On This Date in Minnesota History: June 6

June 6, 1902 – Mrs. Albert Spencer, better known in Minneapolis as Dottie Farnsworth, died this evening in Salamanca, NY, of blood poisoning due to a bicycle accident.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, her real name was Leona Marie Farnsworth. She began bicycling professionally after graduating from high school, and became a prominent bicycle rider, winning many prizes all over the country.

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After her marriage to Albert Lester Spencer in April 1899, Farnsworth stopped racing for a while, but had recently begun again; she was in the East to fulfill engagements.

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²”While performing a non-racing "cycle razzle" exhibition near Dunkirk, NY on June 6, 1902, she went over the side of the track and was gravely injured. Farnsworth was taken by train to a Salamanca, NY hospital where doctors determined that she'd suffered peritonitis among her injuries. Dottie died that night.”

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Dottie Farnsworth Dies in New York; Was in East to Fill Engagements on Cycle Track. Right Name Was Mrs. Albert Spencer, She Having Been Married for Several Years.”; June 7, 1902; p. 9.

¹https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77699245/leona-marie-farnsworth

²https://mnthen.com/leona-dottie-farnsworth-c-1873-1902/

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