Collection is open for research.
Transferred from the High Desert Museum, June 2022 (RL2022-111).
The slides were rehoused in protective sleeves in numerical order, based on original annotations that assign each slide a number from 1 through 139.
Kitty O'Neil was a Hollywood stuntwoman who rose to fame during the early 1970s. As an infant, O'Neil lost her hearing after she suffered simultaneous cases of measles and smallpox. After moving to California as a young adult, she became involved in action sports and vehicle racing, and she eventually began a career as a stuntwoman. In 1974, O'Neil became the first woman member of Stunts Unlimited, a prestigious organization in Hollywood, California's movie scene.
In 1976, the public relations firm of Aaron D. Cushman and Associates contracted O'Neil to break the women's land speed record on behalf of a toy design company, Marvin Glass and Associates. On December 6, 1976, in the Alvord Desert of Oregon, O'Neil made her attempt in the SMI Motivator, a three-wheeled, hydrogen peroxide-powered rocket car built by Bill Fredrick. She recorded an official speed of of 591.113 miles per hour, surpassing the women's record of 321 mph. She and Fredrick wanted to make another attempt, this time with the goal of breaking the absolute land speed record of 630.388 mph. But O'Neil's sponsors prohibited any further runs, believing her efforts would conflict with the companies' contract and investments with a male driver, Hal Needham, who was scheduled to attempt to break the absolute record in the following months. O'Neil sued to make another attempt in the Motivator, but was unsuccessful.
Throughout her career, she set 22 speed records and broke her own high-fall record multiple times. O'Neil spent the remainder of her life advocating for equal opportunities and treatment for both women and Deaf individuals.
Sources: "Woman 'gets kick' from stunts," by Paul Hendrickson, Oregonian, July 5, 1979, Page C6; "Ladies, start your engines," by Michael Satchell, Sunday Oregonian, May 6, 1979, PARADE, page 8; "Kitty O'Neil: Fastest woman in the world," by Day Al-Mohamed, PBS American Masters blog, December 4, 2020 (accessed October 23, 2024),
The slides and audio recordings were previously held by the World of Speed Museum in Wilsonville, Oregon; they were then donated to the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, before the permanent closure of World of Speed in 2020. The High Desert Museum transferred the materials to the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in 2022.
Researcher access to the audiocassettes in the collection is limited for preservation purposes. To inquire about accessing the audio recordings, contact library staff. Fees may apply.
Slides and audio recordings of Kitty O'Neil breaking land-speed record, Org. Lot 1440, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection consists of 139 35mm color slides and 3 audio recordings documenting Kitty O'Neil's successful attempt to break the women's land-speed record in Oregon's Alvord Desert on December 6, 1976.
The images include O'Neil and her support team as they prepared for the record attempt; details of the 3-wheeled vehicle, the SMI Motivator; action shots of O'Neil's drive passes; and shots of O'Neil's official recorded speed results. Also included are images of the general desert landscape around the track site, such as local stores, buildings, and landmarks.
The audio recordings consist of three audiocassettes with original labels. Tapes 1 and 2 are labeled "Land Speed Record, Alvord Desert dry lake sides 1, 2" and "3, 4," respectively. Tape 3 is labeled "Edited Tape of Alvord Desert 12-76." The contents of the cassettes have not been verified.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.