Property Record
18411 1ST ST (CTH KR/ COUNTY LINE RD)
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | GREAT LAKES DRAGWAY |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 240146 |
| Location (Address): | 18411 1ST ST (CTH KR/ COUNTY LINE RD) |
|---|---|
| County: | Kenosha |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Paris |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 2 |
| Range: | 21 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 5 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1956 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20192019 |
| Historic Use: | roadway |
| Architectural Style: | |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Although the property contains several historic buildings and structures, it was recorded as a single resource. 2019 (Paris Solar Survey)- "This drag racing strip stands on the south side of 1st Street (CTH KR/County Line Road) along the east side of Section 5 in Paris Township, and one mile east of the village of Union Grove. The historic property is approximately 1 mile long and 0.10 miles wide, encompassing an area of about 60 acres. The dragstrip was established in 1956, and the grounds were expanded the following year with “announcing tower, an entry and parking area, two-thousand seat bleachers, a public address system, and a repaved track that consisted of two old drag strips, 3,000 feet long and 50 feet wide” (Legacy Architecture 2019: 120). Although the property contains several historic buildings and structures, it was recorded as a single resource. The AHI does not reflect that the property is eligible for listing in the NRHP, but the dragstrip was recommended eligible when identified in the 2019 Kenosha County intensive survey. The Great Lakes Dragaway was recommended “significant under Criterion A: History in the area of Recreation for its role in the history of drag racing in Wisconsin. The period of significance for the property would extend from 1956 to 1994, when the property was sold” (Legacy Architecture 2019: 120)." "Although the property contains several historic buildings and structures, it was recorded as a single resource. There are several buildings and structures of historic age on the dragstrip grounds, with few modern intrusions. The oldest extant building is the concrete block building south of the yellow house; it was built by 1963. The row of three concrete block buildings were built ca 1967, including the Torque Alley Tap, Foodstand, and Bathrooms. The Broadway Bob’s Toys and the yellow house were added before 1975, as was the ticket booth at the entrance and the tower at the head of the racetrack. In 2014-2015, the tower, which was built in the 1970s, was raised on a concrete base, re-clad, and the rear stairs were modified, but it retains its historic appearance. The grandstand bleachers were built in 1964, and over time, sections have been added on. The metal-clad gabled buildings were added in the 2000s; they are noncontributing resources to the district." "Drag racing became popular after World War II and early 1950s, especially with teenagers in rural areas. Young adults, including veterans and teenagers, “wanted to show off their mechanical skills” by “’souping up’ their rebuilt cars” with aftermarket parts that were in surplus following the war. They would compete in a non-sanctioned “standing-start race of two cars over an identical short distance,” which was typically ¼ mile of rural roadway. Legal drag-racing strips began to be constructed in the 1950s as the sport gained in popularity across the country. The Great Lakes Dragaway was one of the earliest dragstrips built in Wisconsin, and is considered today to be one of the oldest, continuously operating dragstrips in the country (Birchfield 2017)." "The dragstrip was recommended eligible when identified in the 2019 Kenosha County intensive survey. The Great Lakes Dragaway was recommended “significant under Criterion A: History in the area of Recreation for its role in the history of drag racing in Wisconsin. The period of significance for the property would extend from 1956 to 1994, when the property was sold” (Legacy Architecture 2019: 120). The property is not associated with people important to the past, and is not eligible under Criterion B. The design and construction of the buildings and structures are not distinctive or representative property types, nor are they the work of a master. The dragstrip is not eligible under Criterion C. Like the previous survey’s findings, the Great Lakes Dragaway is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP." Drag racing became popular after World War II and early 1950s, especially with teenagers in rural areas. Young adults, including veterans and teenagers, “wanted to show off their mechanical skills” by “’souping up’ their rebuilt cars” with aftermarket parts that were in surplus following the war. They would compete in a non-sanctioned “standing-start race of two cars over an identical short distance,” which was typically ¼ mile of rural roadway. Legal drag-racing strips began to be constructed in the 1950s as the sport gained in popularity across the country. The Great Lakes Dragaway was one of the earliest dragstrips built in Wisconsin, and is considered today to be one of the oldest, continuously operating dragstrips in the country (Birchfield 2017). 2019 (Kenosha Co Intensive Survey)- "During the 1950s, automobile drag racing and hotrods were very popular; however, racing on public streets was illegal. This led to the development of designated tracks across the country. One of the first in Wisconsin was the Great Lakes Dragaway, located at 18411 1st Street in the Town of Paris on the Kenosha-Racine county line. The Dragaway was established in 1956 and expanded the following year with an announcing tower, an entry and parking area, two-thousand seat bleachers, a public address system, and a repaved track that consisted of two old drag strips, 3,000 feet long and 50 feet wide. During the late 1950s and the 1960s, most of the drag racing cars were modified automobiles that could reach speeds of 210 miles per hour. Over 20,000 people attended a four-day Labor Day National Open of Drag Racing held at the track in 1968, the largest car racing gathering in Wisconsin history. By the 1970s, nitrous methane was commonly used on exhibition cars, which could reach speeds of approximately 350 miles per hour and finish the track in less than four seconds. The track has only been open during the summer months since its inception. Racing can be dangerous, and three spectators were killed in an incident in 1979; another ten were severely injured in 1981. The Great Lakes Dragaway was sold to Mofoco Enterprises in 1994. There have been a number of historic drag strip racing sites in Wisconsin, including ones at the Fond du Lac Speedway, Wilmot Hills Road Race Course, Westgate outdoor theater in Racine, Lake Geneva Speed Center, K-K Sport Arena in Kaukauna, the Tenora Dragway, the Amber Green Dragways in Eau Claire, and the Great Lakes Dragaway. Only Great Lakes Dragaway, K-K Sports, and the Amber Green Dragways are still in operation and the Dragaway has been around the longest. The Dragaway is considered, among present racers, one of the more historic dragstrip sites in the country." |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Birchfield, Jeff. “Nation's Oldest Running Drag Strip, the Dragaway is An Institution” (2017). Racer.com. Retrieved from https://racer.com/2017/06/16/nation-s-oldest-running-drag-strip-the-dragaway-is-an-institution/ (1/30/20). McDonald, Matt. “The History of Drag Racing” essay (2011). Topspeed.com. Retrieved from https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/the-history-of-drag-racing-ar110505.html (1/30/20). Wilcox, Ralph S. “George Ray’s Dragstrip” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (2005). Prepared by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Retrieved from http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/GE0259.nr.pdf (1/30/20). “What's the most historically significant drag strip in operation today.” BangShift. March 21, 2011. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |