Bikers Become Outlaws: the Healdsburg Wheelmen by Hannah Clayborn
Within the Bikers Become Outlaws: the Healdsburg Wheelmen article is a section titled "The Wheelman Meets" which recounts the history of the Luce's Park track.
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This webpage uses many of the same references as "The Wheelman Meets" section but attempts to expand on the history of the Luce's Park track, as documented by Hannah Clayborn.
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Note, an earlier version of Hannah Clayborn's feature of the Healdsburg Wheelman is in the Russian River Recorder, Spring 1987.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, April 27, 1893 article is a reference to the desire for a cycling club to be formed in Healdsburg as early as 1893.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, March 22, 1894 article shows a club has yet to be formed in 1894.
1895
Still, in early 1895 there is no cycling club for Healdsburg according to the Healdsburg Tribune, March 28, 1895.
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Finally, soon thereafter, on April 7 1895 a bicycle club is organized. The Healdsburg Tribune, April 8, 1895 also indicates a bicycle track is proposed.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, April 11, 1895 article has slightly more information about club officers (the bugler) and other members.
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The San Francisco Call, April 20, 1895 article further broadcasts the Healdsburg club news.
The Referee, May 17, 1895 contains one of the earliest bicycling journal references to racing at Healdsburg. However, there is no further evidence of this race meet so it likely did not take place. Especially, given the publicity for the upcoming, initial race meets at the Luce's Park Track.
The Healdsburg Tribune, August 8, 1895 article places a call out to the Healdsburg Wheelmen to come to the "Luce's race track for the purpose of establishing club records".
The Healdsburg Tribune, August 15, 1895 has a very good summary of the opening day race for the Luce's Park Track. The race was held on Sunday, August 11, 1895. There are many interesting pieces of information: "but the track being new was not so fast", "Over five hundred people went out to Matheson's Park to witness the sport" and "before the boy's race was started he offered the victor a small-bore rifle" and many more.
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There are some references to Matheson's Park but the most common name used is Luce's Park.
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There is also a half mile race held and it is said "he got around the track in 1:16 4-5" which implies the length of the track is a half mile.
The Healdsburg Tribune, September 12, 1895 has a very good summary of "The Second Meet" for the Luce's Park Track. The race was held on Sunday, September 8, 1895.
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Again, there are many interesting points in the article. One of which is a remark about the "one-mile handicap between Chas. Bond and Lou Goldman, the latter being given 90 yards." indicating "It took 4 minutes lacking 1 3/4 seconds for Bond to get around the track twice". That reinforces that Luce's Park Track is a half-mile track.
The San Francisco Call, September 10, 1895 also has an article about the "The second race meet held under the auspices of the Healdsburg wheelmen... at Luce's Park".
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This article cites a crowd of 1500 people, the earlier Healdsburg Tribune article cited 1000 spectators.
The Healdsburg Tribune, October 3, 1895 has yet another very good race summary, this time of "The third and conclusive meet of the Healdsburg Wheelmen's Club held Sunday at Luce's track". The race was held on Sunday, September 29, 1895.
Note, all three races hosted by the Healdsburg Wheelmen at the Luce's Park Track were held on Sundays. This scheduling would run afoul of the L. A. W.'s policy against racing on Sundays.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, October 24, 1895 article announces the L. A. W.'s suspension "for the time being" of the riders who raced in the September 29th meet at Luce's Park Track. It also makes clear the intentions of the local wheelmen are to ignore the suspensions. However, if the suspended racers tried to race in a L. A. W. sanctioned race elsewhere, they would likely be denied.
The two articles below describe off-season fundraising efforts for velodrome improvements.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, November 7, 1895 article states the fundraising purpose is to "build its own race course and construct what will be necessary for good meets and the accommodation of spectators."
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The Healdsburg Tribune, December 5, 1895 article has more details about the Christmas night masquerade ball which is to raise funds for "the purpose of building a good race course and maintain it during next season for county and local meets."
1896
1896 begins with more fundraising news and activities for the Healdsburg Wheelmen.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, January 2, 1895 article indicates $100 in profit from the Christmas night masquerade ball.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, February 20, 1895 article seems to say another fundraising event was held in mid February.
The articles below are about the construction of the new track at Luce's Park.
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The fifth paragraph of the San Francisco Call, April 15, 1896 article briefly mentions the "new three-lap track at Luce's Park". This means the track itself was reconstructed from a half-mile (two-lap) track in 1895 to a third-of-a-mile (three-lap) track prior to the 1896 race season. There is no further information about track width or banking.
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The Healdsburg Tribune, March 26, 1896 and Healdsburg Tribune, April 23, 1896 articles mention construction of a grandstand and other structures.
The Referee, May 7, 1896 piece shows a national cycling journal is interested in publicizing the news of new tracks.
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A couple of the articles announce the opening races of the 1896 season are to be held on "May 7 and 8, during the Healdsburg flower festival" or at "the big carnival".
