Vigo County Historical Society

1893 Chicago exposition was largest of its kind

Books relate magic of great fair

"Midway Magic--1893" is the theme of the Vigo County Historical Society’s summer celebration. Those who attend will be transported to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Although several World’s Fairs had been conducted before the Chicago Exposition, this one was special in several ways. It was larger than any previous fair, and the special attraction was a giant Ferris wheel included in the Midway Pleasance. From the top of the wheel, the visitor would get a magnificent view, not only of the exposition, but also of the City of Chicago and the lakefront. The Paris Exposition had featured a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Now, the Ferris wheel gave the occupants of the cars a moving panorama in a 20-minute ride.

The museum has in its collection a beautiful two-volume pictorial story of the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. The books are quite large, much too large for hand-held reading. Each book is 12- by 16-inches and a good 2 inches thick. They were compiled by Hubert Howe Bancroft and published by the Bancroft Company of Chicago in late 1893.

The pages are filled with literally hundreds of photographs beginning with the earliest of the planning stages. There are pictures of building under construction, the assembling of the many displays and foreign villages, the people who worked at the fair, and finally, the people who attended the fair.

Every facet of the exposition is covered by pictures and narrative. One thousand pages of information are beautifully bound in brown leather and decorated with gold embossed lettering.

The introductory page reads: "These books are designed to set forth the Display made by the Congress of Nations of Human Achievement in Material Form so as more Effectually to illustrate the Progress of Mankind in all the Departments of Civilized Life."

When Chicago was chosen as the site for the Exposition, there were certain requirements that had to be met. It was to be a celebration dedicated to the great navigator, Columbus, and a large statue of him would greet the visitors near the entrance. The purpose of the fair was to give instruction rather than amusement, but instruction conveyed in its most attractive form.

The Chicago committee had to select a site which "if at all possible, should be on the shore of the lake, in a location not far distant from the business center of Chicago, easy of access by land and water, and yet not intersected by streets or railroads. It must afford space, without crowding, for a group of edifices much larger in size and number than those of any former international exposition."

The site finally selected was in a section of the southern park system known as Jackson Park. The original choice was an almost triangular piece of land of 546 acres and stretching for a mile and a half along the shores of Lake Michigan.

More acreage was added as the building progressed. Many buildings were constructed to house the thousands of displays. The largest was the Manufacturer’s Building which covered a surface of more than 40 acres.

The Ferris wheel mentioned earlier was a great attraction. It was named in honor of the inventor, G.W.G. Ferris, a Pittsburgh engineer, whose specialty was bridges. It rose to a height of 260 feet and consisted of 36 cars which carried the passengers around and to the top. At night it was indeed a beautiful sight ablaze with 2,500 lights. The wheel was built and installed at a total cost of $100,000.

An average daily attendance of 50,000 had been anticipated. The daily returns showed an average of 154,000. During the 170 days the fair gates were open, 27,529,400 persons were admitted.

During the first month and a half the admissions were almost restricted to the people of Chicago, but then the attendance increased and those who came from a distance took back such glowing reports that the range of visitors widened to include people from all around the world.

Books which tell the story of this exciting event and the various souvenirs brought home by those who went are all that remain for us today. The first World’s Fair was held in London in 1851 and others followed every few years in large cities around the world. We have had several fairs since the Chicago 1893 Exposition, but it remains as one of the most memorable.