At Every Turn – The Backdrop

Thanks for coming back for another installment previewing At Every Turn! If you missed the post about the main characters, you can find it here.

Today, I want to tell you about one of the main backdrops of the story–auto racing!

Yes, there was auto racing in 1916. In fact, it was quite an event! There were national and international stars, just like today. There were race tracks that cost up to $1 million to build (Cincinnati). There was excitement, danger, money to be made–all very much like today. In fact, even in these years prior to World War I, the drivers managed to compete at speeds between 80-100 mph! I’ll bet you never guessed that! Here are a few photos that show the racetracks visited in At Every Turn. 

These cars are racing on a board track in Maywood, IL, on the outskirts of Chicago, in 1916.

The inaugural race at the million dollar track in Cincinnati, built and opened in 1916.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1916. This photo is from the 500, not the Harvest Classic, which ran in September of that year.

This is a close up view of a 1916 racecar. Can you imagine? No doors. No seatbelts. No windshields. After all the research, I have a huge respect for the skill and courage it took to get behind the wheel of one of these things and drive it up to 100 mph beside other cars doing the same speed on a track slick with oil in air so thick with smoke you could hardly see!

Another backdrop of At Every Turn involves mission work in Gold Coast (Ghana), Africa. I had two amazing pictures from a Gold Coast village from the early 1900s, but I can’t find them anywhere! I’m so disappointed! For those, you’ll just have to read the book to have them described in detail and then imagine them on your own. You can do it. I know you can! 🙂

I hope you’ve enjoyed this second foray into the pages of At Every Turn. Has it whet your appetite to read the whole thing?