Bike business in P-town ruined by ... prostitutes?

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of bicycles on women in Portland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the misconceptions they faced.

“World's Greatest Trick Rider” sold more than 50,000 bicycles in an age when bikes were the cutting edge of transportation technology; Oregon women loved them — until they started getting mistaken for hookers on the prowl ... could this be the true orgin of 'bicycle face'? (Portland, Multnomah County; 1890s, 1900s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1409a.303.fred-merrill-bicycle-king.html)

Topics covered

• bicycles
• history
• Portland
• women's issues
• transportation
• society

Keywords

• bicycles
• Portland
• history
• women
• transportation
• bicycle face
• 1890s
• prostitutes

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Oregon, Portland, Multnomah County

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