Campus Connection

Explore the life of an early motorcycle enthusiast and discover vintage cycles in newly digitized photo collection  

Take a virtual ride through the history of motorcycling with some unique photographs recently uncovered in Murphy Library Special Collections at UW-La Crosse.  

A collection of historical photographs showcasing some of the earliest motorcycles, including rare images of vintage Harley-Davidsons, was recently digitized. They offer a glimpse into the life of Arthur “Art” Roth, an early motorcycling enthusiast and one of the first motorcycle mail carriers in the U.S.  

The motorcycle photos — the Arthur E. Roth Photograph Collection — are just a few of the rare photographic finds at Murphy Library. Alumni and the public alike can explore more than 18,000 digital objects online, including about 200,000 images, accessible on the Murphy Library Digital Collections webpage.  

The online exhibit includes detailed descriptions of each photograph, including audio and image captions that provide context to the era and the people captured in these historic moments. Ten images are also now physically on display at the library’s coffee shop and leisure reading room. 

The discovery of these images was an unexpected find during an audit of the library's photographic materials, which included glass plate negatives dating back to the 1880s.  

“I came across this collection purely by accident,” says Nikki Pegarsch, library assistant in digitization at Murphy Library. “I was scanning one of many boxes filled with glass plate negatives (an early photographic technique used from 1880s to the 1920s) and stumbled across envelopes labeled ‘Roth Collection.’” 

Inside were stunning photographs of Roth on his motorcycle, taken as he traveled across the country in the early 1900s. This sparked further investigation into Roth’s life and career, leading to the uncovering of a diverse range of photographs, prints, postcards, and even newspaper articles detailing his adventures. 

Roth, born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1886, delivered packages for the American Railway Express Agency and the U.S. Post Office. A motorcycle enthusiast and mechanic, he used motorcycles as his primary means of transportation and even competed in races. Some of the most captivating images in the collection follow Roth’s journey in 1912, when he traveled from Wisconsin to Niagara Falls, with stops in Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, and Buffalo. These snapshots reveal the early days of motorcycling, offering a rare look at the machines and culture of the time. 

One particularly unique image, titled "Motorcycles by a Lake," features two Harley-Davidson motorcycles — one from 1907 and the other from 1909. Bill Jackson, manager of Archives and Heritage Services at Harley-Davidson, confirmed that these early bikes were among the first made by the company, with only about 60 Harley-Davidson cycles built at that time. This makes the Roth collection even more valuable for anyone interested in the history of motorcycling, notes Pegarsch. 

Whether you’re a history buff, a motorcycle enthusiast, or just curious about the early days of American transportation, this collection offers a rare and rich resource.  

To view the Arthur E. Roth Photograph Collection and explore more historical photographs, visit the Murphy Library Digital Collections webpage.  

Explore the library guide featuring image and audio descriptions of the photographs in the "Motorcycles in Murphy Library" exhibit. 

The exhibit at the library 

The Arthur E. Roth Photograph Collection Exhibit is located to the left of the entrance of the Leisure Reading Section and Murphy’s Mug.