the city of Wauwatosa are but 3-4 miles south of the lower end of the course, while the village of North Milwaukee lies about 3-4 miles northeast. The course touches the city limits of Milwaukee proper at the southeastern corner.
Photos.
Page 248. Old Fond du Lac road, after passing Congress cross road – Straightaway on New Fondy road beyond Sommerville turn – Stretch on the Town Line road, looking to the west
Page 249. Wauwatosa course, 8.2 miles in length, which will be used by the racing cars contesting in the classics in September