1895-97 | Wheelmen's Park Track | Petaluma
Page last updated May 24, 2026.
​
The Petaluma Courier, August 8, 1894 article is the earliest reference found to the creation of a bicycle track in Petaluma.
​
In early 1895, bicycling and bicycle racing activities started rolling out fast and furious in Petaluma.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, February 26, 1895 article identifies the founding date of the Petaluma Wheelmen.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, April 30, 1895 item has more developed information on the track. It appears a piece of land has been identified, "the Athletic club grounds in East Petaluma", and the Wheelmen will lease the property for $200 per year.
The Petaluma Historian has an original history article titled Women of the Wheel - Fashion, Sex and Suffrage During the 1890s Bicycle Craze. Within there are a few paragraphs about how Wheelman Park came to be. The owner of one of the town's bicycles shops, Lyman Byce of the Erie Bicycle shop and Petaluma Incubator Company, was able to arrange to lease an old baseball stadium from John A. McNear and convert it into a quarter mile bicycle track.
​
The Petaluma Pioneers site has a webpage describing John A. McNear as "arguably the most famous and respected of all Petaluma pioneers. He was a man of vision with astonishing energy, brilliance and ambition." The Petaluma Historian also has many historical articles featuring John A. McNear and his varied contributions to Petaluma.
Lyman Byce was a frequent advertiser of his Erie Bicycle shop, adjacent to the Petaluma Incubator Company which he also owned. Here is one of his advertisements from the Petaluma Daily Courier, April 15, 1895.
The Petaluma Wheelmen work quickly.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, May 4, 1895 article announces they plan to host their opening day race at the Wheelmen's Park track on Decoration Day, May 30, 1895.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, May 13, 1895 item is just a small update indicating track work is ongoing and the first event will on May 30.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, May 29, 1895 article has more developed information on the track. It appears a piece of land has been identified, "the Athletic club grounds in East Petaluma", and the Wheelmen will least the property for $200 per year.
The two articles below from the San Francisco Call, May 30, 1895 and the Petaluma Daily Courier, May 31, 1895 provide race results and event summaries of the opening race of Petaluma's Wheelmen's Park track.
The Healdsburg Tribune, June 6, 1895 reprinted the Petaluma Daily Courier, May 31, 1895 article.
​
The Sonoma Democrat, June 22, 1895 article has a variety of details including that "The Petaluma track is to be surfaced with a sort of decomposed granite, which will make it the finest quarter-mile track on the coast. It is now nearing completion.."
The next event to be held at the Petaluma track is a "meet on the Fourth" as described in the Petaluma Daily Courier, July 1, 1895 article.
The July 4th race would be postponed to July 11th. Below are two articles about the race. The Petaluma Daily Courier, July 11, 1895 article had to go to press before racing was finished. The Petaluma Daily Courier, July 12, 1895 article describes the remaining races from the day before.
The last big race of the year will be on August 23rd. The Petaluma track will be one of the stopovers of the Pacific Cyclist circuit to take place throughout northern California.
​
The Bearings, July 27, 1895 article is an early announcement of the series.
​
The Bearings, August 8, 1895 article provides more information, specifically dates for each stopover of the circuit.
This article from the Sonoma Democrat, August 23, 1895 has a very minimal summary of the previous day's races at Wheelmen's Park. It is mainly about the next day's race to be held in Santa Rosa, which will be held at the horse track, the Santa Rosa Cycling Park will not be constructed until 1896.
​
An interesting note about the horse track preparation, "Tomorrow's races will be on the mile track. The big seven-ton roller will be down from Santa Rosa this evening, and they will roll and sprinkle all night."
​
Also, the typo in the headline!
As an aside, The Bearings, July 27, 1895 article above announces a "Pacific Cyclist circuit". Pacific Cyclist was a San Francisco based weekly cycling newspaper published from 1894-96. It appears Pacific Cyclist was sponsoring the circuit and the paper's editor, Ravlin, was organizing the series. No archives of The Pacific Cyclist have been found.
1896
The Referee, April 5, 1896 article indicates that Petaluma will be part of the national circuit when it makes a five race swing through northern California. However, it appears the circuit stopover in Petaluma never occurred.
The Petaluma Wheelmen will be hosting a July 4, 1896 race at their track. The Petaluma Courier, February 12, 1896 article makes an early announcement to that effect.
​
The Wheel, April 3, 1896 shows a list of recent sanctions granted for races, including the July 4 Division championship at Petaluma.
​
The sanctions list contains a minor typo, Petaluma is identified as hosting the "North Carolina Division Meet".
Below are a couple pre-race articles, both from the Petaluma Courier, June 24, 1896. The second article says that journalists from the San Francisco Wave will be in attendance and the race will be "a special subject for this week's issue."
