Chicago Mayor DeWitt Cregier Agitates for a World’s Fair

DeWitt Clinton Cregier (June 1, 1829 - November 9, 1898) was Chicago’s 31st mayor--serving from 1889 to 1891--and the first of several “World’s Fair” mayors. “The New York Orphan Who Built Chicago,” Cregier got the ball rolling only a few months into his term by organizing the civic meeting to build the proposal for Chicago to host the Columbian Exposition. The article reprinted below, from The Illustrated World’s Fair, December 1891, p. 15, describes Mayor Cregier’s role in the [...]

By |2018-11-25T10:48:27-06:00November 9th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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What was Chicago’s official color for the Columbian Exposition?

Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his Cherokee red, and Maxfield Parrish had his own blue. Diana Vreeland was known for wearing red, and Shelby Latcherie’s colors were "blush" and "bashful" (a.k.a “pink” and “pink”). Icons often have a signature color. In October of 1892, Chicago excitedly prepared for her coming out ball. The world soon would arrive to see the Fair, and downtown businessmen decided to decorate their city for the occasion. Chicago needed a signature color. An object [...]

By |2022-04-29T18:39:49-05:00October 21st, 2018|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Happy National Ferris Wheel Day!

Up 'n' down Ferris wheel Tell me how does it feel To be so high Looking down here. -- Norah Jones "Carnival Town" Grab a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses, because today is ... National Ferris Wheel Day! This annual celebration honors the anniversary of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.’s birth on February 14, 1859, in Galesburg, Illinois. Ferris, of course, was the engineer who invented the biggest attraction of the 1893 World’s Fair. More than 1.4 [...]

By |2018-03-11T10:14:17-05:00February 14th, 2018|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: , , , |0 Comments
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West Point Cadets’ Encampment on the Fairgrounds

In honor of Veteran’s Day, let’s look back to the summer of 1893, when the 300 young soldiers camped on the grounds of the World’s Fair in Chicago. The West Point Cadets traveled to the Columbian Exposition by train from their home on the Hudson, pulling into Terminal Station in Jackson Park at noon on August 18. Crowds gathered to watch the troops assemble in the plaza. “The battalion was in full dress,” reported the Chicago Tribune, “and with [...]

By |2018-03-11T10:16:08-05:00November 10th, 2017|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments
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From the Emerald City to the White City

Having been a devoted L. Frank Baum enthusiast for decades, I developed a keen interest in learning more about his life and times upon moving to Chicago in the summer of 2003. The author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz provided the invitation to explore the history of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Many sources have offered commentary—ranging from the factual to the fanciful—on Baum’s connections to the Columbian Exposition, and I anticipate contributing additional thoughts on that [...]

By |2022-03-05T09:52:54-06:00September 4th, 2017|Categories: ABOUT, STICK|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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