By Nancy Burgess

The Cactus Derby of 1914 combined all of the drama of today’s Indy 500 along with the elements of a modern mud bog race.  The race was a great and significant event for the drivers, mechanics and machines involved.  The first prize, $2,500, hardly covered the costs of the racers, but the real prize was a highly coveted trophy inscribed “Master Driver of the World.”

The 1914 Cactus Derby was 132 miles longer than the previous year’s race, necessitating three days instead of two.  Overnight control points were at Needles, California, and Prescott, Arizona.  The nearly one mile difference in elevation between those two points would prove to be a strain for the machines and the drivers.

The 236 miles from Needles had been through some of the roughest country on the trip—hub-deep mud, desert sand, alkali dust, steep, muddy, boulder strewn mountain roads, jagged rocks, miserable weather, with everything from blowing dust to blowing snow.  Drivers and their mechanics had experienced all sorts of problems from balky engines, damaged wheels, blown tires, stuck radiator caps, collisions with rocks and boulders, engine fires, stolen and lost and broken parts, “Rube Goldberg” repairs and exhaustion of the drivers and mechanics.

As the eleven racers headed south from Ash Fork, through Chino Valley, Granite Dells and past Ft. Whipple, hundreds turned out to line Gurley Street in anticipation of the arrival of the Cactus Derby.  The finish line for this leg of the race was at the northeast corner of West Gurley and Montezuma streets.  Oldfield was first coming into Prescott, with a 48 minutes and 5 seconds lead over Davis in the Simplex.  Slipping and sliding in the mud, Oldfield roared into Prescott from the east end of town.

Arriving in first place in his muddy Stutz, Barney Oldfield and his mechanic slide to a stop at the scratch line in Prescott. Oldfield would go on to win the timed race. (Photo Courtesy of Author).

As reported in the Prescott Courier, “As Oldfield swooped over the hill and neared the scratch (finish line), there was a mighty cheer from all who were in line, and as himself and the mechanician stepped from the car, looking like two huge mud geysers, rather than men, they were surrounded by dozens of enquiring and enthusiastic fans, each eager for the first words from his lips, which were practically sealed by mud and muck.”

Davis in the Simplex was second at Prescott and Nikrent was third, just 8 minutes behind Davis.  Amazingly, in spite of the loss of an hour at Kingman, Beaudet was in fourth place, only 6 minutes behind Nikrent.  All of the eleven autos which made it to Prescott arrived in good condition except Beaudet’s Paige and it was still anybody’s race.  It was 138 more miles to Phoenix.

Oldfield was determined to win the Cactus Derby as he triumphantly skidded to a stop at the finish line in Prescott.  He had had a bad stretch of unfortunate luck, circumstances and bad choices of the last four years.  A win for him in the Cactus Derby would be a huge win for Oldfield.

The remaining racers took off the next morning, November 11^th, on the worst leg of the trip, down Copper Basin Road to Kirkland, Congress Junction, Wickenburg and on to Phoenix.  Soon, the grade on Copper Basin Road took its toll: Davis, driving the Simplex, was out.  Oldfield took it easy starting out, but got stuck in New River, where he was passed by Nikrent and Bramlett.  Oldfield had to be pulled out by a team of mules.

As the last few miles of the long race were in sight, as reported by Motor Age, Oldfield “opened up and drove as he had not driven before in the race.”  At this point, Oldfield believed he had lost to Nikrent.  The article continued, “As he (Oldfield) came down the road, the car and crew looked like an adobe house on wheels.  The cigar in his face had turned to a clay clod and the mask on his face had holes where mouth and nose were hidden.”

The end of the race was anti-climactic, with Nikrent crossing the finish line at the Phoenix Fairgrounds first but Oldfield wining with the elapsed time of 23 hours.  Nikrent was second at 23 hours, 35 minutes; Beaudet third at 25 hours, 4 minutes and Durant fourth at 25 hours, 46 minutes.   Eight racers finished the race.  Motor Age commented “From the spectators’ standpoint, as well as that of the drivers, the 1914 Phoenix race is the greatest of them all.”

(Days Past is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners, International.The public is encouraged to submit articles for Days Past consideration. Please contact Assistant Archivist, Scott Anderson, at SHM Archives 928-445-3122 or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information.)