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| Name | Carl G. Fisher |
| Birth/Death Dates | 1874-1939 |
| Where in Indiana | Decatur County--Greensburg; Marion County--Indianapolis |
| When in Indiana | He lived in Indiana for most of his life. |
| Notable For | In 1891 Fisher and his brothers opened a bicycle shop in Indianapolis. He became known as a daredevil cyclist. In 1904 Fisher, in partnership with James A. Allison, formed the Prest-O-Lite Company which made acetylene head lamps. In 1909 he and Allison and two other partners purchased 400 acres of farmland in Marion County for a track that would later become the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher promoted the creation of the Lincoln and Dixie Highways. He was also interested in helping to develop Miami, Florida as a vacation place. He lost his business interests in the 1929 Wall Street Crash. |
| Description | Carl Fisher, born in Greensburg, Indiana, hatched a plan to build a race track where auto manufactures could test cars and equipment in competiton. Believing that a series of races would be profitable, he convinced James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler to join his venture to purchase property in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company was incorporated on February 8, 1909. |
| Subject | Business people
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp.
Eyeglasses
Bicycle shops
Bicycle racing
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| Item ID | P0338_NGP_8X10_48052 |
| Source of Image | P0338 Bretzman Collection |
| Digital Collection | Notable Hoosiers |
| Bibliography/Notes | Information taken from Indiana: A New Historical Guide, Indiana Historical Society, 1989. |
| Copyright Notice | Digital Image © 2007 Indiana Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. |
| Destination Indiana | Destination Indiana Indianapolis 500 Mile Race |
