A speedway in Cotati!?
The Cotati Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce recently produced a short virtual tour of the historic town, showcasing buildings and places. Click on the Walking Tour video at http://cotatihistoricalsociety.org. Historic photos courtesy of the Cotati Historical Society.
As an example of the exciting early days in Cotati, the Cotati Speedway and one of the businesses it inspired, the Speedway Garage, helped bring attention to the area. It was a time of growth in the town’s history and a proposed raceway was destined to greatness, promising to attract fans from near and far, which it did. Alas, the dream did not pan out as builder Jack Price had imagined.
Cotati Speedway
In 1920, Price created excitement when he convinced racing enthusiasts all over the North Bay that he could build a world-class auto speedway. He succeeded on 135 acres on East Cotati Avenue near the railroad tracks and dubbed it the Cotati Speedway. The all-wood, bowl shaped track was 1.25 miles around and required more than 3 million feet of lumber. It gave drivers a place to run record-breaking races for both cars and motorcycles. Wildly popular, the racetrack’s first event was Aug. 14, 1921 with all 10,000 seats filled.
The Fox Garage catered to racers who came to the Cotati Speedway to run their cars. Fox changed the name of his business to Speedway Garage to lure racers, which it did — for a while. Sadly, cold, rainy weather and traffic congestion to get to the track caused its failure after only two years.
The speedway was dismantled and wood from it went to build homes and businesses in the area including the floor of the current Redwood Café in downtown Cotati.
The garage eventually closed, paving the way for a feed store and later Arch’s Glass, housed there for almost 30 years and relocated to Rohnert Park in 2019. It was also the location of Miller Driving School in that location since 1979. Today the building houses R & J Estate Sales.
For questions regarding the video or the history of Cotati, visit the CHS website at http://cotatihistoricalsociety.org. Interested in getting onto the list for in-person tours? Email the historical society at chsinfo@sonic.net.
