In 1897 Berthoud got serious about bicycles. That year the Davis-Hartford Mercantile

Company, located at the north-west corner of Third Street and

Massachusetts Avenue, sold bicycles and, after a large number of lo-cal residents equipped them-selves with the two-wheeled vehicles, an in-vitation to the organizational meeting of the “Berthoud Wheelman’s Club” was published in The Berthoud

Bulletin. F.I. Davis, who was a part-ner in the Davis-Hartford store, formed the group with the assistance of banker Thomas Bunyan and mer-chants Charles Pollock and Amos Mahan.

On May 13, 1897, The Berthoud Bulletin announced, “All who ride bicycles are requested to meet at the

hose house tomorrow evening for the purpose of organizing a wheelman’s club. This is a good move as a club properly offi cered will add to the plea-sure of biking.” In 1897 Berthoud’s hose house, a small two-story frame building on Fourth Street that was used to store the fi re fi ghters’ hose cart, was one of the few buildings in the town of 300 residents that was suitable for a public meeting.

The successful organization of the club was celebrated the following week with a parade that drew the attention of local residents. At that time Berthoud’s tabloid noted, “There were 18 bicycles in the parade last Saturday evening and a number of tin horns, cow bells, and a few name-less musical instruments. A tempo-rary organization was effected and the necessary committees appointed by chairman F.I. Davis. T.C. Bunyan was appointed captain for the eve-ning’s parade.”

The Berthoud Wheel Club, perfect-ed on May 18, 1897, was chartered to “furnish enjoyment and recreation of its members,” which included all bicycle riders of Berthoud and vicin-ity. Royal purple and white were designated as the club’s colors and

Davis, Bunyan, Pollock and Mahan were elected as its president, secre-tary, captain and lieutenant. Pollock, captain of the Berthoud Wheel Club, was responsible for the club’s “runs” and charged with “general supervi-sion over matters relating to runs or excursions.” Terms of the offi cers were set at three months, and regular meetings were scheduled on the fi rst Tuesday of each month at 8 p.m.

In June 1897 the Berthoud Wheel Club met at the May & Pollock store (present-day Castle Rug Company building) to enroll members. Nothing regarding the Berthoud Wheel Club appeared in The Berthoud Bulletin after that time.

While Berthoud’s fi rst bicycle club quickly faded into oblivion, local bi-cycle sellers and riders continued to make headlines in Berthoud’s news-paper. John Bunyan, the 21-year-old son of Berthoud Wheel Club organiz-er Thomas C. Bunyan, earned notice in the local tabloid with advertise-ments for the Rambler bicycles that he offered for sale at an unknown location. At the time, Bunyan was a cashier at the Bank of Berthoud that his father operated at the northwest corner of Third Street and Mountain

Avenue. The Rambler bicycles that Bunyan sold were considered to be very fancy because each bike was painted in red and black.

Berthoud’s bicycle riders also earned oc-casional men-tion in the local newspaper. In July 1897, for instance, the tabloid re-ported that Sid Davis had rid-den his bicycle to Longmont for the town’s Fourth of July celebration and took the train back to Berthoud after his tire was punc-tured. That summer the newspaper also reported that Preston Dennis and William Berner, two boys who lived in the Red Rock dis-trict west of Berthoud, had purchased a tandem bicycle and were practicing

for future races. In 1897 Berthoud was not alone

in its infatuation with bicycles. That October the Denver Wheel Club held

a 50-mile pursuit relay race as part of Denver’s Festival of Mountain and Plain. Prior to the event The Berthoud Bulletin noted, “The compet-ing teams will be the Denver Wheel Club and the Colorado state team which comprise the fl owers of Colorado rid-ers. A novel feature of the race is that it will be run in a fl ood of electric light.” If that failed to impress,

there was also a band concert during the race featuring 100 hundred musi-cians.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor June 20, 2013 Page A5

A LOOK AT BERTHOUD

The historical society and Mark French are interested in obtaining and copying old photos from Berthoud’s past. Please contact Mark at 532-2147 if you have any photos you would like to share.

Surveyor Columnist

Mark French

Photo from 1897 Berthoud BulletinBank of Berthoud cashier John Bunyan sold bicycles in 1897. The Davis-Hartford Mercan-tile Company at the northwest corner of Third Street and Massachusetts Avenue also sold bikes.

Carol JudyDec. 26, 1941 — May 26, 2013

Carol Judy, 72, of Berthoud died Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Sugar Valley Estates in Loveland, Colo.

Carol was born Dec. 26, 1941, to Carl and Edith Sexton in Saginaw, Mich. She graduated from West High School, Denver, Colo., in 1959, after which she continued her education by attending nursing school, graduating as a registered nurse.