Here are a couple more pre-race articles about the upcoming "league meet at Petaluma July 4."
​
The Referee, June 25, 1896 article describes a couple special cash prizes.
​
The San Francisco Call, June 27, 1896 item has a wide variety of information, specifically as to the track "Petaluma has now the finest quarter-mile track in the State. It was a good track last year, but the banks have been raised four feet, making it safer and faster for the riders."
​
The race is clearly a community-wide event, "There will be ample accommodations for visitors. As to lunch on the Fourth, nearly every church in town will set a Chicken dinner in the business part of town, so that all will be well fed." It's also interesting to note the train and ferry schedules.
The San Francisco Wave, July 4, 1896 edition has an advertisement by the San Francisco & North Pacific Ry. Co. describing the transportation options "For the Meet of the Northern Division of California... at Petaluma."
The San Francisco Call, July 5, 1896 provides an extensive post-race summary of "the eleventh annual meet of the North California Division of the League of American Wheelmen, held here to-day under the auspices of the Petaluma Wheelmen."
The Sacramento Daily Union, July 5, 1896 contains an abridged version of the San Francisco Call, July 5, 1896 article but none the less, publicizes the event.
There is an earlier article, Petaluma Courier, June 24, 1896, stating the San Francisco Wave paper will have special coverage of the Division meet.
The San Francisco Wave, July 4, 1896 edition does indeed have a very nice photograph of the Wheelmen's Park Track. But it does not contain any race articles or photographs.
L. C. Byce, the person who arranged for the Wave to be at the Division meet, himself wrote an article for the San Francisco Wave, July 4, 1896. Oddly, it bears only a brief reference to the "L. A. W. Meet." The article is all about bicycle touring in and around Petaluma.
The final race of the season would be on "Admission day, at the bicycle track in East Petaluma."
​
The Petaluma Courier, September 2, 1896 describes the general race program.
​
The Petaluma Courier, September 9, 1896 article has more race details. This race appears to be race opportunity for the local racers.
Being a race for the local racers, there is much for post-race information. The Sonoma Democrat, September 12, 1896 article provides the only race results found.
1897
The Referee, February 4, 1897 article announces that Petaluma will be stopover for a "winter circuit which will open the season with a rush."
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, February 9, 1897 article has more refined details. The circuit is to be sponsored by "the Olympic, the well-known cycling paper of San Francisco."
​
Both articles mention a national cycling topic of interest, whether the League of American Wheelmen will sanction Sunday racing. This will be an issue impacting cycling throughout the year.
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."
​
Of particular interest is the description of the tracks of the circuit in paragraph two: San Jose, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Dixon, Woodland, Chico, Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco and Fresno.
The Referee, February 12, 1897 points out there is also a point of contention between the San Francisco Panhandle Velodrome and the Olympic circuit, "The Velodrome does not propose that the proposed circuit in the country towns shall get all the good men."
​
Also in this article the L. A. W. held their vote on Sunday racing, "The news that the league had declared against Sunday racing once more was received in this city this afternoon and much disappointment is the result." In response to the result of the vote, "There is one report that a state league will be formed...".
The Cycling West, February 13, 1897 article describes paragraph by paragraph how the discussions with each circuit stopover played out.
The San Jose Mercury News, February 15, 1897 article has more about the L. A. W. decision. Based on that decision, the San Jose race will not be held on February 21. The first race of the Olympic circuit will in Petaluma on Monday February 22.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, February 16, 1897 item publicizes "the much-talked-of Ziegler-McFarland match race."
​
Unfortunately, there is a "LATER." section added to the Courier article stating there has been so much rain the Petaluma race needs to called off, "It will be held here later and the new date will be arranged as early as possible."
The San Francisco Call, February 18, 1897 article describes a rainy period in the area. It clarifies that Santa Rosa will be the first stopover of the Olympic circuit on Saturday, February 27.
​
The San Jose Mercury News, February 22, 1897 article mentions "There is considerable talk o forming a Western association of wheelmen that will allow Sunday racing".
​
Both articles state that the circuit will visit Petaluma at a later date but no articles have been found about a Petaluma stopover.
Similar to the Pacific Cyclist circuit of 1895, the Olympic circuit of 1897 was sponsored by a cycling paper based in San Francisco. Perhaps there is a connection between these newspapers, the last name of Ravlin is mentioned with both. No archives of the The Olympic have been found.
The Cycling West, May 13, 1897 article contains Bulletin #3 of the newly formed California Associated Cycling Clubs. Within the bulletin it is documented the Petaluma Wheelmen have secured a race sanction from the C. A. C. C. to hold a race on July 4, 1897. July 4 is a Sunday.
