09/08/2026
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 8, 1994, Orren “Putt” Mossman passed away, closing the life of an Iowa-born showman who treated a motorcycle as both a machine and a circus ring. Long before Evel Knievel became a household name, Mossman had built an international career by riding with a flaming sack over his head, climbing a ladder attached to a moving motorcycle, firing at balloons while in motion, and leaping toward water from ramps.
Mossman was born on July 8, 1906, near Eldora in Hardin County, where he grew up on a farm. His ambition emerged early and in several directions. Before motorcycles made him famous, he became a leading horseshoe pitcher, winning an Iowa state title in 1924 and capturing world titles in 1924 and 1925. His 1925 championship season produced 55 wins against two losses. He later patented a hooked horseshoe design in 1927. Mossman also boxed, wrestled, performed in vaudeville, played baseball, and attended spring training with the Boston Braves during the mid-1920s.
Mossman bought his first motorcycle at age 20 and began performing stunts almost immediately. He later recalled standing on the bike’s seat during his ride home from the dealership to impress two young women. More serious exhibitions followed, including jumps into rivers near his hometown, where he learned that crowds would pay to watch a rider risk injury. By the mid-1930s, Mossman’s “American Motorcycle Rodeo Circus and Speedway Aces” had become a global attraction. His troupe performed in 45 countries on six continents over a career lasting about 40 years.
During World War II, he served in the Merchant Marine, worked with the USO, and performed for troops. After the war, television, radio, and expanding sports entertainment diminished the crowds available for traveling stunt troupes. Mossman adapted by working in Hollywood as a stuntman and continuing to perform in smaller roles for schools and charities into his seventies.
