JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Secretary of State Denny Hoskins announced a program about the 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps. Part of the Friends of the Missouri State Archives Thursday Evening Speaker Series, the event will occur at the Missouri State Archives, a division of Hoskins’ office, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., and also stream live at www.facebook.com/missouristatearchives/live.
Missouri State Parks historian and reenactor Kevin Smith will present Iron Riders: The Story of the 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, in which he will discuss how in 1897 this all-Black unit embarked on an epic ride of more than 1,900 miles from Fort Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri, as part of a U.S. Army experiment to determine the effectiveness of moving troops by bicycle. Dubbed “The Great Experiment” by national newspapers, the journey took 41 days to complete, following a route that closely mirrored the Northern Pacific and Burlington railroads through Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri. Nicknamed the “Iron Riders” due to the heavy one-speed bicycles they pedaled, the soldiers faced grueling conditions that would challenge even the most experienced cyclists today.
The Missouri State Archives, located at 600 West Main Street in Jefferson City, is the official repository for state documents of permanent historic value. All Archives programs are free and open to the public, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Past Thursday Evening Speaker Series program recordings are available here on the Missouri State Archives YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@MissouriStateArchives.
For more information about this and other Archives programming, contact Rachael Dunn, Missouri Secretary of State Communications Director, at (573) 526-0949 or .
