By Susan Couso
Probably being in ‘the middle of nowhere’ has contributed greatly to the local fascination of the motor vehicle. It was a long trip to go anywhere.
At the turn of the century, the closest train connection was in Amedee, and that, in itself, was quite a trip from Susanville. The journey by horseback or wagon or stage was long, uncomfortable, and tiring at best.
It is 1912, and even though the automobile had been in regular use for quite a few years, its presence in Susanville was still exciting, and a new auto would always draw a crowd.
And it was as inevitable then as it is today. You get a few guys standing around a new car and the comparisons begin. None of these guys would admit that their car did not have the power, speed, etc., and soon the boasting and bravado turned into digs and dares and the race was on!
Crawford Logan was in town to promote the merits of his diesel-powered Winton Six, and Fred Sefton, editor of the Lassen Mail, was certain that his Buick Thirty could master the race in record time.
Dr. James Gerow, from Reno, touted his simple, quiet friction-drive Cartercar, and Susanville’s own, Joseph Tremaine, drove his 8 horse-power Ford Runabout.
Word of the challenge spread, and the racecourse was lined with spectators. Every other available auto in town was piled to the brim with excited onlookers trailing the speedsters.
The race began in Susanville and sped up to the top of Antelope Grade, where the cars had a 20% or steeper grade to master. The total distance of the race was seven-and-a-half miles.
Fred Sefton was convinced that his superior driving skills and the power of his four-cylinder overhead-valve Buick Thirty gave him a tremendous advantage. But no amount of skill or mechanical performance could match the power of a large boulder. Sefton thought the road had been cleared of such obstacles, but he was mistaken, and his race was over as he collided with one of nature’s finest and disabled his steering gear.
Crawford Logan’s Winton Six surged ahead and made the complete run in 18 minutes, with Dr. Gerow in his Cartercar, and Joseph Tremaine in his Ford, close behind.
The Buick, guided by a dejected Fred Sefton, finished with the most dust.
This being a modern 1912, the race was filmed by one of the town’s first moving-picture enthusiasts. Later, the film was shown at the local theater. The seats were filled as the film began, but as a view of Fred Sefton, lying prone beneath his car, was shown, he despondently stomped out of the cinema.
