During the
summer of 1975, we came across the story of two men from Illinois who were
planning a cross-country horse race during the bicentennial summer of 1976.
After reading that story, and then many others, we decided to visit its
headquarters in Kankakee, Illinois.
What we found there were two entrepreneurs who were supported by
nearly the entire community from its mayor to its grocery store clerks.Former Illinois governor Sam Shapiro
and Mayor Tom Ryan were on the National Advisory Board for the race, and the
mayor offered a proclamation that this event was Kankakee?s bicentennial
gift to the United States of America.
From that initial visit we negotiated a contract to be become part of
a teamof seven photographers
and writers who were to travel with the race and furnish photographs and
stories for new release during the race, and a book afterward.
After the first weeks of the race, we were the only ones of this team
still traveling with the race, and we continued to its end. We took over
6,000, photographs that summer. We published 240 of these photographs in the
book The Great American Horse Race of 1976, A Photographic Documentary. A
portion of our news release for the book
states;
? The
Great American Horse Race was run between New York and California during the
bicentennial summer of 1976.
The race was
designed to travel 35-40 miles per day, while camping in fairgrounds and
pastures near small rural communities. Ninety two riders from 32 states and
eight foreign countries entered 14 different breeds of horses and mules. The
contestants were divided almost evenly between men and women, and a
community of up to 450 support personnel traveled with the riders.
For those involved and for those towns passed through, they truly
experienced a once in a lifetime adventure. Their epic journey was a
significant historical event. Never in the history of man has anything ever
happened like what happened during the summer of 1976. These people deserve
to have their story told. Since we were the only journalist to travel with
the race for the entire summer, we felt that if we did not tell it, no one
could.?
Only a few books of the original printing are still available, and
our intentions in the near future is to publish a second edition with an
expanded and more complete story, with a hard cover.
We want to hear from all of you who were part of this event, riders,
crew, family, support people, Illinois people, everyone. We want to know if
the race affected your life afterward, and what happened to your horses, and
any comments any of you might have.
Call or
e-mail and we will send you a book.
Lewis
& Underwood 866-364-7575, e-mail
carguyict@xxxxxxxxx
