Paws on motorcycles: the meowsterious origins of the Catskills name
How crafty cats forever shaped the legacy of motorcycle making in North America
The story of the Catskills region in New York State, and its peculiar name dates back about a hundred and forty years. At the heart of this tale is a peculiar phenomenon involving the area’s feline inhabitants.
The story beings in 1885, in Germany
There is a tale not so often told, a legend of a cat named Schnurrbart who belonged to Gottlieb Daimler, the brilliant engineer and pioneer of the internal combustion engine.
Schnurrbart, who hailed from Germany, was no ordinary cat. Gifted with an unusual intellect and a keen sense of curiosity, he lived during the exciting times when the world was on the cusp of a new era in transportation.
In Daimler’s workshop, Schnurrbart witnessed history in the making — it was 1885. The feline’s keen eyes observed as Daimler worked tirelessly on his Reitwagen, the world’s first internal combustion motorcycle.
Schnurrbart watched the contraption come to life…