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The Wheel, April 24, 1896 indicates a L. A. W. sanction is in place for May 7 and 8, 1896. Note, those race days land on a Thursday and Friday, not a Sunday, as was the preferred day for all the 1895 races.
The Healdsburg Tribune, April 30, 1896 and San Francisco Call, May 4, 1896 articles provide some pre-race publicity and information about the upcoming races at the Luce's Park Track.
Here's a brief race day announcement in the Healdsburg Tribune, May 7, 1896 about the racing to be hosted that day and the next by the Healdsburg Wheelmen.
The May 7 race meet at the Luce's Park Track is well summarized in the San Francisco Call, May 8, 1896 and Sonoma Democrat, May 9, 1896 articles.
The Referee, May 7, 1896 article also provides a very brief summary of the racing at Healdsburg.
The San Francisco Call, May 9, 1896 article describes the May 8 races at Luce's Park Track in Healdsburg.
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The Museum of Sonoma County has a very good article about Sonoma County cycling, Velocipede Spotlight: A Look Back at Cycling in Sonoma County. The article states "By the 1890s most Northern Californian races were organized by local cycling clubs. Santa Rosa and Healdsburg formed Wheelmen clubs in the 1880s, during the era of the high wheel, and Petaluma added a club in the 1890s. Competition was an important part of the Wheelmen’s activities. The Santa Rosa club built a dirt track at the end of McDonald Avenue, while the Healdsburg Wheelmen hosted races at Matheson Field. An 1896 race in Healdsburg drew an estimated 1,000 spectators."
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There is no more Luce's Park racing news found for the remainder of 1896.
1897
In early 1897 there is publicity about a "Winter Circuit" of races to be held in February, throughout Northern California, as described in The Referee, February 4, 1897 article.
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However, there is no information about a race at Luce's Park Track ever happening in February of 1897.
The Cycling West, February 6, 1897 has an even more detailed description of "What promises to be the greatest cycling event ever held in the history of the Pacific Coast."
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Again, Healdsburg is mentioned as stop on the circuit but there is no evidence that occurred.
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It's interesting to note the article indicates "Healdsburg is a half mile, usually in very good condition." The Healdsburg track was reconstructed as a third-of-a-mile track in early 1896.
The Healdsburg Tribune, February 25, 1897 article indicates the Healdsburg Wheelmen have disbanded and therefore the Luce's Park track has been abandoned. The implication being that the track is too expensive to maintain.
The Healdsburg Tribune, August 5, 1897 article points to a new cycling club "known as the Healdsburg Cyclers". From the article, it looks like this may be a road-oriented club.
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There is no mention of the Luce's Park Track or a bicycle racing track in Healdsburg after these early 1897 articles.
Location
It's clear the track was located at Luce's Park, also referred to Matheson Park (or Field). Luce's Park is more predominant in the newspaper articles.
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However, there are no maps available that show the precise location of either park.
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From Hannah Clayborn's Bikers Become Outlaws: the Healdsburg Wheelmen historical article there is a footnote indicating the location of the park as "Matheson Park was once located on land owned by the Matheson, and later the Luce family, on the north side of Matheson St., north of First St."
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That also explains the dual references due to the succession of land ownership.
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This is an 1877 map of Healdsburg, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection, that shows the area of the park being owned by "Mrs. E. L. Mathewson", adjacent to Matheson Street and the Matheson Addition.
1877 Healdsburg, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection
This is an 1898 property map of Healdsburg, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection, that shows the area of the park has indeed transferred ownership to Nina Luce. It appears she owns 188 acres.
1898 property map of Healdsburg, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection
This 1898 map, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection, shows a couple likely locations for the Luce's Park Track.
1898 Healdsburg street map, courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection
Below is a current Google Map of the area (38.612770, -122.860529), the north end of 1st street, north of Matheson Street.
Current Google Map of the area (38.612770, -122.860529), the north end of 1st street, north of Matheson Street
CHECKLIST:
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mention that there are NO PICS of this track. two illustrations though??
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make sure to doc the track specs in para, someplace.
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make sure to Note where other tracks are mentioned for CONTEXT!
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review each writeup and the archive item to make sure the details of the archive item are touched upon in the writeup
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review to make sure the Links are ALL GOOD!
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review to trim pics if necessary.
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HIDE this section.
1895-99 | Garden City Cyclers' Track | San Jose
Page last updated July 30, 2026.
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Even though track bicycle racing was in its early years, San Jose has always been in the game. The city's first track racing took place on the Agricultural Park Horse Track and would continue there through the 1890's, in a reduced amount during latter years. Then came the Julian Street Track, a temporary track, built to host the "fifth annual meet of the League of American Wheelmen, California Division" over July 4, 1890. Next was the First Street Track, hosting its inaugural race meet on September 9, 1892 and its finale on September 10, 1894.
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Hannah Clayborn was executive director of the Healdsburg Museum from 1979 to 1993. During that time she wrote more that 20 historical articles of Healdsburg and the surrounding area. She wrote a very informative article of the history of the Healdsburg Wheelmen, Bikers Become Outlaws: the Healdsburg Wheelmen.