If you’ve ever taken a verrrrry long bicycle ride, you know the physical endurance needed for such an undertaking.  Now imagine biking off-road through mountain ranges, mud, deep sand, and flowing streams, all while carrying heavy supplies.  For more than 1,900 miles!

That’s just what members of the U.S. Army’s 25^th Infantry accomplished – in 1897 no less. The so-called Iron Riders were members of the famed Buffalo Soldiers, all-black regiments who served on the American frontier in the mid-1800s.  A living history program this weekend at Gateway Arch National Park will recount the Riders’ grueling journey.

As the popularity of bicycles soared worldwide at the end of the 19^th century, the Army decided to evaluate their use for certain military operations.  Military leaders commissioned a long-distance experiment that would test the efficiency of bikes as a way of moving troops.  In May 1897, the all-Black 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps embarked from Missoula, Montana, bound for St. Louis – a journey of nearly 2,000 miles.   Their heavy bikes were laden with all they would need for the trip:  cooking supplies and food, rifles and ammunition, tent and poles, and clothing.  The combined weight of these provisions and the heavy one-speed bike was 59 pounds!

The arduous journey took 41 days, an average of about 50 miles per day.  The men endured severe storms, extreme heat, food and water shortages, illness from tainted water, and racism and hostility from local residents.  In the words of the bicycle corps’ leader Lt. James Moss, “We made and broke camp in the rain; we traveled through mud, water, sand, dust, over rocks, ruts, etc.; for we crossed and recrossed mountain ranges, and forded streams, carrying our rations, rifles, ammunition, tents, blankets, extra underwear, medicines, tools, repairing material, cooking utensils and extra bicycle parts.”

On July 24, 1897, the Iron Riders arrived in St. Louis to great fanfare.  Thousands of locals gathered to cheer the finale of what national newspapers called the Great Experiment.  Yet despite several attempts to assemble subsequent experimental rides, the corps was ordered to return to Montana.  No permanent military bicycle corps was ever established, and the Army soon shifted its focus towards the use of trucks and other motorized vehicles.

To learn more about the journey of the Iron Riders, be sure to attend the program at the Arch this Saturday, from 11:00 to 2:00.  A re-enactor will be on hand to discuss the riders’ trial and triumphs.  Admission is free and no reservation is required.