Journey into Sturgis: The History of The Worlds Greatest Motorcycle Rally

After many months, and many miles, Sturgis is finally here. Maybe you have been one of the many faithful motorcyclists that have been going for years, or maybe you're a newcomer who just picked up their first bike. Either way, the rally that boasts an annual crowd of roughly 500,000 bikers of all shapes and sizes, will surely be one for the books.

To pay homage to Sturgis and its development over the years, it's worth looking at the history of the rally. The year was 1936, when a South Dakota native named Clarence “Pappy” Hoel Purchased an Indian Motorcycle franchise in the small town of Sturgis. Rumor has it that Harley Davidson, his first choice, denied the young entrepreneur's request to open a franchise under the Harley-Davidson banner So he sought out Indian and they gave him the green light. Upon the foundation, Pappy laid down with his new business, he also went on to form the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club which in turn, and even to this day, help run the Sturgis

Jump forward two years later, 1938, and the first Sturgis rally was in effect. Originally dubbed “The Black Hills Classic, the rally was held on August 14th with a race of 9 participants and a small audience was in attendance. As the second world came along, Sturgis was put on hold for the sake of rationing gas to support the war efforts.
After the war the rally was up and running again, achieving more and more growth over the years. By 1965 the small motorcycle rally had become a five day event. By now the event card had seen improvement as well with the addition of the hill climb and motocross races.

The tail end of the 20th century saw constant growth with each year boasting bigger numbers which attracted more and more involvement from the community. Savvy business owners saw the bustling annual festival as an opportunity to vend their goods during the rally. By 1988 there were 117 vendors licensed in the city of Sturgis. Just a year later Sturgis would see the founder of it's rally pass away at the age of 85.

The motorcycle has come to be known as a symbol of an exciting, free spirited way of living. The fact that Sturgis, in its 76th year, is still going strong is a testament to how that symbol resonates with so many people around the world. Through out the 2000's Sturgis has seen it's biggest growth yet and has become representative of the small town in South Dakota. The City of Sturgis even formed a city department within the city government to take the place of all hired contract labor to facilitate and and organize the event. It's the backing like this that is the reason why every year 400,000-600,000 people gather in the city and go wild over motorcycles. That, motorcycle lovers out there, is true to the American Dream.

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