Puritan Bicycle ad, Portland, 1897
Item 27930 info
Maine Historical Society
1896 has been called the height of the popularity of the "wheel." Portland had a reported 40 businesses that sold more than 80 makes of bicycles.
Apparently, there were plenty of customers.
In May 1895, Maine Outing magazine noted, "There is a great boom in bicycling at South Portland this spring, there being at least forty new wheels. Old and young are learning to ride, and there are some amusing spectacles afforded by the novices."
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