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Two-Wheeled Trouble: When Bicycles Took Over Visalia
Words by Terry Ommen
The exact date that the first bicycle arrived in Visalia is unknown. What is known is that by the 1890s, the two-wheel vehicles had become a common form of transportation on city streets. The precise amount of bicycles in Visalia at the time is not clear. In June 1896, an energetic local teenager and expert cyclist, Leila Lawrence, set out to change that, and he completed a physical count of total bicycles in town. He recorded a total of 86, a significant number given the town’s population of only about 3,000. Within this count, 27 different manufacturers were represented, with Rambler and Victor making up almost a third of the total.
Adjusting, Horses, & Speed Control
As with any new form of transportation technology, there is an understandable period of adjustment for the people involved - in this case, all of Visalia’s 3,000 population. One of the first challenges was sharing the road with horses. Horses had enjoyed the right of way on streets for as long as they’d been in Visalia, but with the arrival of the bicycle, horses now had competition for street space. Reverend A. W.
Hunsaker and his horse-drawn buggy found this out the hard way. The preacher and his horse, on a seemingly normal everyday ride through town, were startled by a bicycle crossing their path. The surprise encounter caused $25.00 worth of damage to the buggy, the equivalent of $945 today. In June 1896, the Daily Morning Delta noted that “nearly all of the serious accidents on the bicycle are attributable to the recklessness and immoderate riding.”
The main problem with bicyclists seemed to be excessive speeding. As reported in the Delta in July 1896, “The speed of bicycles on the streets should be regulated at once. Scorching [speeding] on Main Street at night is still practiced and will result in the death or disabling of someone if not stopped.”
The Visalia City Council wasted no time. They ordered the city attorney to prepare an ordinance regulating the speed of bicycles and tricycles on city streets. Within a month, a speed limit was in place limiting riders to travel no faster than six miles per hour on Main Street or eight miles per hour on other streets. Riding on sidewalks was also made illegal.
A New Crime on the Local Scene
With the popularity of the bicycle came theft. Locking bikes up had apparently not been thought of yet, so the two-wheel vehicles became popular objects to steal. As bicycle larceny became more and more common, tolerance wore thin and punishment became severe. In June of 1902, Marcel Hauret, an employee of the French Laundry in Visalia, stole a co-worker’s bicycle. He rode it to Goshen and boarded a train en route to Fresno. Visalia City Marshal Watson investigated the theft and went to Fresno in search of Hauret. Watson found his culprit and returned him to Visalia to stand trial. Hauret was convicted of grand larceny and sentenced to one year at San Quentin State Prison.
What Bikes did for Women
When bicycles were first introduced, they created quite a stir with the sexes. The usual attire for women was dresses and skirts, but most found the clothing inappropriate for bicycle riding. As a result, knickers and bloomers came on the fashion scene. However, these were viewed to many as not “ladylike”, so female bicyclists were in a quandary. Wear bloomers and be criticized for wearing unpopular clothing, or not ride a bicycle? One local male newspaper editor despised bloomers for women so much that he “sold his bicycle and gave up wheeling [in protest] because several of his lady acquaintances announced their intention of wearing that bifurcated garment.”
Eventually bloomers caught on as appropriate female clothing for bicycle riding in Visalia and throughout the country. Susan B. Anthony, the famous suffragist, proudly claimed, “The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.”
The Dawn of Road Etiquette
Early cyclists understood the importance of road conditions. Objects in the road could have terrible consequences for riders, so it became normal practice to pick up hazards found on the streets. The Delta commented on this, “Whenever an object is found in the roadway that will injure a tire, even though the discoverer may have passed in safety, the cyclist will almost invariably stop and remove the danger in order that the vehicles of his fellow riders may not be harmed.” But this roadway etiquette was not always followed. While riding, an unnamed Visalia council member ran over some tacks that he believed had been thrown on the street with “malicious intent.” That’s exactly why riders like Nate Rogers carried a tool kit while riding, which included an air pump, extra inner tube, six tire patches, eight wrenches and a whistle.
A Need for Bike Speed
Some riders were not content with just leisurely moving along the streets. Walter Geldert, for example, liked to put his bicycle and his physical endurance to the test with speed runs to neighboring towns. On one occasion, he made the trip between Visalia and Porterville in just over 3 hours. Another time he traveled the 12-mile jaunt to Tulare in 56 minutes, a good time even though a pesky flock of sheep wandered onto his path, delaying him.
Positive Impact of Bikes on Visalia
The local newspaper reported other benefits of the bicycle. “Were it not for the bicycle, the public would not receive the city papers near as quickly as they are at present served,” they reported. They also credited the vehicle with luring men from the gambling table, adding that they “now go broke on the wheel.”
Bicycles added another dimension to community celebrations, as bike races became common. The Independence Day 1899 festivities held a six-mile race, attracting riders from many neighboring towns. The big July 4th parade also now included cyclists. As part of the evening program, bicycles equipped with lanterns took part in what was called the Grand Illuminated Bicycle Parade.
Although debate over bicycles in the community was sometimes contentious, by the turn of the century, bicycle riding was commonplace and accepted. Men and women were riding for pleasure and business. The two wheel vehicle had caught on and was here to stay.
