[carl s]

To: Vintage Racing Group
From: Carl Schulz - Indio, CA
Subj: Some photos from Oct 5th Jungle Park Reunion

Well rain and the threat of it put a damper on this year's reunion however a few brave soles ventured out and saved the day and the downpour fell everywhere but on the Park.

Here's a link to my Album with a few photos and commentary by Randall Cook. Mac Miller was in the car and there's shots of him at various locations where remnants of the track and buildings remain.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9198131...7635992479815/

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Carl Schulz
Here again in Indio where I'm preparing to tow to Auto Club Speedway Thursday for our year's finale with the Historic Champ/Indycar Event in conjunction with The Izod Indycar Series MAV-TV Event.
Wouldn't be suprised if I'm not taking a bit of the Midwest clay from Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Eldora and Jungle Park with me to be disbursed on the Pacific Coast.

Photos and text by Randall Cook-


"Carl:

Tom and I took the Boyle Valve car to the Jungle Park Reunion on October 5th. Jungle Park was a legendary 1/2 high banked oiled dirt track that ran from the 1920s until around 1960. Today the track property is used in a canoe rental business as the old track bordered on both Sugar Creek and the Turkey Run State Park. The track itself is located a few miles north of Rockville, Indiana on US highway 41.

There have been times in the past when the reunion had over 50 vintage race cars show up with many of them being cars that actually would have raced at Jungle Park. This wasn't one of those times as only seven cars came this year. Even so, it was stll fun to talk with people and go around and check out the one old grandstand that is still standing. At one time I believe there were up to five staggered stands on the "front straight" of what was really a pretty circular track.

Of those cars that were there the most interesting was a pre-WWII motorcycle engined midget built by Henry Meyer. The car has never been restored and is pretty much like it was when it was last raced around 1950. Some guy bought it in a farm sale in Illinois and hopes to bring it back to its original glory when it was racing on the winter indoor midget circuit on tracks in Long Island as well in the Chicago Ampitheater. I've attached a copy of a photo that was on display of driver Ben Emerick in the car in 1947.


Several cars took laps on what's left of the old banking around the track including the Boyle car. One vintage SCCA car actually got on it pretty good a couple of times. In at least one of the photos you can see the US 41 guardrail in the background. In addition to the cars that found themselves going into Sugar Creek over the years there was at least one incident of a car going up the banking and ended up in the middle of the highway.

Jungle Park was always something of an "outlaw" track with the majority of its big car races being put on by the CSRA (Central States Racing Association). There only a handful of AAA races ever held there although Duke Nalon did manage to win one of those just before WWII broke out.


While the turnout was low the current owner of the property expressed interest in having the event again next year and promised to try some things to better advertise the reunion as well. He had several family members helping out with concessions at the reunion including one of his daughters who appears in one of the photos posing with your car.

At any rate everyone that did show up seemed to have a good time. It's too bad that you didn't leave California a couple of days earlier so that you could have made the trip as well. And it would have basically been on your way home anyway.
RJC"

[racing2bwithu2]

Nice photos Carl. The guy who brought in the old yellow midget is my neighbor. Years ago my cousins use to run the place when it was called Chapman's Jungle Park. Thanks for sharing. Lloyd

[Midget 89]

Think the reunion might need more advanced publicity. I had been looking for it but missed it completely. Wife and I have been moving and it could have been on this forum and I didn't see it. Has a date been set for next year? Maybe we can drum up a few more cars using IOW.

___________
Wes Stafford

[slick01]

I read the book on Jungle Park and then last year, we stopped by the track on the way home from Knoxville. I would love to attend a reunion there.

[carl s]

Thanks to all 3 for response and good idea about promotion for next year.

[Midget 89]

Has a date been set? Love your picture with the leaves, grandstand and race car.

___________
Wes Stafford

[Andrew S. Quinn]

Ive been a few times,and a few years I didnt know it was even on. Always seems to be very word of mouth,and I just found out about it this year a week or so before it happened. Unfortunately for myself,and others I have seen there in the past,we were all at the Gold Crown at Granite City Illinois that day,and I didnt feel like driving all the way across Illinois to check it out,and then drive back to Granite City. I dont really know what the ideal date would be for it,other than on Gold Crown weekend.

[EldoraMark]

I would have it sprint week when T.H. is running. Not all that far up the road. It would give us something to do during the day