Encyclopedia Dubuque
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DUBUQUE BOATING ASSOCIATION
DUBUQUE BOATING ASSOCIATION. A circular was mailed on August 12, 1887 to individuals in the city considered to be men interested in athletic sports;
Dear Sir:
A meeting will be held on Saturday evening, 13th inst. at 8:30 o'clock in the
Board of trade (sic) rooms (cor. Third and Main streets), the object of which
is to discuss the organization of a boat club in Dubuque.
It is proposed to build a commodious boat house, in which ample room for private
of members will be provided.
The building of such club house, its location, size, probably cost, etc. will
be discussed, also the procuring of racing boats, appointment of committees to
perfect the organization, etc.
Believing that you are interested in the fostering and cultivation of this most
manly of all athletic sports, and that you are in hearty accord with the theme,
your presence at the meeting and cooperation is requested.
Yours respectfully,
J. R. LINDSAY
C. N. HOOPER
M. M. HAYDEN
There were twenty-six men who responded. J. S. Morgan was elected chairmen of the meeting with J. R. Lindsay serving as secretary. Two committees were appointed--one to canvass for new members, select a site, and anything else considered important for establishing the organization. The second was formed to draw up a constitution and by-laws. (1)
Articles of incorporation for the Dubuque Boating Association were signed on August 25, 1887. The signers of the articles were Joseph Morgan, C. H. McMasters, M. M. Hayden, C. N. Hooper, George F. Atkins, F. W. Langworthy and E. J. Levi. The first officers were elected to hold office in 1898. These included:
F. A. Rumpf, president
J. A. Koch, first vice president
Joseph Frederick STAMPFER, treasurer
J. L. Buettell, secretary
J. R. Lindsay, captain
C. N. Hooper, first lieutenant
W. Couch, second lieutenant.
At the start, the club had seventy-four active members and 180 honorary members. Membership dues of $10 annually included the initiation fee. The club met at in the rooms of Professor Keck at Ninth and Main. Members of the executive committee continued to meet at the Board of Trade rooms.
In December 1887 the club leased a site for their club house for $100; members loaned and contributed about $4,000 to construct and equip a building suitable for a boat club. Work on the building, 38 x 64 feet, was completed in June, 1888. The site of the building was close to the DUBUQUE WAGON BRIDGE. The first floor was used for lockers, boats, and oars. The "ladies parlors" were located on the second floor along with a dance floor and lounging room. The facilities were inaugurated on July 19, 1888 with an informal party. The gentlemen were "dressed in their boating attire and the ladies followed their example and appeared dressed 'like the lass that loved a sailor lad.'"
One of the club's popular events was the annual D. B. A. minstrel show. The first of the programs was held on January 29-30, 1889. The performance was a novelty for Dubuque and both presentations, open to the public, were given to packed houses at the GRAND OPERA HOUSE. The last minstrel show with young men and women in blackface was presented in March 1889. (2) The event was later carried out using traveling acts was continued for fifteen years.
At the time of the Association's organization only one member, J. R. Lindsay, had ever entered a racing boat. His reputation, however, extended beyond Iowa where he was considered an authority. There were two kinds of boat-racing--rowing and sculling. In a rowing race, each man pulled one oar or sweep. In a sculling race, each man used two oars called "sculls." Dubuque was to find its principal success in rowing. (3)
Until 1900 boat races were one of the principal events in the Midwest. The local regatta was important because its winners attended the state or regional events. (4) Contests included shell races, skiffs, canoes, tubs and swimming. It was customary to hold the event in the afternoon with the races finished by 6:00 p.m. This was followed by a promenade and ball in the evening. (5) Lake Geneva, Wisconsin was the scene of four regattas and Dubuque won four different times between 1889 and 1900. Betting was common. "Pairs" and "singles" were always part of the regatta program although they were not as popular as the four-oared races. "Tip-over" canoe races, tub races, and swimming events were also popular. Winners in the different events received such prizes as gold-headed canes, silver goblets, silver smoking sets, cigars, silver cups and saucers, and even silver shaving mugs.
The first meet in which Dubuque participated was held on July 4, 1888 in Cedar Rapids. Included in the event were crews from Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa, Burlington and Dubuque. A four-man team from Dubuque was organized around Lindsay and Joe Fleming, a Moline athlete, who moved to Dubuque in 1888 in response to rowing's popularity. Fleming's fame equaled Lindsay's. Considered one of the finest oarsmen in the country, Fleming had rowed stroke in the "Big Four" of Moline which had won the amateur championship of America. In Cedar Rapids the crew of Lindsay, Fleming, Curtis, and Edgerton won their event and came close to the record time of 9:13 for the mile and a half. (6)
In 1889 Dubuque crews attended the state regatta at Spirit Lake on July 24th. The other crews were so intimidated that they protested to officials. The junior crew was ruled out of the competition on the grounds that they had won a race at the Cedar Rapids regatta on July 4th and were now considered seniors. The senior crew was ruled out because Davenport supporters claimed Fleming was a professional. The executive committee's rulings were overruled by J. E. Hannegan, President of the State Rowing Association. The Dubuque club won the state regatta in the four-oar event. (7)
In the summer of 1889 the Association sent crews to compete at the Northwestern Regatta held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dubuque placed second to the crew from Chicago. With an indebtedness of $600 in November, 1890, the Association announced that it would host a ball and banquet at the HOTEL JULIEN on December 4th. This was only the second time the Association had attempted to raise money. (8)
In 1890 the junior four-crew won their event at the state regatta. The Dubuque rowers won the 1892 four-oar event beating Burlington in an extremely close event. In 1893 the senior doubles team won the doubles at the state regatta. In 1894 at the state races on Storm Lake the Dubuque junior four won with ease. (9) No state races were held in 1896 or 1897, but in 1899 both the Dubuque senior and junior crews won the state regatta held at Sioux City.
Ed Healy, one of the greatest rowing stars in the United States, rowed for Dubuque for ten years. In 1901 and 1902 Healy and the same crew won the state meets and in 1901 rowed into first place at the Northwestern regatta held on Lake Geneva.
Interest in competitive rowing began to decline about this time. The four-oared crew broke up. On April 27, 1903 it was decided to dissolve the club and sell its property. The club officially ended on May 12th. Upon the disbanding of the club, one of its most valuable relics was given to the CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY. This was one of the flags recovered by divers from the battleship Maine which was sunk at the beginning of the SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. The flag had been presented to the club by Lee McNeeley, secretary to David B. HENDERSON. (10)
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Source:
1. "The Record of Our Oarsmen," Dubuque Enterprise, Apr. 20, 1902, p. 4
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. "Boat Club Regatta," The Dubuque Herald, July 2, 1899, p. 8
5. "Date for the Regatta," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, July 29, 1903, p. 2
6. "The Record of Our Oarsmen,..."
7. "State Regatta," The Herald, July 25, 1889, p. 3
8. "The Boat Club Ball," The Herald, November 25, 1890, p. 4
9. "The Record of Our Oarsmen..."
10. "City in Brief, Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, June 24, 1906, p. 5