Hollister, CA had motorcycle rallys for years before World War II. Motorcycle enthusiasts would gather out at Bolado Park and Memorial Park and the rallys were as popular as the rodeo.
During World War II the races were stopped.
When the war ended, the first rally was scheduled for July 4,1947. However, since the last races, many veterans had learned about motorcylces during the war. They bought them when the returned home. Consequently, the small pre-war rallys turned into something much larger and more chaotic in the first post-war Hollister rally. Just under 4,000 bikers showed up and these new bikers partied pretty hard.
The seven man strong Hollister Police Department shut down traffic through main street and gave the bikers the run of the place. Despite lurid tales of outlaw takeover in Life Magazine, the bikers mostly kept to the heart of the city. Sure there were broken bottles, but they caused more flat tires and pains in the neck for the bikers than anyone else.
About fifty bikers were arrested for being drunk in public and disorderly conduct. About the same number were admitted into Hazel Hawkins Hospital. Bikers slept on the sidewalk and drove their bikes through the bars, there was plenty of chaos, but there was no real damage and no reported serious outlaw acts.
The rally ended on Sunday, July 6th when forty Highway Patrolmen arrived with gas masks and tear gas. The bikers split.
The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, turned the event into outlaw legend. But forget about it's accuracy.
The picture above appeared in the Life magazine article. In the spirit of fine, yellow journalism, the picture was completely staged. The smiling gentleman in the background, Gus Deserpa, remembers:
"I was projectionist by trade. I worked at the Granada Theater, which was on the corner of Seventh and San Benito. I would have got off work around 11 p.m.. My wife came to pick me up, and we decided to walk up Main Street to see what was going on.
I saw two guys scraping all these bottles together, that had been lying in the street. Then they positioned a motorcycle in the middle of the pile. After a while this drunk guy comes staggering out of the bar, and they got him to sit on the motorcycle, and started to take his picture.
I thought 'That isn't right', and I got around against the wall, where I'd be in the picture, thinking that they wouldn't take it if someone else was in there. But they did anyway. A few days later the papers came out and I was right there in the background.
They weren't doing anything bad, just riding up and down whooping and hollering; not really doing any harm at all."
If you want to read some interesting first hand accounts of the "riot," check out this page.
During World War II the races were stopped.
When the war ended, the first rally was scheduled for July 4,1947. However, since the last races, many veterans had learned about motorcylces during the war. They bought them when the returned home. Consequently, the small pre-war rallys turned into something much larger and more chaotic in the first post-war Hollister rally. Just under 4,000 bikers showed up and these new bikers partied pretty hard.
The seven man strong Hollister Police Department shut down traffic through main street and gave the bikers the run of the place. Despite lurid tales of outlaw takeover in Life Magazine, the bikers mostly kept to the heart of the city. Sure there were broken bottles, but they caused more flat tires and pains in the neck for the bikers than anyone else.
About fifty bikers were arrested for being drunk in public and disorderly conduct. About the same number were admitted into Hazel Hawkins Hospital. Bikers slept on the sidewalk and drove their bikes through the bars, there was plenty of chaos, but there was no real damage and no reported serious outlaw acts.
The rally ended on Sunday, July 6th when forty Highway Patrolmen arrived with gas masks and tear gas. The bikers split.
The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, turned the event into outlaw legend. But forget about it's accuracy.
The picture above appeared in the Life magazine article. In the spirit of fine, yellow journalism, the picture was completely staged. The smiling gentleman in the background, Gus Deserpa, remembers:
"I was projectionist by trade. I worked at the Granada Theater, which was on the corner of Seventh and San Benito. I would have got off work around 11 p.m.. My wife came to pick me up, and we decided to walk up Main Street to see what was going on.
I saw two guys scraping all these bottles together, that had been lying in the street. Then they positioned a motorcycle in the middle of the pile. After a while this drunk guy comes staggering out of the bar, and they got him to sit on the motorcycle, and started to take his picture.
I thought 'That isn't right', and I got around against the wall, where I'd be in the picture, thinking that they wouldn't take it if someone else was in there. But they did anyway. A few days later the papers came out and I was right there in the background.
They weren't doing anything bad, just riding up and down whooping and hollering; not really doing any harm at all."
If you want to read some interesting first hand accounts of the "riot," check out this page.
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