Chicago, Illinois:  Saturday, February 1, 1908

(Chicago Athletic Association Gymnasium) … Fred Beell b. Jim Parr (16:16) … Charles Olson b. August Steurs (2-0) … Dick Sorenson b. Dick Roeber (2/3) … Kid Ewert b. John Giannakakis (2-0) … (promoter:  Joe Coffey)… (referee:  Dick Fleming)

Chicago, Illinois:  Friday, February 7, 1908

(Brooke’s Casino) … American Heavyweight Champion Frank Gotch b. Fred Beell (2-0) (54:03, 18:55) … Bert Hudson b. Paul Giedel (2-0) … Charles Olson b. F. Bridle (2-0) … Dick Sorenson b. Gus Peterson (2/3)

Chicago, Illinois:  Saturday, February 8, 1908

(Illinois Athletic Club) … Charles Olson b. Mike Dwyer (2/3) (Dwyer was a substitute for Frank Gotch, who was ill and injured) … Kid Ewert b. Kid Halpin (2-0) … Ed Adamson b. Dick Sorenson (2-0)

Chicago, Illinois:  Wednesday, April 1, 1908

(Chicago Athletic Association) … George Hackenschmidt vs. Emil Stegemiller … Frank Gotch b. Ernst (5:10) (Ernst was billed as his training partner) … Mort Henderson (Dick Fleming) b. Carl Jensen (2/3) … William Demetral and Leo Pardello drew (1-1) … Ted Tonneman b. Paul Giedel when the latter could not continue (2-0) (Giedel was unable to continue due to a muscle strain)
Note:  Is the Ernst wrestling Gotch here, Adolph Ernst?  Hackenschmidt did not wrestle because his training partner, Stegemiller, was sick.  The Chicago Daily Tribune stated that “the real reason, however, was said to be a grievance against the club because its members insisted on watching him go through his training stunts.”

Chicago, Illinois:  Friday, April 3, 1908

(Dexter Park Pavilion) … Frank Gotch b. George Hackenschmidt to capture the World Heavyweight Title in the catch-as-catch-can styte (1-0) (Hackenschmidt quit after two-hours and one minute while locked in a submission hold) (Match began at 10:29 p.m.) (Winner receives $6,000, loser receives $4,000) … Americus  b. L. Loudenbach (1:59) … Dick Sorenson b. Ted Tonneman (12:41) … William Demetral b. Mort Henderson (8:10) … Emile Stegemiller failed to throw Henry Ordemann (10:00) … (promoter:  W.W. Wittig) … (referees:  Edward W. Smith, main event, Doc Krone,preliminaries) … (6,000 fans) … (gate:  $44,000)
Notes:  The promoter expected a $40,000 gate.  The promoter’s expenses was $29,000.  Gotch was accompanied by manager Emil Klank, Farmer Burns and Jack Carkeek.  Hackenschmidt was accompanied by Americus and Rudolph Unholz  Gotch was represented by Jack Herman in pre-match negotiations, and a large contingent of people from Humboldt, Iowa attended the match.  Prior to the affair, both C.A. Comiskey and Professor A.A. Stagg of the University of Chicago declined to referee the main event.  Fred Stone, the physical director of the C.A.A. and Jerry Weinholtz, a former instructor of wrestling at the YMCA and the Illinois Athletic Club, were also asked.  Hackenschmidt trained at the Chicago Athletic Association, and Gotch protested Stone being possibly named the referee.

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunday, April 5, 1908

(Tommy Mowatt’s Gymnasium) … Young Gotch b. Young Klank (2-0) … Kid Lee b. Young Clark (2/3) … Tommy Rooney b. Young Ryan (2-0)

Chicago, Illinois:  Saturday, April 11, 1908

(Illinois Athletic Club) … Charles Hackenschmidt b. George Mueller (2-0) (Hackenschmidt was billed as George’s cousin) … Adolph Earnest and Magnus Paulson drew (38:00) … Abraham the Greek b. Fred Carlton (2-0) … (referee:  Dwyer)

Note:  Hackenschmidt was a “cousin” of George, the “Russian Lion.”

*Research by Tim Hornbaker