It seems like the Petaluma Wheelmen are jinxed this year. The Petaluma Daily Courier, June 18, 1897 article provides a complicated explanation for the latest race cancellation.
The Sonoma Democrat, September 18, 1897 article announces the disbandment of the Petaluma Wheelmen.
​
The disbandment seems to be at odds with the Petaluma Daily Courier, April 17, 1897 article stating "The organization is now booming."
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, October, 27, 1897 piece describes a vandalism incident of items "used by persons in training at the bycycle track." It appears ex-members of the Petaluma Wheelmen still have a lease, "the ten men in whose name the lease stands are taking steps to protect their property".
1898 and Beyond
The Cycling West, February 3, 1898 article makes it sound like racing as usual will resume at Wheelmen's Park.
​
The Cycling West, March 3, 1898 article lays out the races on the three main summer time holidays for the year. Then it indicates Petaluma will be hosting "Sunday meets" between the main holiday events.
​
However, there is no record of sanctions or news articles of racing at Wheelmen's Park for 1898 or later.
The Petaluma Daily Courier, July 11, 1898 article likely describes one of the factors leading to the demise of Wheelmen's Park and the disbanding of the Petaluma Wheelmen.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, November 30, 1898 article announced the disbanding of the San Francisco Road club.
These last three articles are from 1900 and later, referring back to the Petaluma track.
​
The Petaluma Argus Courier, November 24, 1900 article advertises a football game, "will be played at the old bicycle track".
​
The Petaluma Argus Courier, April 5, 1901 item indicates two baseball teams, "have rented for the season the old bicycle track grounds from Mr. McNear".
​
Lastly, the Petaluma Argus Courier, March 23, 1903 article announces, "The bicycle track is being removed from the baseball park in East Petaluma."
Location
There are a number of references that locate Wheelmen's Park on the site of what was previously "Athletic Park" or the "old baseball park owned by John McNear". No references of the location of Athletic Park were found.
The Petaluma Historian says "McNear converted an old baseball stadium he owned on the city's east side (now the site of the Petalulma Public Library) into Wheelman Park." The Petaluma Public Library is on the corner of East Washington St. and Payran St. in East Petaluma.
​
The red triangle in the 1894 loc.gov map of Petaluma below is located at Washington St. and Payran St. The red triangle area is expanded in the next section.
This image is the red triangle in the larger scale Sanborn map above. It shows the buildings of the Agricultural Park horse track. The horse track is not shown but it is located to the right and little above the buildings. It is depicted further below.
​
Of note in this 1894 loc.gov map of Agricultural Park buildings, is the half-mile long box stalls structure and the two story front grandstand. It's possible that the front grandstand was for the baseball park, Athletic Park.
The photograph of Wheelmen's Park, provided by the San Francisco Wave, July 4, 1896, shows a long continuous structure in the background. This could possibly be the half-mile long box stalls structure.
​
If that is the case, that would place the track (and Athletic Park) just below the triangular area in the maps above.
This is a UC Berkeley Library - Petaluma Quadrangle - 1914 map. Even though it's 1914, it show fewer streets in the area than the 1894 Sanborn map. It's likely not as many streets existed as are depicted in the 1894 Sanborn map.
UC Berkeley Library - Petaluma Quadrangle - 1914 map of Agricultural Park area of East Petaluma
Also, in the San Francisco Wave photograph above, it appears the straightaway of the track is pointed at the box stalls structure. Given that, it seems like the bicycling track was at an angle to the box stalls, perhaps to fit it in to the baseball park.
​
The Petaluma Daily Courier, May 29, 1895 article tells us, "The new main entrance to the track will be on Vallejo street in the rear of grand stand." An earlier article, Petaluma Daily Courier, April 30, 1895, also indicated "The grand stand will be moved over so as to face in the same direction as the big stand at the fair grounds." This explains the grandstand being on Vallejo St. As far as "facing the same direction", that's hard to tell without more information about the fair grounds, or maybe the plan was altered, or it was approximately the same direction.
​
The picture below is one possible location. The large oval being the Agricultural Park horse track, the small one the bicycle track. It's probably "in the ballpark" as they say.
Below is a current Google Map of the area (38.241583, -122.628119) of East Washington St. and Payran St. (or Vallejo St.) in East Petaluma.
Current Google Map of the area of East Washington St. and Payran St., current site of the Petaluma Public Library.
CHECKLIST:
-
mention that there are NO PICS of this track. two illustrations though??
-
make sure to doc the track specs in para, someplace.
-
make sure to Note where other tracks are mentioned for CONTEXT!
-
review each writeup and the archive item to make sure the details of the archive item are touched upon in the writeup
-
review to make sure the Links are ALL GOOD!
-
review to trim pics if necessary.
-
HIDE this section.