Odd Wisconsin Archive
Runner Beats Horse in Milwaukee
When in 1875 a proud Irish gentleman proclaimed his new racehorse could beat all comers - - knowing full well that his neighbors only owned draft horses -- a crafty German tavern-keeper proposed a race between the horse and a man. He chose the course, a mile up the neighborhood's best-known thoroughfare, bounded by wooden sidewalks, and the runner, a wiry little tailor without an extra pound anywhere on his body. At the sound of the starter's shotgun, the barefoot tailor took to the boardwalk, the racehorse to the miry spring road, and... well, discover the outcome (which involved slivers, a swollen creek, and the neighborhood saloon) at Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles.
:: Posted in Curiosities on December 14, 2005
Did You Know?
The Wisconsin Historical Museum is currently featuring Odd Wisconsin objects in the latest exhibit: Odd Wisconsin. And don't miss the Odd Wisconsin book by author Erika Janik published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
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