Motorcycle Memories

Fort Smith Museum of History
Motorcycle Memories
April 30-August 30, 2015
Opening Reception-May 2, 11:00 a. m. -1:00 p. m.

To coincide with the Steel Horse Motorcycle Rally, May 1 and 2, 2015, the popular exhibit, Motorcycle Memories, will open in the Boyd Gallery on April 30 with an opening reception on Saturday, May 2, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p. m.  Enjoy refreshments and a program on local and regional motorcycle history. 

The exhibition, which was first presented in 2008, features vintage motorcycles and photographs exploring the “art of the motorcycle” in Fort Smith and the region from the 1940’s through present day. Fort Smith has an historical association with motorcycle culture. Learn about the people and places that places that put the region on the map for motorcyclists.
Quin Winter’s Bike shop on Towson Avenue was the nexus of motorcycle culture in Fort Smith from 1939 until 1975. His sons, Leroy and Robert Winters, gained national fame for their accomplishments in the field of motorcycle racing. In 1940, Fort Smithian Ercie Gann became a charter member of the “Motor Maids,” a national organization of female motorcyclists. The annual “Razorback Run,” a one hundred fifty mile round trip ride from Fort Smith to White Rock Mountain near Mulberry, Arkansas drew motorcycle enthusiasts from a regional area from 1952 to 1955. Otis Spiker played a vital role in the area cycling culture.  As one of the few manufacturers of Henderson motorcycle parts, Spiker gained national recognition as well as becoming a local motorcycle legend. 

Motorcycle Memories is designed to unite the “art of the motorcycle” with the generation of Americans that enjoy a lifestyle peculiar to the American mainstream.  The exhibit will strive to educate future generations about a fascinating spectrum of Americana.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.