Smith's Hill and the Pioneer Cyclists

This stone was set here in nineteen twenty-one, not for a battle or a settler, but for bicycles. In the early days of the sport, a steep grade called Smith's Hill, on the old Manchester road at the county line, was a rite of passage for the riders of Saint Louis.

The Saint Louis Cycling Club, one of the oldest in the area, made this spot a kind of mecca. At the top lived Victor Smith, who with his wife served cheap meals to weary cyclists and kept a logbook for them to sign.

It became a contest to be the first name written each New Year's Day, and riders would climb the hill at midnight to claim it. This marker honors those pioneer cyclists, and the good fellowship of Victor Smith, whose courtesy never faltered.