Murillo Speedway

Photos courtesy of Russ Wanzuk

Murillo Speedway

by Jeff Caldwell

The Murillo Speedway like the CLE Fairgrounds was originally built for horse racing at the Murillo Fairgrounds west of Thunder Bay. Murillo was opened in 1891 as a 1/2 mile horse track, and its operation as an auto racing track, though over a number of era's was mostly part time. The first auto races at Murillo were in the 1920's featuring the speedster's of the Twin Cities Motor Contest Association as they split their events between Murillo and the CLE Fairgrounds, racing into the late 1930's at both tracks. The track would remain idle until the early 1950's when Barry Kettering and Tom Dow raced one another there in 1950 and 1951. The Lakehead Stock Car Racing Association chose Murillo as the site for their first race on September 5,1952 during the Murillo Fair, and held another two races there before moving the racing to the CLE upon finding Murillo track conditions not to their desired standards. In 1953 a non Lakehead Stock Car Club event was scheduled for the August 1st & 3rd Civic Holiday long weekend with racing scheduled for Saturday and Monday featuring drivers from Duluth, Minnesota. A new 1/4 mile track was built inside the 1/2 mile track and held up poorly during Saturday's racing and forced the cancellation of Monday's events. Once again the track would remain idle until the 1960's when the CLE track closed, it opened for weekly racing on Saturday nights. The track would operate in 1967,1968 and 1969 running Late Models and Hobby Stocks, and in 1969 the track closed for good. A tentative schedule was drawn up for 1971,but the season never happened. Though the track remains, the only wheels that have turned on it since those race days in the 60's,were "Chariot racing" during the annual fall fair, and the track has returned to the horses. In its lifespan from the 1920's to 1969 Murillo had its moments but was never a regular track but for a couple of years in 1967,'68 & '69 when it closed, more so it was a place to race when a track was needed to race on. It is though a part of Thunder Bay racing history and many got their first taste of racing there, and like all tracks is missed and fondly remembered. During the annual Murillo Fair in Aygust 1987,there was one more auto race on the track. On the Monday of the Fair, August 3rd, the ice racers of the Thunder Bay Autosport Club took to the track for two 8 lap heats, and a 15 lap fearure.