“On its 125th birthday, what’s left from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition?” asked the Chicago Sun-Times this week.
They note four remnants: the Palace of Fine Arts (rebuilt and now the Museum of Science and Industry); the Wooded Island; an original ticket booth now standing in Oak Park; and the 1918 “Golden Lady” statue, which is a reduced replica of the original 65-foot “Big Mary” Statue of the Republic. Their map of Jackson Park, allowing you to slide between 1893 and 2018, is a fun feature.
There are many more vestiges of the 1893 World’s Fair—big and small—scattered around Chicagoland and the world. We are working to create an inventory of them and add them to our map of WCE sites to see. Artifacts of the great Chicago fair include the original the restored Viking Ship in Geneva, Illinois, the Pabst Pavilion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Maine State Building re-erected in Poland Springs, Maine.
Maybe the greatest vestige of the fair is the enduring interest?
Great point. (P.S. If that is NOT your real name, it should be!)
The site listed on the map as the location of the Statue of the Republic is incorrect; this is the location of the Administration Building. The Statue was at the opposite end near the lake shore.
popblackmamba
The map image is from the original Chicago Sun-Times article and shows the location of the Statue of the Republic reproduction that currently stands at the intersection of S. Richards Drive and E. Hayes Drive. As you pointed out, the original Statue of the Republic stood further east, until it was destroyed on August 28, 1893 [see https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/2021/08/28/death-of-the-republic-the-fiery-end-to-the-golden-colossus-of-the-1893-worlds-fair/%5D. We are adding maps of buildings and sculptures to our website at https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/home/fair/fairgrounds/.
The first time I saw this
The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair brings for some, only one concept to remember – the Arabian horses sent by Turkey. They were supposed to be sent back after the fair was over, but the Chicago loan sharks got ahold of the company. Charged exorbitant interest on loans they didn’t even need. In the end, everything the Hamidie Society owned was seized and sold at auction, including the horses. This had huge effect on the breed. *Nejdme was the best, and her descent still exists today. Those interested in the Arabian horse came from the US and all over the world to the fair. The Rev. Vidal from England, also Christobal Colon, the last direct descent of Columbus. Henry Babson worked at the fair, and later made his own importation of Arabian horses from Egypt. The famous cartoonist Homer Davenport saw the Hamidie Arabian horses parade down Michigan Avenue and put aside his job to follow them to the fairgrounds. He vowed to go the desert to import the finest, and he accomplished that. The famed Kellogg Ranch of W.K. Kellogg was started with Davenport Arabians, and many a movie star had their picture taken with a Kellogg horse. If it were not for the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair that gathered together Movers and Shakers, the Arabian horse just might look very different today. Cass Ole the main star of the movie “The Black Stallion” has several Davenpor ancestors.