The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

  • Home
  • To Know
  • To Do
  • To Ponder
  • Obituaries
  • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More
    • Share your story
    • Submit an Event
    • Contact

Lakewood’s Tacoma Speedway subject of Nov. 10 discussion

November 3, 2009 By Ben Sclair

Tacoma Speedway 1If you had lived in Lakewood in the 1920s you would have been able to attend one of the country’s biggest and best car race tracks without traveling outside the city. The Tacoma Speedway operated from 1912 to 1922 at what today is the Clover Park Technical College campus on Steilacoom Boulevard.

According to historian Wayne Herstad, all the big name racers of the day competed at the track. Herstad will speak on the history of the track Nov. 10 at 7 pm at the Lakewood Library. The Lakewood Historical Society is hosting the meeting as its monthly program, according to Becky Huber, president of the organization.

Tacoma Speedway 2
Herstad will augment his talk with photos of the track, the races and the race-car drivers. Originally created as a dirt track, the organizers converted it to a split-wood track in 1915. The 2X4-inch planking was placed end to end, with the narrow side facing the ground. Gaps between each board were stuffed with gravel to economize on lumber. The track required 15 tons of 20-penny nails and two million board feet. Its corners were banked 18 feet to allow faster turns. Unfortunately, the track had constant problems with splinters and gravel shooting into the cars behind the leader and popping tires. “There was a saying that all board tracks were awful, and then there was Tacoma,” Herstad noted.

The program will get underway at 7 pm. There is no charge and the public is welcome to attend.
Tacoma Speedway 3

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Top Stories

  • Thornewood Carriage House, piece of PNW history, for sale | Tacoma News Tribune
    Thornewood Carriage House, piece of PNW history, for sale | Tacoma News Tribune
  • Letter: A Warrior Has Fallen
    Letter: A Warrior Has Fallen
  • En Rama’s seating is back in downtown Tacoma. Get the fresh pasta and burger
    En Rama’s seating is back in downtown Tacoma. Get the fresh pasta and burger
  • 207 new Pierce County COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths confirmed Apr. 20
    207 new Pierce County COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths confirmed Apr. 20
  • Let Clover Park Technical College Do the Cooking on May 14
    Let Clover Park Technical College Do the Cooking on May 14

Become a better informed citizen.

Join over 30,000 readers each month and get real-local news and information direct to your inbox, Monday-Saturday.


Recent Comments

  • Don Doman on The Wood Nymph
  • Dennis on Letter: A Warrior Has Fallen
  • Kathryn on Rotary Club of Tacoma – Raising Money for Tacoma, Pierce County, and the World
  • Barlow Buescher on Letter: A Warrior Has Fallen
  • Gail on 62nd Airlift Wing kicks off Rainier War

Contact Us

The Suburban Times
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98496

Ben Sclair, Publisher
253-312-1804

Stephen Neufeld, Marketing Executive
stephen@thesubtimes.com

Copyright © 2021 The Suburban Times • Log in • Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.