Sturgis 1938

*click picture for larger view*

In Pappy Hoel's book "Life's Bits & Pieces" He has this picture that was taken at the first AMA sanctioned 1/2 mile race in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In the book he tells a great story about some of the events that led up to that day that I will post a portion of it here.

"Back in 1938 while operating an ice delivery business and also just starting my Indian motorcycle dealer agency, Sturgis held its first AMA sanctioned 1/2 mile races.

Old Uncle Mike Tagaris of Denver, Colorado, one of the leading Indian dealers of that time, gave us so much needed help and also so much needed advice to me in setting up a new Indian dealership. Bless his heart, I will never forget him.

His nephew, Jimmy Tagaris who carried on Mike's agency after Mike's death, came to Sturgis late in the night before a race and had no place to sleep. I told him I would fix him up and I took him and his group up the canyon to our ice house where natural ice was stored for delivery. I spread canvas on top of the sawdust which covered the ice and left,
thinking I had done my friend a favor.

Early the next morning here comes Jimmy, cold, shaking and miserable. He said "Holy cow, that place was cold last night. What kind of building was it?" When I told him he had been sleeping on top of over a 1,000 tons of ice he really blew up and I had some real explaining to do."

I am not sure, but I think it was Don Vodden who won the main event that day???