HLOM Guest Speaker Series: Karen Lankenshofer, "Elsa Von Blumen"

The Holland Land Office welcomed as the latest presenter in our Guest Speaker Series, Karen Lankenshofer as she spoke on Elsa Von Blumen.
Elsa von Blumen was a premier female athlete before it was even thought possible that women could be professional athletes! Growing up in Oswego, NY and Rochester, NY she first became a professional “race walker” in 1879 and was soon enticed to try high-wheel bicycle riding by bicycle manufacturer Albert Pope. She was a prominent figure on the bicycle-racing scene in the 1880s and competed throughout the Eastern United States (including in Batavia) but is all but forgotten today. I hope that, with this lecture, Elsa will again be recognized for her pioneering efforts and her superb athleticism. She helped change the social expectations of what womanhood should be.
Karen Lankeshofer is a long-time Henrietta, NY resident who has also lived and taught in Germany and Russia. She is an avid bike rider and advocates for safe cycling infrastructure. She enjoys studying history, especially if it pertains to Upstate New York. She discovered Elsa Von Blumen several years ago and has her researching her intensively. Her study is ongoing. Her presentation is a tribute to a pioneering female professional athlete and she wants to share it with people in New York State because she believes Elsa’s story deserves to be better known.
"This project is a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!"