Van Buren’s on Bikes

by John Stumpner

Usually, when we think of bikers, we think of big guys in black leather. But for as long as motorcycles have been around, women also have been riding. Most of these women motorcyclists ride as far and fast as anyone. Two of these lady bikers were the Van Buren sisters, Augusta (Gussie) and Adeline (Addie).

Gussie and Addie were descendants of our eighth president, Martin Van Buren. They were part of the national Preparedness Movement, which worked to get the United States ready for entry into World War I. The two sisters wanted to show the military that women could fill many combat support roles, such as motorcycle messengers, freeing up the men for other jobs. So, on July 4, 1916, Gussie and Addie set out from Brooklyn, New York for a ride to San Francisco. They were riding Indian Power Plus motorcycles (a top of the line motorcycle at the time), dressed in military style leggings and leather riding pants.

The two sisters had many adventures along the way. Most of the roads, where there were roads, were still dirt tracks. Few, if any road maps were available for west of the Mississippi River, so Gussie and Addie often had to pick their way along cow and wagon trails. Of course, there were no Kwik Trip or BP stations, so the sisters were on their own to find gas, food, water and shelter. In Colorado, they became the first women to climb Pike’s Peak riding any type of motor vehicle. A prospector helped them when they got lost in the desert and ran out of water in western Utah. Some people in the early 1900’s expected women to stay home and wear skirts. Several times they were stopped and arrested, not for speeding, but because of their “nifty khaki and leather uniforms.”

Finally, on September 2, 1916, Gussie and Addie rolled into San Francisco. They became the second and third women to complete the cross-country trip, as Effie Hotchkiss had completed the same trip a year earlier with her mother Avis on a Harley Davidson sidecar motorcycle. Gussie and Addie apparently were having so much fun, that after completing the cross-country trip, they rode down to Tijuana, Mexico. However, after all the adventures and showing how well they could ride, the military turned them down to serve as motorcycle messengers. Gussie went on to become a pilot and Addie became a lawyer. In 2002, the sisters were inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in 2003.

Women have been involved with motorcycling as long as there have been motorcycles. ABATE of Wisconsin is no different. Many active ABATE members and officers are women and ABATE would not be as good an organization as it is without them.

John