racing 120 miles an hour in public streets , it ’ s becoming very dangerous . And eventually the State of Wisconsin creates a law stopping public street racing and the need for a closed course track emerges to keep this new auto racing tourism growing at Elkhart Lake .”
As enthusiastic as the drivers and spectators were , there was no doubt that road racing like this was problematic . Just about two weeks after Elkhart Lake ’ s third road race , where eight people were injured after the MG driven by William Taylor plowed through snow fencing on Lake Street at the course ’ s “ Hard Left ” turn , an even more devastating accident happened up in Watkins Glen , New York .
Seven-year-old Frankie Fazzary was killed when an Allard J2 driven by Fred Wacker , who ’ d also competed in Elkhart Lake races and helped his friend Jim Kimberly put them on the map , clipped a curb along Franklin Street and slammed into the crowd watching the race . Fazzary was the only fatality , but 12 spectators were injured . The incident shocked the country , and laws quickly followed outlawing road races on city streets , including , as Øverland said , in Wisconsin .
By that time , racing had become part of the community pride that ran through Elkhart Lake . The village loved that it was central on the racing circuit , with drivers from across the country coming to town . There was no doubt that road racing couldn ’ t continue the way it had for the last three years , but allowing it to disappear entirely was out of the question .
This time , it was Clif Tufte who had the brainstorm . He owned a majority share in the Elkhart Sand and Gravel Company . Tufte , a World War I veteran who had worked with the Army Corps of Engineers , had been with the sand and gravel firm since 1929 , slowly purchasing shares in the ensuing decades . By the 1950s , the gravel business was in decline , but the land it sat on would prove a godsend to the Elkhart Lake race committee . Tufte was willing to sell the land to create a road racing center , but a small parcel of property abutting the sand and gravel pits would also need to be purchased .
“ He got together these people [ on the race committee ] and he said , let ’ s sell shares and everybody can get a share ,” said Ewert .
One of the most instrumental people to the stock-selling plan would be Ollie Siebkens . For three years , she ’ d been the
Wisconsin Historical Society , WHI-60842
Spectators near the grandstand of Road America . Racing through the streets of Elkhart Lake led to the creation of Road America , a permanent course that today hosts more than 400 events every year . It ’ s been in continuous operation since 1955 .
only woman on the Elkhart Lake race committee , and she ’ d even driven in one of the races . Her dedication to the village and boosterism of road racing made her a natural when it came to encouraging others to buy shares for the new racing space .
She enlisted the help of Kay Dixon , the daughter of Paulina Osthoff Just , whose family owned the Osthoff Resort , just a few steps away from Siebkens , and who , along with her brother and husband , ran the place . Together with Gertrude Laun , who was active in several Elkhart Lake and Wisconsin civic groups , they worked to sell shares for $ 100 each .
Cost projections for the project were $ 175,000 , and the plan was to sell 1,750 shares . Before the stock could be issued , however , there needed to be a commitment of $ 75,000 , a goal reached in April 1955 , even though construction started in 1954 . 1
“ They bought 525 acres of farmland ,” said Ewert . “ In some areas of the property , you can see a barn and silos that were on the dairy pastures .”
In building what would become Road America , Tufte dropped a stake in the ground where he planned to build the course . Then , he walked the whole of the track , dropping more stakes in where he wanted turns to be .
“ They didn ’ t bring in a bunch of bulldozers or flatten everything out ,” said Ewert . “ He just walked the land and he said , ‘ You know , I want something that ’ s going to be pretty similar to the road courses going around the lake . I want a lot of rights and a lot of lefts , some long straightaways , because that ’ s what people are used to .’”
With the old road race course as their guide , Road America grew from the gravel and sand pits abutting acres and acres of dairy farms seven miles south of Elkhart Lake . The 32-foot-wide track , with 14 turns across four miles , opened on September 10 , 1955 . Phil Hill , driving a Ferrari Monza , won by a hair over Sherwood Johnston , driving a D Jaguar .
Today , it ’ s one of the premier closed circuit road race courses in the world , still drawing visitors to Elkhart Lake . Novices and professional drivers alike come to run the course , which hosts IndyCar Series , the IMSA Sports Car Championship , WeatherTech Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints and a host of open track days . On race weekends , the village ’ s population , currently 959 , swells to more than 100,000 .
A 2022 study by the Washington Economics Group , commissioned by Road
36 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Fall 2024 | www . MoAF . org