Searching for crokinole references in print has become an obsession. ‘How low can you go?’ is the mantra. My goal has been to narrow the gap between the Eckhardt Wettlaufer board of 1875 (Perth County, Ontario, Canada) considered the earliest dated board, and a crokinole reference in print. The golden era of US crokinole in the 1890’s through the early 1900’s offers many hits. They consist of either advertisements or reports on social gatherings where participants played crokinole usually referred to it as the highlight of the evening. Reaching into the 1880’s and finding a reference has been more challenging.
The following reference comes from The Courier-News of Bridgewater, New Jersey printed December 12, 1885.
The article reviews current events at the local YMCA, a common feature of many papers at the time . This segment totaled the attendance of various activities at the Bridgewater branch for the month of November. The reading and game rooms garnered the most foot traffic, attributed to the novel game of crokinole and the attention it received.
So how is it that after ten years from the creation of the Wettlaufer board in Ontario, Canada, does it reach New Jersey, USA? While not certain, it was probably due to the early US manufacturer and patent purchaser, MB Ross. Ross who purchased the patent in the early 1880’s resided in New York City at the time and began promoting the game in that region (Bridgewater is approximately 45 miles from NYC). Hopefully this piece will include an addendum someday when an even earlier gem is unearthed.
7/20/24 Update: An earlier reference has emerged from The Cleveland Leader dated October 7, 1884. This pushes the newspaper reference back 14 months. Here is the ad:
’No objectionable feature whatever,’ will become a common quote found in many early crokinole ads. This reference alludes to the prospect of gambling but since cheat and chance are removed it allows for keeping crokinole a wholesome pastime; a friendly game suitable for YMCAs, church functions and parlors. It also addresses the pesky post play dilemma of what to do with the board when not in use.