We are part of The Trust Project.
If one went into the woods at Camp Kahler, southeast of Rochester, from May to October in 1985, they may have received a big surprise. While there was no roar of engines, there was plenty of racing at the Gamehaven motocross track.
Bicycle motocross or BMX racers, from ages 5 to 60, riding anything from home-brewed bikes to $1000 racing machines, were competing on the 930-foot-long dirt track.
Ed Conway, who operated the track for the Gamehaven Council of the Boy Scouts, reported an average of 70 racers a week showing up for the events. Racers were separated by male and female along with age groups and by their skill level – novice, intermediate and expert.
Local racers competed for trophies and points with riders from as far as western Wisconsin, northern Iowa and the Twin Cities on a race circuit that included Rochester, Albert Lea, Fairmont, Mason City and night racing at Austin.
"Lens on History” is a weekly photo feature by Lee Hilgendorf, a volunteer at the History Center of Olmsted County.
