BOLD BICYCLISTS - Two Oaklanders the First to Make the Trip to Mt. Hamilton - Oakland Tribune, 04 Jan 1888, Wed, Page 4

BOLD BICYCLISTS. 

Oaklanders the First to Make the Trip to Mt. Hamilton.

[The newspaper is missing some words, see clipping below. I make some guesses at the missing words.]

R. S. Coxhead and A. A. Bouton of Oakland took a trip to Mt. Hamilton on their bicycles a few days ago. They left Oakland Saturday at 2:15 P. M. and reached San Jose via Washington Corner at 6:25 P.  M.

"Map of Washington Corners", 1878, georeferenced here, original here

They remained at San Jose all night, and at 7:30 o'clock the next morning started for Mt. Hamilton on their wheels. A half hour's ride brought them to the junction.

The route I've traced in yellow is how I guess they went. You can visit the original here to see how it relates to modern roads.

From this place the road road is in excellent condition, but the grade is so heavy that the enthusiastic wheelmen found it impossible to pedal more than half the time. At 10 o'clock Grand View or the first summit was reached, a distance of twelve miles. The bikers took a rest at this spot and at noon made for Smiths creek, which was reached in a short time, where dinner was had. The most difficult part of the trip was then commenced. The observatory was then seven miles away by the road and only two by the trail. The cyclists decided to take the trail and again started on their journey. The young men found this the hardest part of the trip, as they had to carry their wheels a great part of the way. In three hours and a half they found themselves at the observatory and had the pleasure of riding around the building, on their wheels, the first to perform this feat. After remaining there for about an hour the return trip was made. An hour's careful coasting brought the bikers back to Smith's creek, where they remained for the night. At 3:30 P. M. the next day they arrived in San Jose and made the return trip to Oakland in a short time. The young men are the first who have ever ventured to the top of Mount Hamilton on a wheel, and they feel quite proud of their achievement.

BOLD BICYCLISTS Two Oaklanders the First to Make the Trip to Mt. Hamilton Wed, Jan 4, 1888 – Page 4 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) · Newspapers.com