1928 Press Photograph of Karuk Runners Mad Bull and Flying Cloud with University of Oregon Coach Bill Hayward Before the Redwood Highway “Indian Marathon.”
San Francisco / Cleveland / New York: Newspaper Enterprise Association, May 5, 1928. Press photograph measuring approximately 6 ½ x 8 ½ inches. Glossy silver gelatin photograph showing two young Karuk runners, Mad Bull and Flying Cloud, in athletic uniforms, posed with University of Oregon track coach Bill Hayward. Verso with Stouffer & Schermer Photo Supply stamp of San Francisco, N.E.A. reference stamp, and typed press caption. Some handling wear, caption slip affixed to verso; very good. Item #List3877 A 1928 press photograph of Karuk runners Mad Bull and Flying Cloud preparing for the second Redwood Highway “Indian Marathon,” a short-lived but nationally publicized ultramarathon staged to promote the Redwood Highway and the newly branded “Redwood Empire” route between San Francisco and Grants Pass, Oregon. The caption states that Mad Bull, identified in period spelling as a “Karook Indian,” had won the previous year’s race over the 480-mile course between San Francisco and Grants Pass; and that he and his fellow tribal member Flying Cloud had traveled to Eugene, Oregon, to receive advice from Bill Hayward, longtime University of Oregon track coach and member of the American Olympic coaching staff. The race itself was a highway-booster spectacle organized by civic groups in San Francisco, Grants Pass, and towns along the route. The first race, held in 1927, began at San Francisco City Hall, crossed the bay to Sausalito, and continued north through Santa Rosa, Willits, Garberville, Eureka, Crescent City, Cave Junction, and finally Grants Pass. Runners were required to proceed on foot but could sleep or rest when they chose and were accompanied by support cars carrying food, shoes, clothing, and supplies. The field was limited to Native runners, a decision organizers believed would attract greater publicity for the road and the region. Mad Bull and Flying Cloud were the central figures in the event’s first two years. The Oregon Encyclopedia identifies Mad Bull as John Southard and Flying Cloud as Henry Thomas, both Karuk men whose publicity names were assigned because their given names appeared too ordinary for the promotional campaign.[1] In 1927, Southard won the race in seven days, twelve hours, and thirty-four minutes, taking the $1,000 first prize, while Thomas finished second and received $500. In 1928, the year of this photograph, Flying Cloud / Henry Thomas won the race, beating Mad Bull’s 1927 time by roughly thirteen hours; Mad Bull withdrew near Crescent City. [1] Wayne Morrow, “Indian Redwood Marathon (Redwood Empire Run),” Oregon Encyclopedia, March 17, 2022, accessed July 20, 2026, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/indian_redwood_marathon_redwood_empire_run_/.
Price: $275.00