Pandemic Past Times : Wheeling and Dealing

 It’s not particularly unusual to see a person on a unicycle in Humboldt County (particularly in Arcata). Something most people don’t know, however, is that one Eureka resident at the turn of the century got his 15 minutes of fame riding a unicycle not across town but across the country.

 Courtland “Court” Edwards was born in Topeka, Kansas on January 27, 1876 to Edward Edwards and Mittie Marshall Edwards. One way or another, he ended up in Eureka in 1907, when he was 31 years old and had his photo taken with a unicycle and cornet in Sequoia Park. This photo, which appears in the Swandlund-Baker Collection at HSU, made the rounds on Facebook a few months back and when stories of his epic journey across the country on his 30 pound unicycle began to surface, I looked more into it.  

 In 1903, Court was living at 127 Cedar Street in Eureka.

Court had married a woman named Jeanie in Eureka in 1906, but it was not meant to last. In 1909, the couple owned a bicycle shop at 520 F Street and Jeanie was living at 806 E Street. That same year, Court took his unicycling on the road, traveling to San Francisco in June 1909 before leaving for New York City on his unicycle. Stops included Stockton, Sacramento, Reno, Ogden, Omaha and other cities, and Edwards estimated he could travel 30 to 40 miles per day. A friend, Ray Kent, would be accompanying Edwards as far as Ohio, where Kent was from. This wasn’t Edwards’ first long distance trip- he had traveled from Fresno to San Francisco in about 37 hours a few times.

127 Cedar Street, Eureka

Court Edward's former Bicycle Shop, now a tour planning shop at 520 F Street

 A few years after the image in Sequoia Park, Court appears in the newspapers- his wife is divorcing him for abandonment. Her story is that Court wanted her to travel around with him on a unicycle, but she’d need to wear “fleshlings”, which are a type of Victorian era tights. She said no, that since she was a decent Victorian woman she would not wear the tights and his response was to find a woman who would and take her on his travels. An article in the LA Herald stated that in August 1910, Jeanie Edwards filed for divorce.

 Stories on Edward’s trip across the country are sparse, and for a time Edwards dropped off the radar and no one knew if he had made it. In May 1910, The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review published a story that mentioned Edwards –  

If no Indians and bears were encountered in Van Courtland Park and the great beyond Max and Abie should be well on their way, and if they go far enough they may meet the ghost of Court Edwards, the Californian who started a year or so ago to ride a unicycle to New York and who, with his bugle and his umbrella still may be on the road for all the world knows.

 While Edwards was still on the road, a colorful character named Dan Green arrived in New York:

Although Court Edwards, the unicyclist who was going to ride from California to New York, has disappeared, another long distance single wheeler turned up in New York City on Saturday last, 21st inst. He says his name is Dan Green and that he rode a unicycle from Boston to New York. He was decked out with an Indian war bonnet, and officer’s khaki coat and leather fringed trousers. Green accounted for his unusual costume by stating that he is a Mexican with a fondness for the United States, though why that should serve as a excuse for such an outlandish costume was not made plain.

 The following month- Edwards arrived in New York with two wheels instead of 1. Unicycling, he claimed, was too much work. That is probably an understatement, especially considering that there were large swaths of the country that didn’t have anything resembling a road, so he switched to a motorcycle. However, while riding a motorcycle, he hit a guardrail and broke two ribs- then kept riding on.

 In August of 1910, Edwards appears in papers as a trick motorcyclist rider widely praised in San Jose, performing on a motor cycle and unicycle at an event where there was also motorcycle racing going on a track featuring curves at a 45 degree angle.

 In 1911, Edwards was in San Jose, and had accepted a job working as a motorcycle mechanic in Denver Colorado. The article that mentions this claims that he is a “clever mechanic” that experiments with new add-ons to motorcycles used for racing.

 Edwards died in Illinois on September 9, 1912 in a motorcycle accident. Motor cycles used in racing at the time ran at 100 miles an hour, had no breaks, and riders wore leather helmets. Additionally, the tracks used for racing placed spectators just above the 45 degree (or more) banked track, meaning if a cyclist went off the track, they could easily fly, motorcycle and all, into the crowd. Edwards’ death made national news. Motorcyclist deaths in races were becoming more common, and the racing ended in 1913.

San Jose Mercury, 1 Aug 1910:

For outstanding images of these historic tracks, be sure to see:

http://www.ridingvintage.com/2012/12/the-motordrome-board-track-motorcycle.html

Thank you to Jim Garrison for assistance in uncovering this story!