Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
D37870-1
Date(s)
- 1949-01-19 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Harry Vandenberg (left) and Elmer Davis posed with a racing pigeon on January 19, 1949, in Mr. Vandenberg's pigeon coop, a large room above the garage located at his home on South Sheridan Avenue. Mr. Vandenberg's birds would land on a platform outside after a race but had to often be coaxed to enter the coop so that he could take off their bands and have the bands stamped by a timer. Mr. Vandenberg often rattled a feed can and/or cooed to attract their attention. Even with these persuasive methods, the birds sometimes made him wait before they decided to enter. Mr. Vandenberg and Mr. Davis may have been preparing for the upcoming pigeon race sponsored by the Tacoma Racing Pigeon Club. Organized pigeon racing had been going on in Tacoma for 21 years. Pigeon racing consisted of two types of races, one for young pigeons who could fly 100-300 mile flights and one for old pigeons who could travel further distances up to 500 miles. In Tacoma, racing pigeons were being bred and sold at Pigeon City Lofts, owned and operated by Dudley Dean. The Tacoma Chapter of the Racing Pigeon Club was originally started by Vic Pabst, Conrad Adler, Mike Techko, Lawrence Cornforth and Howard Olsen. (T. Times, 1/16/49, p. 17 & 1/23/49, p. 15). (Additional identification & information provided by a reader)
Pigeons; Pigeon racing; Recreation--Tacoma; Vandenberg, Harry--Homes & haunts; Pigeon City Lofts (Tacoma); Tacoma Racing Pigeon Club (Tacoma); Davis, Elmer; Vandenberg, Harry;