STURGIS AND THE CHANGE

MANY YEARS HAVE GONE BY

In the begining it was only a few guy's raising some hell in a small town with so few cops to deal with. I am sure these guy's never thought or expected it to grow into an event with over a hundred thousand people every year. The History channel did a story on the history of Sturgis and the bikers from the begining to near present times. If you ever have the chance to watch it, I recomend seeing it because it was a very well done story.

All this started with a race here is the information I gathered from the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

Rally History
STURGIS, THE CITY OF RIDERS, CELEBRATES 66 YEARS OF MOTORCYCLING
J. Clarence “Pappy” Hoel is a legend in the small agricultural town of Sturgis, located in the pristine Black Hills of South Dakota. Pappy purchased an Indian Motorcycle franchise in the mid 30’s and was one of the founding members of the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, and he and the Gypsies are credited with starting the now famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 1938.
It all began when they decided he wanted to host a race. Nine racers participated that first year, and a mere 200 spectators showed up to watch. Pappy’s right hand, his wife Pearl and other Gypsy ladies, fed all the guests hot dogs, sloppy joes, potato salad and watermelon for dessert, and Pappy and Pearl's home served as the campground.
66 years later the Rally has grown into one of the largest motorcycle events in the world, offering visitors drag races, hill climbs, flat track and short track races; roads that will take you through canyons, to national monuments and historic places; demo rides; top notch entertainment; beautiful weather and the opportunity to shop for anything and everything motorcycle related.
Motorcyclists from across the globe gather the first week of August to celebrate, ride and enjoy the camaraderie of like minded enthusiasts. You might not get a free meal at Pearl’s any more, but you will get the opportunity to participate in the legacy of the City of Riders, a first class event you’ll want to enjoy year after year. And we hope you do!

Jackpine Gypsy, Neil Hultman, leads the Gypsy Tour through the Hills in August 1948

Legendary Main Street in the 60's
THE GREAT RACE
Riding through Sturgis and the Hills makes you nostalgic and it’s hard not to get caught up in the memories, in the history. It’s everywhere you look, in the weathered faces of riders on old flatheads they just can’t seem to part with, on vests that proudly display 10, 20, 30 years of Rally patches, and at the races, the one single event that put Sturgis on the map.
Hosting a race was Clarence Hoel’s idea. Better known as “Pappy”, he began his long love affair with Indian motorcycles as a teenager, using his motorcycle to drive cattle and ride fence lines on the family ranch. Pappy also helped with the family ice business, but with the advent of the refrigerator he knew he had to find another source of income to support his new family, wife Pearl and son Jack. He applied for an Indian Motorcycle franchise and opened his dealership in his garage in 1936.
1936 was also the year that the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club was officially chartered by the AMA. Pappy and the “boys” had a good natured rivalry going with the Rapid City Pioneer Motorcycle Club (RPMs). The Gypsies tended to ride Indians out of loyalty to Hoel’s dealership, and the RPMs rode mainly Harley-Davidsons. Races between the two clubs were held on the horse track in Rapid City until 1937 when the Gypsies invited the RPMs to a race on the old half-mile track at the Meade County Fair Grounds in Sturgis. Both spectators and racers alike enjoyed how much extra speed could be built up on the banked corners of the Sturgis track, a result of the conversion the track underwent from horses to cars.
It didn’t take the local merchants in Sturgis long to notice how popular the races were and see what a potential boon this could be, especially in post-Depression rural America. They organized to form the Black Hills Motor Classic (BHMC), planning a rally in 1938. However the merchants considered themselves socially separate from the motorcyclists who created and participated in the event, allowing only local business owners to join the “proper committee”. This didn’t bother the Gypsies who never believed themselves to be inferior to the “namby pamby” merchants. A few of the “boys” were business owners in town and were able to join the BHMC committee, acting as unofficial spies and making certain that the Gypsies always knew what took place at the “proper committee” meetings.
The Gypsies, pushed out of the picture, would not be outdone and planned an organized ride through the Hills called the Gypsy Tour. Gypsy Tours were an AMA term for a weekend ride that included social and competitive activities such as a picnic and races. The tours were readily accepted by local dealerships because in addition to the entertainment and social aspects, this was also an opportunity to showcase the new models. Keep in mind that many of the dealerships in the 30’s were small and demo rides in a sparsely populated rural area would draw potential customers.
Much consideration was given to the date of the BHMC in 1938 however in the end the second weekend in August was chosen so as not to conflict with other established events in the area. In 1938 that weekend was August 12-14.
The committee set out to raise prize money to attract experienced racers. The purse was $500.00 and anticipation was high, both for drawing spectators and the racers to entertain them. To fill out the race weekend a parade was scheduled to include bikes and floats; a community dance; street carnival; and stunts at the fairgrounds. Pappy loved to perform stunts, which he called tricks, fun and damn foolishness. One of his favorites was crashing into an outhouse that was set on fire. The small building was specially constructed of dry, knotty boards that would break when he rode through it on his Indian, making certain to keep his head well below the handlebars. The fire tended to weaken the boards and make the stunt easier, rather than more dangerous. With the promise of dangerous stunts and an exciting race schedule, one of the committee members was remembered to have remarked that if the event was promoted and managed correctly there could be “entries from the whole cockeyed world!”
And the enthusiasm continued to build with the AMA’s recognition of the races. This was to be the first AMA sanctioned race in the region and with the extra publicity from the AMA the BHMC committee believed they could draw riders from as far away as Texas and California.
As the race drew closer the purse grew to an amazing $750.00 and riders from eight states, including California, had registered, thanks in part to the Springfield Mile. The Springfield Mile was a well respected competitive event that would draw the top racers in the country and was held shortly after the newly established Sturgis race, giving racers a convenient stop off on their way to Illinois.
On race day nine competitors had registered – Gale Chandler, Gale Gilkerson, Johnny Spiegelhoff, Fred Ford, Dale Short, Al Nelson, Bill Smith, J.P. Lewen and Don Vodden. All of the bikes entered in the race were Indians except for two, Spiegelhoff and Smith rode Harleys. It was Harley-Davidson who won the day when “Smiling Johnny” Spiegelhoff crossed the finish line at the end of the first official Sturgis half-mile.
The winner had to share the spotlight with a local racer though. While the Sturgis Tribune headline read “First Annual Cycle Race Meet a Hummer”, a smaller headline read, “Johnny Spiegelhoff Is Very Fast But Meets His Equal In Rapid Speed Demon”. Nelson, who came in second, was from Rapid City and had a loyal fan base in the Hills. Spiegelhoff and Nelson remained friends and competed in many more races, never imagining that the little race in Sturgis, South Dakota would have special significance in motorcycle history, inextricably linking them not only to racing history, but to the great legacy that lives on today, better known as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The Great Race of 1938, that started it all. Racers: Gale Chandler, Gale Gilkerson, Johnny Spiegelhoff, Fred Ford, Dale Short, Al Nelson, Bill Smith, J.P. Lewen and Don Vodden. "Smiling Johnny" Spiegelhoff won the day on his Harley!