On Dec 31, 1965, she married Hayward F. (Frank) Judy at the

Lakewood Methodist Church in Lakewood, Colo.

Carol continued her service in the medical profession as a registered nurse until 1979, at which time she dedicated herself full time to being a wife and mother.

Carol moved from Denver to a rural area of Berthoud, Colo., in 1972. She moved to the town of Berthoud in 2001 and fi nally to Sugar Valley Estates in Loveland, Colo., in 2013.

Carol was a dedicated wife and

mother, talented artist, and a mem-ber of the Loveland Elks Lodge. She

loved her dog Dolly, play-ing poker, and driving her baby blue T-bird with the top down.

She is survived by two sons, Darrell Judy and his wife Mora of Newport, RI, and Steven Judy and his wife Cynthia of Old Lyme, Conn., fi ve grand-children; Mark, Katelyn, Kyle, Ryan and Josh Judy, one brother; Larry Sexton and wife Claire of Alabama; and numerous

nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 28, at Greenlawn Cemetery located in Larimer County at the corner of County Road 1 and Highway 56, one mile east of the town of Berthoud. Reception service will follow the memorial service at the Berthoud Community Center located at 248 Welch Ave., Berthoud, CO 80513.

All memorial contributions may be sent to the Loveland Elks Lodge, 103 E. Fourth St., Loveland CO 80537 or the Berthoud Boy Scouts Troop 6, c/o Berthoud United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 506, Berthoud, CO 80513.

a 50-mile pursuit relay race as part of Denver’s Festival of Mountain and Plain. Prior to the event The Berthoud Bulletin noted, “The compet-ing teams will be the Denver Wheel Club and the Colorado state team which comprise the fl owers of Colorado rid-ers. A novel feature of the race is that Photo from 1897 Berthoud Bulletin

OBITUARY

Be a part of your county fairSpecial to the Surveyor

Exhibiting your talents at the Larimer County Fair is as American as apple pie. No, we’re not suggesting that you be an exhibitionist. We’re really talking about apple pies, salsa, paintings, knitted hats and other things you make.

By pre-entering your garden pro-duce, fl owers, needlework metal or wood working, beadwork or other crafts, photography, art work, wine, honey, or baked or preserved foods, any adult or youth can exhibit these items at the Larimer County Fair at no cost. The list of open class items and rules can be found at www.lar-imer.org/ext. The pre-entry deadline is Monday, July 15 and pre-entries can be made online. After July 15, you can still enter with a late charge of $5 per department.

The Larimer County Fair and PRCA Rodeo offi cial dates are August 2-6. Your items will need to be taken to the fairgrounds earlier that week for judging. Check the schedule and instructions for entering Open Class Exhibits at the website. For addition-al information contact CSU Larimer County Extension Offi ce at 498-6000.

What will you take to the county fair?

Carol Judy

Thank youMark French, presidentBerthoud Historical Society

The Berthoud Historical Society would like to thank everyone in-volved in making the 2013 Berthoud Historic Home Tour on June 15 a great success.

Thanks are in order to homeown-ers Bryan and Isabelle Laak at 706 Seventh St., Leslie Deptowicz at 725 Welch Ave., and Jan Nichols at 947 Fifth St., and the McCarty-Fickel Home at 645 Seventh St., who pre-pared and opened their houses to visitors on tour day.

Thanks also go to these commu-nity-minded Berthoud businesses that sponsored the event: Simply Shabulous, City Star Brewing,

Berthoud Inn & Events, Johnson’s Corner, Front Range Antiques, Home State Bank, R. Bruce Fickel II, Attorney at Law, RE/MAX Town & Country Real Estate, Weedin Insurance Agency, Picture This Custom Framing & Interiors, Berthoud Drug, Grandpa’s Café, Lighthouse Café, Tito’s Mexican Grill, A&W, Da Bean, Brick Oven Pizza, Nonna Bella, Derby Grill, Whistle Stop Family Fun &

Dining, Subway, New China, Wishful Living, Indigo Sky Trading Co., Berthoud Physical Therapy, Berthoud Weekly Surveyor, Liz Kearney, Legal Counsel, Main Street Car Care and Quick Lube, Berthoud Floor Covering, Gifts from the Guild and Zink Metal Art.

Appreciation is also extended to the Longs Peak Antique Tractor and Engine Association and several local tractor owners who helped host an antique tractor show and parade, the Berthoud Chamber of Commerce and the Berthoud Outdoor Quilt Show Committee for their part in planning a successful joint effort, and dozens of community members who worked as volunteers to make this annual event a source of community pride.

Berthoud Wheel Club ruled the streets in 1897

Photo by Becky Justice-HemmannLast Saturday’s events in Berthoud featured a tractor parade.