Four motorcyclists stand with their machines on a brick-paved street outside Gus Gocke’s shop in York, Nebraska. The motorcycles overlap across the foreground, their lamps, exposed engines, leather saddles and strapped baggage clearly visible. Men and boys gather behind them, filling the doorways and pavement beneath the shop awnings.
The central awning bears Gocke’s name, and the number “512” appears above the entrance. Small American flags hang among the goods displayed in the window. From left to right, the motorcycle placards name York, Nebraska; Denver; Colorado Springs; and Pikes Peak. These suggest a journey between Nebraska and Colorado, although the card does not identify the riders or document a particular tour.
The reverse carries a York, Nebraska, January 27 cancellation and a handwritten date apparently reading “1/27-15.” The message addresses “Mr C. Brooks,” reports the receipt of recoil pads and asks him to call and see them. It is signed “Gocke.” This brief commercial correspondence supplies a connection with the named shop but does not explain the occasion photographed.
A real photograph postcard with a divided KRUXO back and a cancelled green one-cent Washington stamp. No photographer or publisher is credited; KRUXO is the postcard-stock mark rather than an attribution for the photograph.
- Medium
- RPPC
- Subject
- American Flag, Children, Nebraska, Occupational, Outdoor Scene
- Dimensions
- 5.5 × 3.45 in (139.6 × 87.7 mm)
- Condition
- Surface scratches and scuffing are visible, chiefly across the left portion of the photograph and at the lower left. Otherwise sound, with the riders, motorcycles and principal lettering clearly readable.
- Catalogue no.
- MRPPC3449
Catalogue details
Location
York, Nebraska · York, Nebraska, United States
Photographed subject · Locality (town) · 80% confidence
the card names only the town. Looked up as "York, Nebraska" → York, York, NE 68467, USA. Order tried: caption-town: "York, Nebraska" → city ✓; Live research: The supplied reading of the photographed awning, “GUS. GOCKE,” matches independent historical sources. An advertisement in the October 1911 Sandburr, preserved by York University, names Gus Gocke’s sporting-goods and hardware business on Grant Avenue and lists motorcycles among its merchandise. ([york.edu](https://www.york.edu/about/archives/sandburr-files/1911_vol_11_1_oct_1911.pdf)) The York library’s photograph catalogue independently identifies motorcycles outside Gus Gocke’s store; a companion historic/modern comparison locates that store in the middle of the 500 block of Grant Avenue, between Phipps’ Harness shop and a lunch room. This supports identification of the named shop site, rather than merely the town. ([flickr.com](https://www.flickr.com/photos/yorklib/3149301386/)) The supplied entrance number “512” is consistent
Source: Card caption (town only)
