by Deb Whitehorse | Jul 31, 2025 | 2025-2026, NIYA
1925 photo via Kristopher Strebe
An Iceboater at Indy? The Mel Jones Story
Until recently, few in the sailing or iceboating worlds knew that one of our own, Mel Jones, raced in the 1925 Indianapolis 500. As far as we know, he remains the only iceboater and A Scow sailor to have ever taken the starting flag at Indy.
That remarkable fact came to light thanks to Kristopher Strebe, a racing historian from Seattle and native of Janesville, Wisconsin. Kristopher has made it his mission to uncover the full biographical details of every driver who has competed in the Indianapolis 500.
A few days ago, Kristopher contacted me to ask if I had ever seen a photograph of Mel Jones. Fortunately, the Carl Bernard scrapbook provided what we needed, as Carl had pasted a large picture of Mel on one of its pages.
Kristopher also sent two black and white images from the 1925 Indy 500, one of a driver seated in car number 7 and another standing trackside. He had a hunch that the man in the photos might be Mel, the longtime sailmaker and a former Commodore of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club.
When we compared the photographs, it became clear that the man in the 1925 image was Mel Jones. Lake Geneva Yacht Club members Ellen Bentsen and Susie Pegel, both of whom knew Mel personally, immediately recognized him. Additional details from the LGYC yearbook and sailing community archives began to align. Kristopher’s research, combined with local knowledge, confirmed what none of us had known before: Mel Jones took the start of the 1925 Indianapolis 500, driving in relief for car owner Harold John Skelly.
Mel Jones: Sailmaker, Iceboater, and Indy Driver
Melville C Jones was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1901. A sailor from a young age, he raced A Scows and iceboats out of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club and eventually became a respected sailmaker with Murphy and Nye, Joy Brothers, and later his own loft, Jones Brothers. He was a charter member of the Skeeter Iceboat Club, sailed a Skeeter named GREEN GHOST, and served as Commodore of the Northwest Ice Yachting Association in 1947.
But in 1925, his name briefly surfaced in another arena: automobile racing. That year, a 21-year-old named Harold John Skelly built and entered a car for the Indianapolis 500, powered by a Frontenac Ford engine. Skelly, also from Oak Park, was a student of engineering and had no prior racing experience. He qualified impressively at over 88 miles per hour, but on race day, the track physician ruled him ineligible to compete due to a heart condition.
Mel Jones took his place behind the wheel.
Official records confirm that Jones started the race in car number 7 and completed about 30 laps before the car retired with mechanical trouble. His participation was so under the radar that many accounts at the time overlooked the driver change entirely. Even decades later, his name remained disconnected from the event until Kristopher Strebe’s research brought it to light.
A Shared Skillset: From Iceboats to Indy
The story raised an intriguing question: how did a sailor and sailmaker end up racing at Indianapolis?
For those in the iceboating world, the answer makes perfect sense. Iceboats demand custom fabrication and mechanical intuition. Several iceboat builders including my father, Dave Rosten, Paul Krueger, and my late husband, Harry Whitehorse, have deep roots in motorsports. Metal parts for iceboats are rarely available off the shelf. Everything from the steering assembly to the runner plank hardware must be built by hand.
It is not hard to imagine Mel Jones moving comfortably between those two worlds.
Not to Be Confused with Milton Jones
It is worth noting that Melville C Jones is not the same person as Milton Jones, another early Indy driver who was fatally injured during practice for the 1932 Indianapolis 500. The two men have occasionally been confused in historical references, but they were entirely separate individuals. UPDATE: “Mel and Milton Jones were confused for so long because most documents and reports referred to them simply as M.C. Jones.” Kristopher Strebe. Mel Jones raced only in 1925 and lived a long life devoted to sailing, sailmaking, and the Lake Geneva community.
Who Built the Car?
One mystery remains. According to the 1983 Lake Geneva Yacht Club yearbook, Mel Jones was the “designer and builder of an Indianapolis 500 race car which finished first among the independent builders at the 1925 time trials.” Newspaper accounts from the time, however, credit Skelly as the car’s builder. It is possible both men were involved. Skelly had a technical education, and Mel certainly had the hands-on experience and design background to contribute meaningfully.
For now, the question of who actually built the car remains unanswered. But one thing is certain: Mel Jones drove in the 1925 Indianapolis 500, making him the only known iceboater to have ever done so.
I am indebted to the research of Kristopher Strebe. Tip of the Helmet to Susie Pegel and Ellen Bentsen for their input.
Skelly seated in the car. Mel Jones standing far right. Photo via Kristopher Strebe.
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by Deb Whitehorse | May 24, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page, ISA
Ken Whitehorse adds the finishing touches to a display honoring the Whitehorse family’s legacy in iceboat and auto racing, featuring historic trophies and family photos.
Skeeter sailor Ken Whitehorse recently participated in an early-stage gathering hosted by Wisconsin Public Television for their upcoming documentary, Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Madison. The two-hour program will explore Madison’s history, focusing on Teejop — the Ho-Chunk name for this region, meaning “Four Lakes.”
