Thursday, January 13, 2011

Mystery History -- Solved!


Bellis wins with her 9:06 p.m. Tuesday guess "Looks like one of the annual Caltech Mudeos, where the students play around in the mud."

In the photo above, students try to capture tires buried in mud and take them out of the pit during the 1941 Caltech Mudeo (like rodeo - get it?).

For many years this annual contest, which began in 1915, was held at Tournament Park on the Caltech campus.

Annual Mudeo events included tug-of-war in which 20 students were allowed on each side, wheelbarrow race with 10 teams of two with one man grasping the legs of the other and propelling him forward, a sack race, horse and rider featuring two-man teams engaging in battle with one sitting on the other's shoulders, and the tire spree pictured above.

Now the Mudeo, revived in 2004 after a hiatus of several years, is held on the Caltech campus and it's coed. This photo was taken during the tournament north of Avery House in March 2010:


Ultimate Frisbee has been added to the list of Mudeo games; the tire spree is lost to the ages.


Many thanks to Caltech.

7 comments:

Margaret said...

I don't know. I like that first picture more...

Bellis said...

I like the first photo as well. The boys look as though they're made of chocolate and one of them has cracked! If Caltech ever needs a new sculpture, they should consider casting this scene in bronze - and maybe cover it with chocolate.

Cafe Observer said...

I see we have 2 chocolate loving commentators here already.

pasadenapio said...

The crack is in the photo, but I like the idea of the mud actually cracking on the bodies!

Jean Spitzer said...

Yay, Bellis!

How did this escape my attention, all these years?

wv: soginy

Pasadena Adjacent said...

wow! bet my dad participated in one of the events.
congrats Bellis

PIO (has margaret ever won?)

pasadenapio said...

PA, Margaret is a two-time winner!