there was a horse so famous for his harness racing record time (mile in a minute 55) that the owner sold pedal cars named after the horse. Strange, but true. Why? The pedal car company owned the horse

 M.W. Savage announced plans in 1907 for a new railroad to serve southern Minnesota, urban and rural residents alike joined in welcoming the proposal. This railroad was named — ambitiously — the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company. It was popularly called The Dan Patch Line.

It was a famous horse that gave his name to the new railroad. Perhaps that is why it captured the imagination of both farmers and townsfolk alike. Both had a great deal to do with horses at the turn of the century.

Promotion wizard Marion Willis Savage, called by his contemporaries "the second P.T, Barnum", made the name Dan Patch a household word. The son of a country doctor, Will was born in 1859 in Ohio, but grew up in West Liberty, Iowa. His lifelong fascination with horses began when he was a driver on Dr. Savage's sick calls. M.W. Savage married in 1881 and was an Iowa farmer until the floods ruined his crops. However, his real career was begun when he began clerking in a West Liberty drug store. Observing the local farmers stock food and drug purchases, Will decided to manufacture the supplies himself.

With his growing wealth, and to satisfy a long cherished ambition to breed champion horses. Will Savage purchased in 1895, 750 acres of choice farmland 18 miles southwest of Minneapolis on the Minnesota River near Hamilton — later renamed Savage in his honor. On his estate he built extensive stables, two race tracks, and began buying race horses.

Among them was Dan Patch.

Dan Patch's career peaked during the racing seasons of 1905-1906. At Lexington, Kentucky, on October 5, 1905, he set his fastest officially recognized mile record. The local paper commented on the horse's pacing of the mile in the sensational time of 1 minute and 55 1/4 seconds: "Never before in the annals of light harness achievement has such magic speed been attained on any track, and deep was the impression made on those who witnessed it."

At the Minnesota State Fair track on September 8, 1906, before an enthusiastic crowd of over 90,000 people Dan Patch made harness horse history. He paced the mile in the fastest time of his career at the previously unheard of time of 1:55.  Dan Patch broke world speed records at least 14 times in the early 1900s.

Crowds welcomed Dan in downtown Minneapolis and a jubilant M.W. Savage, always the showman, renamed his firm as the Dan Patch 1:55 Stock Farm Food Company.

In 1907 the problem of how to directly link his stock farm at Savage and his business centers in Minneapolis led M.W. Savage to take over the projected Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company which he renamed the Dan Patch Electric Line.

In 1910, Savage retired Dan Patch. The now world-famous racehorse spent the rest of his days on Savage’s farm, save for an appearance at the Minnesota State Fair each year. His world record remained unbroken for over a half-century, until Adios Butler finished a paced mile in 1:54:03 in Lexington, Kentucky in 1960.

The famed horse died July 11, 1916, 20 years old, and with a heart that weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces, as compared with the normal heart of five pounds. Dan had taken sick on July 4th, as had his master, M.W. Savage. Upon being informed of his favorite horse's illness Mr. Savage's own condition worsened and he died just 32 hours after his favorite stallion.

http://www.danpatch.com/marion-w-savage.html

  

Dan Patch was the subject of the 1949 motion picture The Great Dan Patch starring Dennis O'Keefe and Gail Russell

Dan Patch was so famous, his owner capitalized on the craze. He used Dan Patch to advertise everything from cigars to washing machines and even sold Dan Patch's tail hairs.

The brass era automobile maker Dan Patch was founded in Minneapolis in 1911. The company was owned by Savage and was one of 16 manufacturers in Minnesota at the time. This operation came to an end when the Ford Motor Company began its assembly operations in St. Paul. http://forums.aaca.org/topic/238515-has-anyone-ever-seen-or-heard-of-a-dan-patch-vehicle/

This past March, Minnesota State Senator Dan Hall introduced a bill to name Dan Patch the state horse of Minnesota. (It passed the Senate, but never reached a final vote.) On June 24, 2018, the last day of Dan Patch Days in Savage, Minnesota, a bronzed statue of Marion W. Savage and Dan Patch was unveiled outside the Savage Library. And, of course, his story will forever be alive just outside the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

https://growlermag.com/dan-patch-the-rags-to-riches-story-of-the-fastest-horse-you-never-knew/

http://www.freemanyoderauctions.com/2018/01/01/new-years-day-auction/
https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/tomlinson_toys/1/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/252694229062007115/
http://alphanewsmn.com/edina-considers-resurrecting-80-year-old-train-line/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Patch