Soapbox Racing In Moose Jaw, 1955

Hometown thrills and spills, plus quality time with Dad

- Ross Hiebert

One of the last things I remember doing with my dad, before he got so sick, was building a soapbox racer in our home-town of Moose Jaw, Sask., in the summer of 1955. Back then, racers were built out of spare parts. Scrap lumber, old pieces of rope, rusty nails and axles and wheels. Ah yes, wheels. The Holy Grail of racer construction. During soapbox construction season, there was not a baby-carriage wheel, toy-wagon wheel or any other garden piece or home-use wheel that was safe. Many were the back porches that held baby carriages with only the two front wheels or an American Flyer red wagon without any wheels at all. Wheels were everything and the solid red ones with the rubber tires were the most valued.