During the year 1935, there were several events, some of which will be remembered around the world, this nation, and this county. The world was saddened by the deaths of Will Rogers and Wiley Post when they crashed in a plane in the frozen Arctic. Locally, this county was shocked by the drowning of Dr. Gilbert A. Howatt, a well-known dentist and civic leader of Eureka, and John Martin of Trinidad who lost his life while trying to save Dr. Howatt.

Then, there was the lumber and timber workers’ strike to unionize the local lumber mills, sparking riots and the shooting deaths of several workers at the entrance to Holmes Eureka Mill. There were other events, such as the National Boy Scout Jamboree which was to be held in Washington, D.C, when it was called off by President Franklin D. Roosevelt because of an infantile paralysis epidemic in that city. But the Boy Scouts substituted a train trip across the United States and 39 boys and their leaders from this area participated.

The amateur Walkathon Contest had invaded Eureka. The contests were being held all across the United States. The event was advertised in the local newspapers and on radio, inviting local young people to participate. All they had to do was to walk around until the last one remained standing.

Walkathon contestants Joe Rudd and Anne Yost were married at the event.

The Eureka City Council and Eureka Mayor Frank Sweasey were very reluctant to grant a license for this event because some of the walkathons were encountering trouble elsewhere in the country. The council finally agreed upon a fee of $750 per month and a permit was granted. Originally this event was to be held in the old Occidental Pavilion at Second and A streets, but it was decided to hold it at the Broadway Arena at 120 W. Fifth St. The doors opened June 21, 1935, with twenty couples participating. The contest was sponsored by the local post of the V.F.W. It started off with a large crowd of spectators filling all the bleachers.

The arena also was used for boxing matches. Max Baer and Primo Camera appeared there, as well as Fieldbrook boxer. Tiny (Milton) Abbott, Buddy Baer, Archie Forson and Ival Wilson. The CCC all-amateur fights were held in the arena. The building also was used for dances and was called the “Cinderella Hall.” Many big bands played there and this writer attended a number of these events.

There were wood bleachers on all sides with a space in the center where the boxing ring was set up. This was taken out for the walkathon and a small stage provided for the band and announcer. One unique advertising stunt for the walkathon was a very large brown shepherd dog walking around town with an oilcloth sandwich board on his back advertising the “Walkathon.”

The dog attracted a lot of attention as it went about town each day. The dog belonged to Jack Mero, owner and operator of the Brown Dog Beer Parlor.

Once the walkathon started and got into full swing there were many special events each night to draw the spectators. These included fast sprints of ten minutes duration, in which the winning couple would win a prize of a few dollars. Each participant would be given a date which was celebrated as their birthday with a party. This would be advertised through publicity on local radio broadcasts from the arena.

On some nights various contestants would sing or dance or perform some act to help draw a crowd. During August there was a troupe of all-girl clowns called the “Morgan Family Clowns.” They were appearing at the Ferndale Fair and they were hired to put on a show for a few nights at the walkathon.

During the contest, if a contestant became too tired to continue or became sick, his or her partner would walk alone until some other contestant would be left alone and then they would join up to form a couple. These contestants were fed three times a day and three times a night with good food, some of which was donated by local restaurants. There was a nurse present at all times and she took care of minor aches and sore feet, rubbing affected areas with oil of wintergreen. There was a ten minute rest every hour when contestants could change clothes, take a shower or rest.

Dr. Stephen Fleming came whenever needed to check on participants and Dr. Sam Burre would come to help with medical problems. Every now and then one of the girls would pretend to faint and pass out and be carried off the floor. Later, she would appear and put on quite a show.

The day nurse’s name was Katherine Siegle. Her husband, Al Siegle, helped to run the show and was one of the organizers of the event.

A marriage was held one day for Ann Yost and Joe Rudd. It was a large ceremony, well advertised on radio, and a large crowd attended. A photographer took postcard-size pictures of the couples, and the photos were sold to spectators wanting a picture of a favorite couple. Every dollar counted in those days of the great depression.

As the walkathon went on, the contestants continued to drop out, one by one, through the last few days and the last night, Saturday, August 31, 1935. With only a few left, a very fast sprint was staged as long as someone was still standing. Finally, there was only one couple left, and they won the prize money of $1,000.

There are still some of the contestants around this county, and they tell me that Jack Hammond won the money. Alvin Vaeth says he won a similar event at Bakersfield and claims the victory. On Sunday night, September 1,1935, a Victory Ball was held at the Broadway Arena and all those who had participated were here to help celebrate the finish and fete the winner of the great “Eureka Amateur Walkathon Contest.”

Some of the contestants were: No. 3, Clyde Berg and Joan Devine; No. 14, Ed Fennel and Letha Warren; No. 7, Clyde Randel and Mildred Jackson; No. 4, Henry Parks and Lyda Sullivan; No. 10, Jack Hammond and Lillian Louis.

(Footnote: Humboldt Standard on June 19, 1935, reported that a state law was passed by the 1935 Legislature and signed by Governor Merriam prohibiting such forms of amusement.)

###

The story above was originally printed in the September-October 1985 issue of The Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society, and is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.