Vanderbilt Cup Races

january, 1907

Support from landowners in Nassau County.

The real movers behind the Parkway and support from Riverhead.

Financial support by Willie K. and the Riverhead Board of Trade, along with a commitment of land for the parkway.  

February, 1907

Ready for the Vanderbilt Cup Race to be held near Riverhead.

May, 1907

Two workers surveying the route.

The parkway's route identified: Garden City on the west, following the course of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Hicksville, Farmingdale  . . .

West Hills, Dix Hills, mountains?

" . . . discretely going round the holdings of grouchy landowners . . .".  The diversity of the island's geography, " . . . about as wild as any part of Long Island can be."

The scrub oak, "miles of sand and gravel, as the route approaches Lake Ronkonkoman."  Additional surveying to reach Riverhead. 

The Garden City - Lake Ronkonkoma portion to be completed by November.

June, 1907

A very descriptive first hand account of the parkway's route and the land on which it will be built.  While author, H. A. Grant, was somewhat negative about the parkway's current state, he believed when completed it "will be the precursor of a good-roads movement over the entire country."

" . . . calls for more acrobatic tricks on the part of the auto than its maker ever intended it to perform."

"At present it is too strenuous of an occupation, crossing of the Long Island Parkway . . . where the fingers can coax the throttle without the eye being in mortal terror of alighting on a blue uniform . . ."

Grant stopped along the staked out route of the parkway near Bethpage and noted it "as devoid of life as any spot in the far West."   Too bad he can't revisit this spot 115 years later to see what's happened since his original photo. 

Apart from automobile articles Grant also authored the book "The Making of an Automobilist" in 1906.   And apparently he participated in the 1906 Glidden Tour as shown here driving a 10 hp Maxwell.  (Detroit Public Library)