The Catskill Conquest Rally Series Prepares for Another Successful Year

First overnight at Pine Hill. Historical photo courtesy Robert Selkowicz. 1907 hand-colored German Postcard. The Delaware County Historical Association has an archive of the 1907 New York State Engineer’s road building blueprints for all New York Counties. 

The Rikers on the Locomobile

By Matthew Avitabile 

CATSKILLS REGION — The 2024 Catskill Conquest Rally Season information is at www. 1903autorun.com where a full schedule of events and entry form is found. Robert Selkowitz says that there is a “beautiful day of driving” ahead of participants in each rally. It’s a chance to experience the community and region on a route that highlights history and beauty. 

He said that there are four rallies this year, including two in the spring. One is the May 19th Saratoga ABC Rally: Artists, Battlefields and Covered Bridges, the other is the June 15th Schoharie Turnpike -Kaaterskill Clove Rally. There will be two fall rallies, the 8th Catskill Conquest Rally on September 21 and the 6th Catskills Covered Bridge Rally on Oct. 19. Both Fall rallies start at the Catskills Visitor Center on State Route 28 in Mount Tremper. The fall rallies have a route of about 135 miles, with the Catskill Conquest Rally heading to the Cauliflower Festival in Margaretville, the Franklin Railroad and Community Museum and the Hanford Mills Museum. 

The organizer said that it’s better to sign up before so that an orientation email can be received, but there have been participants who show up the day of. Participation is $100 per car entry fee,

which includes breakfast at the start and maps. The October Catskill Covered Bridge Rally is a $50 per car entry fee. This includes visiting a private car collection in Beaverkill. Following volunteer work for the Central Catskills Collaborative and the establishment of the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway, Selkowitz remembered the 1903 Endurance Run and sought to create an homage. The effort was to “design and create a community-based event.” The first overnight on October 7th, 1903 was in Pine Hill. Thirty four cars from seventeen makes took part, along with 125 people, including journalists and observers. It was the time when the transition from a labor system to a money system led to contracts with state funding to improve roads. By 1903 twenty miles up the Esopus Valley leading to Pine Hill had been paved with crushed local Bluestone Macadam paving. Ulster County has a historical map of the development of roads radiating out of Kingston and included the 20-mile stretch to the Esopus Valley. The Town of Shandaken was awarded a contract to pave five miles of road at the turn of the previous century. Selkowitz researched how the town determined how to pave for the first time, which he calls a “real-time transition.” 

The change from Ulster County to Delaware County was difficult. In both Delaware and Schoharie Counties, farmers were obligated to maintain the roads with days of labor. The work was done without proper taxation and engineers there. The road conditions made it difficult for the early cars to negotiate the roads. On October 8, 1903. as the cars entered Delaware County a cold, windy deluge of rain poured down on the old dirt roads. 

When they arrived in Delhi, the drivers bought “every dry piece of clothing in town.” He cited the experience of Edith and A.L. Riker. Edith was the only woman to participate in the rally. A.L. was an early pioneer of electric vehicles. He designed the Locomobile, which participated in the rally. Other engineers and builders drove entries, including Packard,Pierce Arrow and Franklin, cars that evolved into well-known brands. 

The Emerson in Phoenicia has been a “great sponsor” of the rally series which includes a comped room for a classic car from one of the 1903 makes to be able to stay there. The Schoharie Turnpike Rally in particular is interesting, especially the 1903 Rambler at the Old Stone Fort, one of the stops in the rally. Two Ramblers just like it went through the 800 miles of the 1903 Endurance Run in terrible conditions, both finished and one was a class winner. 25 of 30 cars completed the rally. Due to the extreme weather, penalty points for having to repair were thrown out. The veterans of the 1903 Endurance Run became known as the Mud Larks. 

The Rikers eventually finished the rally and Selkowitz was able to speak with their grandson. His mother had donated their archives to the Bridgeport Public Library, which Selkowitz was able to research, including an advertisement following the event and the entry form. He also 

found interviews with Edith Riker, the only woman who participated in the event. She said she was delighted and found it Glorious to drive at railroad speed over all sorts of roads. The rallies now enter five of the Catskills counties, with Delaware County being the “heart of the routes.” 

Selkowitz credited a number of individuals for aiding the project. He mentioned Carolyn Bennett of the Pratt Museum as one of many who has helped. Peter Finn published Selkowitz’s book A Painter’s Path through the Catskill Mountains, which was the genesis of the rally.

“That’s part of why these rallies tie into my long heritage in the Catskills,” he said. This included being a “landscape painter looking for beauty.” His work experience included the Erpf Catskill Cultural Center. 

Everyone is welcome to participate, whether you have an older car or not. One year included a 1913 Maxwell. A 1917 Ford Model T Pickup Roadster and a 1928 Bentley have been past participants. We can have a range of 100 years in the ages of our cars. 

“We didn’t want to make it a reenactment, it is a commemoration,” he said. As of now, the earliest car registered this year is a 1952 Chrysler Saratoga, as well as a 1959 Triumph TR3 coming from Rhode Island. The drivers will be arriving dressed in racing outfits. A 1966 Shelby GT 350 one-owner car will be in three of the Catskills rallies. A 1970 BMW 2002tii and a 1995 Suzuki Cappuccino will contrast, as well as a 2016 Porsche 911 and 2018 Porsche Boxster 718. All cars are welcome, these are events for enjoyment and are noncompetitive. “I love the history and I love the region,” he said. The project became an “historical wormhole” that has grown into a wonderful program for all to enjoy. 

For more info or to register, visit www.1903autorun.com. For any questions, call 845-616-4550 or 845-657-6982.