THE JACKPINE GYPSIES
It’s hard to fathom the metamorphosis the rally has experienced over its 66 year history. It’s been through the difficult post-depression era and the tumultuous 60s, five wars, RUBs and beatniks, 12 presidents, and several generations of riders on a variety of different brands of motorcycles. It’s been called the Black Hills Motor Classic, Sturgis Rally and Races, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Sturgis Bike Week. It’s been run by the Sturgis Commercial Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Sturgis. But with all of the changes, one group of individuals has remained its constant guardian, the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club.
The first club minutes from January 21, 1938 give little insight into the thought processes and conversations that would lead them to choose the club name, rather simply states that after submitting names such as Bearcats and Coyotes “the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club was carried unanimously as the name of the Club.” There were 18 charter members, whose names bear mentioning. Pappy Hoel owned the local Indian dealership; Archie Campbell owned the local service station (learned to ride his Harley in World War I); Roger Satterlee owned a pawnshop in town; Ray Jeider was the local mortician; George Cobbler was a student at Black Hills Teacher’s College (today called BH State University, Spearfish); Cecil Gibson, Wayne Milek, Charlie Stephens and Don Vodden were local high school students; Nicky Neugebauer and Gordon Rounds were serving in the Cavalry detachment at Fort Meade; Carl Hackett, Herby Larson, Ray and Ted Laurenti, Thomas McLaughlin were miners from Lead/Deadwood; and Joe Kelly and Charlie Stephens were employed in Sturgis.
At those initial weekly meetings they discussed club colours and badges, AMA support, coffee pots, planned hockey games, races and events with the Rapid Pioneer Motorcycle Club (RPMC) from Rapid City. After meets the minutes would often include a footnote such as “Chicken feed big success. Hill climbs, fording rivers, squirrelling, all on impromptu program. No casualties. Everyone returned full and happy.” It was a simpler time.
On August 1, 1937, prior to forming the Club, Pappy Hoel and “the boys” held a field meet, racing against the RPMC and a club from Lead, which by all reports turned out to be pretty successful. The local businessmen noticed that the race brought a big crowd into town and began planning a similar event for the following year, to be called the Black Hills Motor Classic. They knew the race would be the big draw and that the Gypsies knew racing, so it followed that the Gypsies were asked to plan the 1938 race, a job they were happy to take on, and continue to do to this day.
In the early days the success of next year’s event was taken care of well in advance, a precedent that was set by frugal folks who had learned many a hard lesion and had managed to survive the Great Depression. The prize money for the next year was taken out of the profits at the end of the rally, ensuring there was enough cash to draw the winning racers from across the country for the upcoming year. The AMA had a “star” system set up – one star equaled a purse of $1,000.00, two stars equaled $2,000.00, etc., up to four stars. Because of the common sense practice of putting the purse away in advance, the race in Sturgis was generally classified as a four star, and drew the popular racers of the day. It didn’t hurt that the track was nationally known as “the fastest track in the Midwest”, a temptation that men with oil in their blood and the need for speed could not resist.
It was also advantages for racers to come to Sturgis because of the number of races held during the Motor Classic. If a rider in one class came and participated well in every race, four short track events and two half mile events, with enough points it was easy for him to advance to the next class. On more than one occasion a novice racer would turn pro at the Sturgis races, taking home a much bigger purse.
