By Jim Ross, Guest Commentary

Dateline: The first decade of last century and there about.

Place: America’s hearts and heartland.

Sources: The Spirit of the West, The Des Moines News, The Iowa Homestead.

Subject: The Methodist millionaires marketing, the great flood of 1916, and sadly, lightning strikes twice.

Recently the Dan Patch Historical Society was excited to receive a collection of newsprint published out of Iowa, from a prominent Wisconsin historian, about a horse born in Indiana, who just happened to make history in his Minnesota home. Diane Kleinsteiber, who also inherited her father’s Dan Patch DNA sample of hoof shavings, donated the collection.

The rare documents intrigue immediately as page one has a unique photo of Dan with his mouth wide open, we’re told catching his breath after having just finished a race. The headline poses an ethical question: “Can a devout Christian race horses?” The Daily News calls Savage a millionaire Methodist and asks if this mixture of sport gambling and religion is consistent behavior. I doubt the question would be asked today, but we can certainly question if some of these millionaire athletes of today make good role models. For the record Savage was known as “the parson,” Dan never raced on Sundays, and both of them were envelope-carrying members of Wesley United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.

Savage’s marketing abilities are well known and he has purchased many an advertisement in this collection. You could buy a Dan Patch spreader on a four-month free trial, with free shipping thrown in. You could buy “young Dan Patch stallions on six months’ time, without interest that should earn you from $2,500 to $5,000 every year.”

You could even get your Dan Patch breeding fee free if you didn’t end up with a 2-minute trotter or pacer. Of course you could also buy the “3 Feeds For One Cent,” one of the items he became a millionaire methodist from. Items to be had for free included a beautiful set of 54 pure white LaFrancaise dishes with elegant blue and gold decorations, and “a new picture in 14 colors from a $500 painting” of Dan, George Gano, and Minor Heir. Also to be had for free were “2 big books” one on the “thrilling life of Dan Patch” and the other describes literally hundreds of “valuable and extra high class household free premiums.”

The Spirit of the West, published out of Des Moines, was billed as “The only harness paper published in the great west.” Savage sent a letter to the editor for the May 31, 1916 edition describing an impressive flood of the Minnesota River that swamped his beloved Taj Mahal stock farm. Writing about one of the worst rampages in 30 years, it flooded over 400 acres. Savage was able to motor boat completely around his outdoor mile racetrack. The silt and sludge ruined his pasture and hay fields. As a result of the devastating flood he is forced to sell off many of his horses at public auction. And in true Savage fashion the rest of the letter becomes a free ad as he outlines the details of the sale. He even arraigned special trains for the event to come out from Minneapolis on the Omaha line of the Northwestern Railroad. Perhaps the tracks were south enough to avoid the flood waters. The return train would get you back to Minneapolis in plenty of time to take in the races at the State Fair grounds. Savage was looking to unload 50 head of brood mares and colts by Dan Patch, Gano, Arion, and Dazzle Patch. The sale was held at his covered indoor half-mile track, perhaps after the flood waters had receded. “You can turn my misfortune into your good luck,” he wrote. And of course the grand champion himself would be on hand to greet his fans.

The Spirit, whose subscription price was $1 a year and was published every Wednesday, dedicated the entire cover of the July 12, 1916 to Dan. The picture was the classic “button” one of Dan’s beautiful head in a circle with Dan Patch 1:55 written at the bottom. There was also a footnote declaring in all caps “DIED AT SAVAGE STOCK FARM JULY 11.” Informed by a telegram from Savage himself as they were going to press, the Spirit eulogized: “Never, since time began, has there been a horse so well known and universally loved as this great stallion … the greatest racehorse the world has ever seen … his name … familiar throughout the length and breadth of the land.” The telegram ends with Savage’s account of the king’s death. “…peacefully stretched out in his stall … all four legs pacing true and strong.”

Lightning struck again the very next day and the very next cover commemorated the death of Savage, also with a full cover photo. Ivanhoe Whitted wrote: “the man with the scythe appears to be in a vindictive mood … the harness racing world has reason to swing the flags at half mast.” Whitted notes that Savage was a native of Iowa and while a young man there worked out the formula for his international stock food that made him the millionaire methodist.

And thus the collection ends as it began, with matters of faith. Ivanhoe posits: “Those of us who lack the attribute of faith in the invisible are prone to rebellious questionings and doubtful quibbling.” 

The DPHS would like to thank Diane Kleinsteiber for her donation to the society and invites residents to view this interesting collection at the Heritage Room of the Savage Library. 

(Ross is a resident of Savage and board member of the Dan Patch Historical Society. Guest commentaries are just one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)