WPT is working closely with members of the Ho-Chunk Nation to ensure their stories and perspectives are central to the project. WPT invited Ho-Chunk community members to share their memories of Madison during the event. Ken curated a presentation on the Whitehorse family’s deep involvement in iceboat and auto racing. He displayed several historic trophies — including the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant, won by AJ Whitehorse in the 1980s — and noted, “Whitehorse names are all over these trophies.” It was a reminder of the family’s long-standing presence in Madison’s sporting culture. We were also blessed by the presence of Ken’s father, Walter Whitehorse — a longtime 4LIYC Skeeter sailor — who recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
A few days earlier, I also spoke with the producer about Madison’s iceboating history and shared memories of my late husband, Harry Whitehorse, whose legacy as an artist and iceboater continues to shape how we remember this place.
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by Deb Whitehorse | May 13, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page, WSSA
Photos of DEBUTANTE, built by George Buckhout, from the William and Carl Bernard scrapbooks.
Via Robert Willis:
Online Presentation: Ice Yachting Since its Beginnings in the Hudson River Valley
Date: May 16, 2025
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Location: Antique Boat Museum Cox Auditorium & YouTube Live
Presenter: Robert Willis, President, Hudson River Ice Yacht Preservation Trust
Live Stream: YouTube Live Stream
From Dutch innovation to high-speed thrills on the Hudson, discover how ice yachts evolved from cargo carriers to the fastest vehicles on Earth. Mr. Willis takes us through the design, history, and enduring passion behind this unique winter sport.
This presentation is a good reminder that it all started in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Back in the day, “Northwestern” ice yachtsmen—our Midwestern forebears—knew that if you wanted the best, you went straight to the source: George Buckhout, the Valley’s most renowned builder of stern-steerers.
Here’s more from Brian Reid about Buckhout and his legendary craftsmanship.
So when Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s own John Buckstaff—himself a giant in the iceboating world—wanted a top-tier Class A stern-steerer, he went to Buckhout. The result? DEBUTANTE—a fast, graceful, and fiercely competitive yacht that would become one of the most iconic stern-steerers in Wisconsin history.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Apr 12, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page
When 4LIYC Nite sailors Lars Barber and Brad Wagner hit the road for land or ice sailing events, they don’t just set the cruise control and blast down the highway. These two turn every road trip into a treasure hunt—stopping at flea markets, poking around small towns, and always keeping an eye out for something unusual. On their return from the 2025 Blokart North Americans, they pulled into a hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico—and sure enough, Lars spotted something unexpected: an old black-and-white photo of a stern steerer iceboat hanging on the wall with the caption: “Mr. Whitney’s ice boat on Cimmeron (French) Lake.”
New Mexico isn’t typically known for iceboating, but French Lake, situated in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Cimarron, is located at an elevation of about 6,300 feet. At this altitude, small lakes can freeze during the winter.
Using old newspaper and genealogy archives, I tracked down “Mr. Whitney.” He was Frederic Whitney, born in 1879 in Iowa. His father and ancestors were from Maine, so he possibly brought that knowledge with him when he moved west. During his time in New Mexico in the early 1900s, Whitney became a prominent local figure. One article even noted that he had installed a tennis court at his ranch, showing his passion for sports and outdoor life. Later in life, he moved to Alaska and died on the Kenai Peninsula in 1978 at 99.
Though I couldn’t find any specific record of Whitney iceboating, I sent the photo to iceboating sailmaker and historian Henry Bossett to get his take. Henry pointed out that Mr. Whitney appears to be sailing while standing up—an unusual style. (Perhaps a windless day?) He also noted the rig features a jib-headed topsail, a small triangular sail used on gaff rigs and set between the gaff and the mast. In the sport’s early days, some iceboaters repurposed their summer sailing rigs and mounted them on iceboat frames. Henry shared a historical example of a similar setup, included below.
While we may never learn much more about Frederic Whitney’s brief moment on the ice at French Lake, it remains another interesting footnote in the unexpected history of ice sailing.
Example of jib-headed top sails.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Mar 9, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page
Staging the perfect shot back in the day —no filters, no drones, just a guy in a business suit on the ice and a camera.
I recently visited with Mauretta Mattison and her daughter, Lynn. Mauretta handed over a box overflowing with iceboating memorabilia that she had meticulously collected over the years, detailing her late husband Bill’s and family’s extraordinary life on the ice. It’s a collection that could keep an iceboating historian busy for months. As I quickly flipped through it, two items caught my attention: a pair of photos capturing what looks to be a lazy, light-air day on the ice and another featuring Elmer Millenbach, the Renegade’s mastermind
The first photo is a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot on the ice. Wisconsin State Journal photographer Edward Stein is lying on his side, dressed in a business suit and dress shoes—no winter gear.. He’s aiming at Bill Mattison, relaxed on the runner plank of his Skeeter, with another guy peering up at the sail from behind the boom. Next to it in the scrapbook is the finished product—the photo Stein snapped that day, which ran in the Wisconsin State Journal.
Then there’s a second photo that caught my eye—a classically cool image featuring Elmer Millenbach and his wife, Cora Lee, standing beside their Ford Thunderbird (possibly a 1964?) with Elmer’s Renegade on top of the car. Elmer, the Detroit innovator who designed the Renegade, was known for transporting his hull on top of cars instead of using a trailer. The Thunderbird is stylish match for the sleek lines of the Renegade.
Stay tuned as I dig deeper into this box of history.
Elmer and Cora Lee Millenbach have Fun Fun Fun cruising with style.
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