"LITTLE GLIDDEN" ENDURANCE RUN

"LITTLE GLIDDEN" ENDURANCE RUN. Charles Jasper Glidden (August 29, 1857 - September 11, 1927) was an American telephone pioneer, financier and supporter of the automobile in the United States. In 1902 Charles Glidden, with his wife Lucy, were the first to circle the world in an automobile. They repeated the feat in 1908.

In 1904 Gliden took part in the first reliability race organized by the American Automobile Association (AAA), from New York to St. Louis. Because he thought this should be a repeating event, he donated a silver trophy and a (for that time) very large prize of $2000, which he repeated annually. The AAA Glidden organized this "Glidden Reliability Tour" regularly from 1905 to 1913. The aim was to go a certain distance within a certain time without omitting a checkpoint. The winner was decided by a points system.

The winner of first Glidden Tour was not Charles Glidden with his Napier, but Percy Pierce in his impressive Pierce-Arrow. In subsequent races, the course grew longer and more demanding.

The Glidden Tour was never a trip. They always included several new routes over one hundred miles of practically trackless areas in the United States and occasionally in Canada. Many cars were unable to withstand this brutal treatment, and there were also incidents, such as horses shying. But it was a matter of honor that all the teams should stay together. Glidden said that he had paid tolls to some local authorities, and refund for farmers' poultry, from his own pockets.

The victory in a Glidden Tour became a matter of prestige, as more and more manufacturers participated and were motivated to succeed by the marketing benefits.

In 1946, the Glidden Tour was recreated by the Veteran Motor Car Club of America (VMCCA) and has been carried out every year since then, but in a more tourist-like frame and using veteran vehicles instead. It is regarded as the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind in the United States. And still the winner is handed the silver trophy that Charles Glidden donated in 1905. (1)

In April 1911 a "Little Glidden" was planned in Iowa. Beginning in Des Moines, the route led to Davenport and then along the MISSISSIPPI RIVER to Dubuque where the "hill-climbing abilities of the machines" were to be tested. Drivers then proceeded through Waterloo and Mason City to Clear Lake and then back to Des Moines through Eagle Grove and Webster City. The route covered a total of 650 miles and was to be made in four days at a speed of twenty miles per hour.

The American Automobile Association was asked to provide officials to oversee the checking and technical committees. There were three classes of automobiles with a first and second prize in each. The Moyer Auto Trophy was the main prize. (3)

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Source:

1. "Charles Jasper Glidden," Wikipedia

2. "Many Autos Pass Through Dubuque," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, April 14, 1911, p. 2