The races scheduled during the Motor Classic brought the Gypsies national recognition and much needed funding. Members from back then who are still around will tell you that the money raised during the BHMC was instrumental to their success, and is the main reason the Club is still around. In the 1950’s the Club was prosperous enough to begin purchasing property for a track of their own. With a little help from local banker and Gypsy member Bruce Walker, they purchased five acres from a local farmer to put on hill climbs. As time passed more land was acquired for the clubhouse and then a short track. Well almost. The farmland that the Gypsies kept purchasing had been leased to them, allowing them to buy small parcels as they could afford it. They overstepped slightly when they built the short track, building it on land they thought they owned but later discovered they were only leasing. By this time though the landowner wasn’t certain she wanted to sell anymore of her property and the Gypsies had to do some fast talking to convince her to sell. (Factoid - The dirt track at the fairgrounds is a half mile but the Gypsies short track, built in 1963, is between 1/6th to 1/8th of a mile. When Neil Hultman, member since 1947, and his buddy Bob Moore, member since 1968, were asked exactly how big the short track is, they smiled and said, “Well it all depends on where you ride on it.”)
In addition to managing the races the Jackpine Gypsies have always planned, sponsored, promoted and executed the Gypsy Tour, a name coined by the AMA, to include a scenic ride and picnic. The June 29, 1939 minutes state that Pappy “received permission to advertise over the public address systems at Albert Lea, Minnesota and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition to hand bills, of course”, and that “the business district of Sturgis is greatly in favor of the Gypsy Tour.”
The first Gypsy Tour held during the rally was on Friday, August 11, 1939. The Tour would take riders to Mount Rushmore, through Needles Highway, past the State Game Lodge and by Sylvan Lake. Riders less willing to stray too far from Sturgis took shorter tours to Bear Butte, Spearfish and Deadwood, with options to tour Lead and the Homestake Gold Mine. Pearl Hoel and the other “motorcycle wives” fixed a picnic meal.
By the late 70s the Tour was attracting over 400 riders forcing the Gypsies to split it into two groups, with one group going to Mount Rushmore and the other going to Devil’s Tower. Escorted by the Highway Patrol, the Tour would stop when they entered Rapid City allowing the riders to group up before they paraded through town “tight and tidy.” Riders on the Devil’s Tower Tour were dropped by the South Dakota Highway Patrol at the Wyoming border and picked up by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Safety was an important element in the Tour and a nurse, although not required by State or local ordinances, or the AMA, was on every Tour. “It was the right thing to do,” said Bob Moore. “Having a nurse was not required, we just did it.” The same principal applied to the races. Money was made available for track maintenance and improvements, earning the Jackpine Gypsies many safety awards and an excellent safety record. (Factoid – since the first race in 1938 only two racers have lost their lives during Rally events on the Sturgis tracks.)
Today the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally & Races draw, on average, an incredible 500,000 motorcycle visitors to this small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Through the ups and downs in economics and politics, in the good years and in the lean, the Jackpine Gypsies made certain that visitors got what they came for, fast action on the track and sweet roads to ride on the Tour. More importantly the club was the gel that held the event together, making it one of the few events in the world that can boast a 66 year history, and still counting. Events have struggled and failed because people with riding in their blood were not involved in, or eliminated from the planning stages. Fortunately for Sturgis, this has never been the case. The members of the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club have been the caretakers, the heart and soul of the Black Hills Motor Classic, and remain so today.
So this August if you are looking for a taste of the old days with a little twist, it’s easy to find. You can still be thrilled at the races and enjoy the beauty of the Hills during the Gypsy Tour. Dates and times are on their web site www.jackpinegypys.com. Better start packing.
(Factoid – Some of you out there will do the numbers and find a discrepancy in our math. If 1938 was the first Rally, how could 2006 be the 66th anniversary? The explanation, the second World War. Due to fuel and rubber shortages it was impossible to hold races, and most of the racers were overseas fighting. This greatly impacted the Rally, so much so that it was not held in 1944 and 1945. From the original book of Club minutes, 1941 “During the war this Club was inactive until “V” day but the club charter with the AMA was kept valid and as soon as possible the Club was reactivated on May 16, 1946.”)