Car rally commemorates 1903 endurance run
Sep. 8—A drive in parts of Ulster and Delaware counties Saturday, Sept. 23, will follow parts of the path the 1903 Automobile Endurance Run took.
Rally Master Robert Selkowitz said people will start congregating at 9 a.m. at the Catskills Visitor Center at 5096 State Route 28 in Mount Tremper for a 10 a.m. start. The route will travel along state Route 28 to Fleischmanns and will stop at the Cauliflower Festival in Margaretville. Drivers will then go along state Route 28, through the hamlet of Andes and take county Route 2 from Andes to DeLancey, to state Route 10 to Delhi, with a potential stop at Birdsong Farm and the weekly farmers market. The route will take county Route 14 through Treadwell to state Route 357 and end in Franklin at the Franklin Railroad and Community Museum and a lunch option.
After the stop in Franklin, the rally will take state Route 357 to state Route 28, with a stop at the Polar Bear Ice Cream shop for another lunch option or dessert. The rally's last stop will be at the Hanford Mills Museum, which will have its annual Antique Engine Jamboree. The route back to Delhi will take Elk Creek Road to state Route 10, to state Route 28 and back to the starting point.
"It's 149 miles round trip," Selkowitz said. "It's a one-day event for people who love to drive."
The rally isn't timed, so people can drive at their own pace and stay at the different events along the way as long as they like, Selkowitz said.
This is the seventh Catskill Conquest Rally commemorating the 1903 Automobile Endurance Run. It began when Selkowitz sat on the Catskill Mountain Scenic Trail committee and they thought of ideas to bring people to the area. He said he remembered the 1903 run and suggested it. "They thought it was a great idea," he said.
In October 1903, 17 American auto manufacturers, including Packard, Pierce-Arrow, which were manufactured in Buffalo; Franklin, which were manufactured in Syracuse; and Locomobile, fielded 34 entries for an arduous test. They followed an 800-mile route through the Catskill Mountains in New York and on to Binghamton and Buffalo in New York; Erie, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Selkowitz said the roads the endurance run ran on varied. In Ulster County, they were able to drive on a crushed bluestone macadam road, but once they got to Delaware County, the roads were all dirt. The roads were turned into mud as the run encountered six inches of rain.
"The cars had no windshields, no tops, so they were soaked when they got to Delhi," he said. "It was reported they bought every dry piece of clothing for sale in the village."
The rally included one female, Edith Riker, who rode in a Locomobile with her husband, Andrew, owner of the company, he said. "Every newspaper interviewed her along the route," he said. "Her grandson didn't know that story."
Of the original 1903 Endurance Run marques, a few became classics in following decades. This year there will be a 1930 Franklin seven passenger sedan leading the field.
Cars in the rally vary as it's whatever the person wants to drive, Selkowitz said. "Last year a person drove their Porsche from Iowa to drive in the rally," he said. This year, someone is driving their Triumph from Rhode Island. In addition to the Triumph and Franklin automobiles, there will be a 1952 Cunningham C3, a 2021 McLaren, a 1961 Buick LeSabre, Mazda Miatas, Corvettes and Mustangs.
The ride is open to 60 drivers and the cost is $100 per car. To download an entry form, visit https://www.1903autorun.com/.
In addition to the conquest rally, Selkowitz has organized other rallies. In the spring, people can drive routes in Greene and Schoharie counties and on Oct. 14, there will be a Covered Bridge Rally that will take drivers through Ulster, Delaware and Sullivan counties.
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.
