BICYCLE PATH

Inscription

BICYCLE PATH
IN CA. 1898, SARATOGA SPRINGS
COMMUNITY MEMBERS BUILT PATHS
EXCLUSIVELY FOR BICYCLE USE,
INCLUDING 4-MILE PATH ALONG
UNION AVE. TO SARATOGA LAKE.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2024

Around 1898, community members worked to build paths exclusively for bicycle use in Saratoga Springs, New York. Local community groups including the Woman’s Association of Greater Saratoga and the Good Roads Association contributed funds and helped to build the bicycle paths through the area.

By 1899, it was reported that “hundreds of dollars were expended in improving the paths” over the previous year, with “scores of attractive routes” having been created (Troy Daily Times, July 29, 1899). The 1900 edition of Saratoga Illustrated: The Visitor’s Guide of Saratoga Springs included the bicycle paths as part of the attractions to visit in the area:

“The citizens of Saratoga, recognizing the great popularity of cycling, and the demands of so many visitors to Saratoga for proper facilities for this healthful and delightful exercise, have prepared several cycle paths especially set apart for the use of bicyclers. At considerable expense several delightful paths have been laid out, running from Saratoga Springs to various points in its vicinity.”

One of the paths listed in the visitor’s guide was a four-mile route along the south side of Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs to nearby Saratoga Lake. By 1901, bicycle paths in Saratoga Springs were reported to cover “miles of territory of the most beautiful description” (Troy Daily Times, June 29, 1901).

“Bicycle Paths and Roads,” Saratoga Illustrated: The Visitor’s Guide of Saratoga Springs, 1900, opposite page 113.

Close up view of the NYS historical marker for Bicycle Path, Saratoga Spring, New York.

NYS historical marker for Bicycle Path, Saratoga Spring, New York.