By Barbara Schock
On April 27, 1900, the
Republican-Register reported plans for celebrating
the Fourth of July at the Galesburg Driving Park
on Grand Avenue were being prepared. There would
be a full card of running, pacing and trotting
horses as well as bicycle races. In addition,
there would be “guideless races” in which the
horses ran without drivers or riders.
On
the Fourth, the day’s program started at 12:30
with a horse show including “all sorts of
stallions, standard bred two-year-old horses,
coachers, draft horses, thoroughbreds, saddle
horses, road teams, single drivers and draft
teams.”
There
was also an exhibition of horses and an elk diving
from a platform into a pool of water. A platform
forty feet high had been erected and a hole eleven
feet deep had been dug and filled with water. The
diving horses were named Powderface and Cupid.
They walked up a ramp to the platform and jumped
off at the word of their owner. As soon as they
were out of the water, the horses nuzzled their
trainer for some sugar which they knew was due
them.
Old
Charley, the elk, wasn’t so eager to jump off the
platform which caused much laughter in the
audience. He eventually made the dive after a
great deal of coaching.
There
track was formerly known as the Williams Track. On
July 4th, 1900, it was formally
rededicated as the speedway of the Galesburg
Driving Association. The races were very good and
fast and some of the finishes were close so the
crowd enjoyed itself immensely. It was estimated
two thousand people were in attendance.
The day was hot, but there was
a cooling breeze at the racetrack. Lemonade and
popcorn sellers had a good business.
Of
course, there was noise. It started early on the
morning of the Fourth and didn’t end until the
following morning. Pistols, firecrackers and
miniature cannons kept up a constant racket.
As
usual, there were a number of accidents in the
city resulting from the use of fireworks and gun
powder. There were burns to faces and hands as
well as pellets to be picked out of human flesh by
a doctor. Several of the incidents were due to
poorly manufactured fireworks, but others were due
to careless handling of explosive materials.
The
C.B. & Q.
Railroad announced it had carried more than
two thousand passengers to and from Galesburg on
the Fourth. There were celebrations in neighboring
towns as well. Individuals and families traveled
to and from Galesburg to visit and enjoy the
holiday. It was a good business day for the
railroad.
Carl
Sandburg was off somewhere in Bureau County
selling stereoscopic views.
 |
|
Date |
Title |
|
July 1, 2013 |
Galesburg's Fourth |
|
June 24, 2013 |
John H. Finley |
|
June 17, 2013 |
The World's Columbian Exhibition |
|
June 10, 2013 |
Fruit Short-Cake |
|
June 3, 2013 |
Horatio Alger, Author |
|
May 27, 2013 |
Memorial Day, 1887 |
|
May 20, 2013 |
Professor Jon W. Grubb |
|
May 13, 2013 |
Beginnings of Lombard University |
|
May 6, 2013 |
Young Sandburg’s View of
Lombard College |
|
April 29, 2013 |
Thinking |
|
April 22, 2013 |
Robert Colville, Master Mechanic |
|
April 15, 2013 |
The Galesburg Opera House |
|
April 8, 2013 |
Grocery Stores and Sample Rooms |
|
April 1, 2013 |
A Hearty Breakfast |
|
March 25, 2013 |
The Lost Wallpaper Legend |
|
March 18, 2013 |
Martin G. Sandburg |
|
March 4, 2013 |
The Edison Talking Machine |
|
February 25, 2013 |
Joe Elser, Civil War Veteran |
|
February 18, 2013 |
Remember the Maine... |
|
February 11, 2013 |
Lincoln's Birthday |
|
February 4, 2013 |
Curiosity |
