In the early fall of 2004 Bill and Beth Bradford travel to Bill's childhood home in Bourbon County, Kentucky to inventory and settle the estate of his recently deceased parents. In the attic they discover a large trophy and, most astoundingly, a large scrapbookLittle do they know that the unearthed scrapbook contains hundreds of newspaper clippings detailing the extreme sport of board track racing, an era in motorcycle racing forgotten by time for over 90 years, and the career of one of the sports biggest superstars, Charles “Fearless” Balke, as lovingly assembled by his wife Snooks, Bill Bradford's distant great-auntStaged on half mile circular tracks built of wood and banked at 60 degrees, board track was the most dangerous, most exciting, and deadliest competitive sport of its time. Riding inches apart mounted atop primitive bikes the racers battled not only each other but also the unforgiving boards where accidents regularly maimed or killed participants and fans alike. Little wonder that the newspapers christened the tracks “murderdromes”.Its young stars - the “lords of the boards” - braved these incredible dangers in pursuit of equally outrageous rewards. But lurking beneath it all every racer knew that the price of admission was a willingness to put your life on the line for a shot at glory.This is the first hand story of Charles “Fearless” Balke, his early years, storybook romance, and his tragic final curtain. Although it reads like fiction, this is a true story with every character, event, and location documented. Enjoy.
“We operated perfectly legally. We considered ourselves philanthropists! We supplied good liquor to poor thirsty Americans ... and brought prosperity back to the Harbour of Vancouver ...”—Captain Charles Hudson At the stroke of one minute past midnight, January 17, 1920, the National Prohibition Act was officially declared in effect in the United States. From 1920 to 1933 the manufacture, sale, importation and transportation of alcohol and, of course, the imbibing of such products, was illegal. Prohibition was already a bust in Canada and it wasn’t long before fleets of vessels, from weather-beaten old fish boats to large ocean-going steamers, began filling their holds with liquor to deliver their much-valued cargo to their thirsty neighbours to the south. Contrary to popular perception, rum-running along the Pacific coast wasn’t dominated by violent encounters like those portrayed in the movies. Instead, it was usually carried out in a relatively civilized manner, with an oh-so-Canadian politeness on the British Columbian side. Most operated within the law. But there were indeed shootouts, hijackings and even a particularly gruesome murder associated with the business. Using first-hand accounts of old-time rum-runners, extensive research using primary and secondary documentation, and the often-sensational newspaper coverage of the day, Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How sets out to explain what really went down along the West Coast during the American “Noble Experiment.”
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