The 1904 Course and Headquarters
The Map of the 30 Mile Course
The race course traversed 30.24 miles of public roads in the center of Long Island. Triangular in shape, Jericho Turnpike, Massapequa-Hicksville Road, and the new Hempstead-Bethpage Turnpike formed its sides. Running clockwise and beginning in Westbury, the three long stretches of roads were connected by major turns in Jericho, Plainedge, and Queens. The plan called for a 10-lap race with drivers stopping in two “controls” on each tour of the course. The controls were in the towns of Hicksville and Hempstead, the largest population centers in Nassau County. At the controls, the cars were stopped, inspected, and allowed to proceed slowly over railroad tracks led by officials on bicycles. Deducting the length of the two controls, one lap of the course was 28.44 miles making the race 284.4 miles.
The Garden City Hotel
In the center of the course was the Garden City Hotel, the largest and grandest hotel on Long Island and headquarters for the AAA Race Commission. Days before the race the hotel was booked to its capacity.
Crowds Gather
The race’s daybreak start attracted thousands of adventurous souls who streamed into Long Island from New York City continuously on Friday night and early Saturday. With hotels and roadhouses overflowing, they camped, gambled, drank, socialized, and established a tradition of revelry that became a hallmark of the event.
Crowds Wore Their Finest Clothes and Hats
In the custom of the day, the crowds typically wore their finest clothes to great public events such as the Vanderbilt Cup Race. Fashion called for virtually all men to wear hats. The dome-shaped bowler with narrow brim was particularly popular.
Filming of the Race
The press and officials’ stand across from the grandstand was a great vantage point for the cameraman from American Mutoscope and Biograph. Their camera was located on the top level of the stand. This company produced a two-minute film of the race, one of the earliest sports films ever made. William K. Vanderbilt Jr. can be seen walking away from the stand while acting as the race referee.
The Start-Finish Line in Westbury -->
Motor Pkwy
Feature
The 128-page book by Howard Kroplick, a researcher and lecturer on the races, contains rare images of the races from the archives of major museums, libraries and private collectors. The book Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island will be available from Arcadia Publishing in March 2008.
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