Coconut Grove Library- Historical Marker

Kirk Munroe was born near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin on September 15, 1850. He spent his childhood in the Wisconsin frontier. Munroe and his family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts when he was sixteen. He began working as a reporter for the New York Sun in 1876. He was also the first editor of Harper's Young People Magazine. He served as the commodore of the New York Canoe Club from 1879-1884, during which time he and Charles Pratt founded the League of American Wheelman on May 31, 1880. The League of American Wheelman, now called the League of American Bicyclists, is a non-profit organization that strives to promote cycling for fun, exercise, and transportation. During the late nineteenth century, the organization governed amateur bicycle racing in the United States. The League also founded the Good Roads Movement in the late nineteenth century to advocate for better roads and highways. In 1898, over 103,000 people were part of the league. Notable early members of the league include John Jacob Astor, Diamond Jim Brady, and John D. Rockefeller.