Fun—Parks & Amusements

" INVALUABLE ZEST OF PLAY"

"Is ‘99 or ’00 the end? That’s the question that has set everybody thinking."

On January 1, 1900 this caption accompanied a drawing of Father Time on page 1 of the Chicago Daily Tribune. Whether it was considered a philosophical, metaphysical or mathematical tickler, it appeared in the daily paper that filled an entertainment niche in the days before radio, television or the Internet. The world news informed, society news titillated, and adverts. tempted. In the summer of 1900 the Chicago American, a Hearst newspaper, introduced "comics" as a permanent feature. These were not the standard political or topical illustrations, but humorous drawings peopled with characters such as these appearing under the caption "At the Race Track": two shady fellows talking at a discreet distance from a silhouetted crowd.

"First Crook - ‘What are you doing here, picking winners?

Second Ditto - No; pockets’. ’’

To the great glee of children and the despair of their mothers, the "funnies" were instantly popular, and despite dire predictions to the contrary, did not inspire the young to reckless mayhem.

The comics may have been the first page turned to by some readers, but the sports pages also provided plenty of entertainment. In the summer of 1900, a writer covering the games between the New Yorks vs. Chicago and the Pygmies vs. the Orphans at the West Side ball park noted: "the crowd was not large. The two tedious double headers seemed to have a depressing effect on attendance." Tedious or not, the reading audience was then given an inning by inning, play-by-play description of the ball games. Whether horse racing, bicycle races, or rowing, athletic events of every stripe were accorded the same "color commentary" associated with today’s radio and/or television productions.

As early as 1847 Mayor James Curtiss had recognized the need and value of open public places and recommended the acquisition of "at least one public ground of from 10 to 20 acres" in each division of the city. By 1900, the city was divided into three park districts: the South Park, West Park and Lincoln Park Districts which fulfilled Mayor Curtiss’ inaugural remarks of 1850 when he again promoted public areas that would "beautify and adorn the city; they promote the public health, by inducing open air and recreation and by acting as ventilators in the midst of human lives...". Fifty years after his address, 2,151.49 acres were devoted to public parks and Chicagoans were using them to participate in the kinds of activities that were reported in the sports pages of their newspapers.

The South Park District (Jackson, Washington, Lake and the Midway Plaisance) lured Chicagoans to grounds prepared for golf, tennis, baseball, cricket and football. Boating was available at Washington and Jackson Parks from late April through late October for rates ranging from fifteen cents per hour for a 2 oar boat to twenty five cents per hour for 4 oar boats. For the price of a ten cent ticket, electric launches took day sailors on a 2 mile round trip along the Lake, and charters of the electric boats were available for two dollars per hour. Swells with private boats found anchorage in the basin at Lake Park for everything from row boats and sailing boats to public steamers. The south harbor of Jackson Park moored yachts.

July and August were the months for music in the Parks. In Jackson Park a 10 piece orchestra played every Tuesday and Friday evening. Half of the 11 concerts in Washington Park were in the evening-- the rest, Saturday afternoons. The gardens at the Jackson Park Conservatory and on Wooded Island drew many city dwellers who found joy in the abundance, beauty and variety of the plants.

The conservatories had seasonal displays, those in winter being as inviting as in the summer, but for true winter exhilaration the Parks set aside areas for ice skating ponds. Ten acres in Washington Park and four in Jackson Park were kept ready for use, though the winter of 1900 saw only 30 days of skating. Still, skates could be rented and light refreshments were available in the wooden skating houses erected at the rink sites. Both rinks and houses were well provided with electric lights.

Mayor Carter Harrison II had originally suggested an ice skating program that would provide all children with winter recreation. And so, in addition to the parks, by the winter of 1900, over 60 rinks were established in "practically all of the City Wards." Free use of city water was given for the ponds provided that the rinks were free to everyone. The ponds themselves were located on land donated for their use since small parks and playgrounds were not yet available anywhere in the city.

Advocates for small parks were becoming increasingly vocal particularly in the West Park District. Here were located the densely populated areas of the city. And here a commission had already mapped out desirable sites.

They also urged that areas along the Des Plaines River Valley "which have been endowed by nature with such beauty of scenery as to make them desirable as park lands" be purchased. Once acquired they would be preserved to retain their natural beauty. This land had also been designated by the commission. It would now be up to the city to urge the state to extend the jurisdiction of the west Park Commissioners and so allow them to pursue their plans. In later years this land would form the basis of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

The West Chicago Park Commission had Union Park, Humboldt, Garfield, Jefferson and Douglas parks under its jurisdiction, along with four smaller parks. Playing fields similar to those in the South Parks were available for athletic activities. As in the South Parks, summer included music. One evening concert per week was held at the Garfield Park band stand; both Douglas and Humboldt Parks held Sunday afternoon concerts, catering to the needs of the laboring class families who frequented them. Douglas and Humboldt Parks also had lakes for boating although in 1900 complaints were raised regarding the high charges for boating privileges. That, along with charges imposed by lessees for use of the refectory buildings, created enough discord among the body politic that the West Park Commissioners halved the boat fees and rearranged the refectory to allow free enjoyment of the main floor by park patrons. The gymnasium was free to athletes, but excessive patronage of the natatorium (swimming pool) led to the imposition of a nominal fee to insure proper regulation.

The Park Districts also controlled the boulevard system in Chicago which when completed would form an approximately 20 mile chain of Parks and boulevards, an "oasis of green" forming a semi circle of the city. Jackson Park and Washington Park boulevards were connected to the West Chicago Parks: Humboldt, Garfield and Douglas. This system was planned to connect to the boulevards of Lincoln Park at the North Branch of the Chicago River and then east to the Lake.

Lincoln Park’s boulevards were not yet completed in 1900, but the Lincoln Park Commissioners were working toward that. With lawn tennis and horse back riding, boating, athletic fields, bathing beaches, gardens and the conservatory, and more, Lincoln Park served the residents of the City’s north district. It also had one feature unique to it...the Zoo! Since its establishment in 1868 the Zoo was the highlight of a trip to the Park. By 1900 more substantial interior and exterior cages had been added to the large animal house. Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and hyenas moved freely between the inside and outside cages. Small animals and birds were accommodated in a like fashion in the new small mammal house, while substantial fences kept buffalo in and spectators out. Deer, elk, and the ducks in their pond were similarly protected. Duchess the elephant had a new summer shelter by 1900 from which she could receive the adulation of her legions of fans or turn her considerable bulk away from them. In caring for these animals or the pheasants, yak, kangaroos, camels or zebra, the Lincoln Park Zoo boasted some of the "most advanced and successful ideas in the care of wild animals."

To maintain order in the Parks and on the boulevards, as well as to assist visitors, the Park systems maintained their own police forces. These uniformed officers patrolled the parks and boulevards, giving directions, looking after lost babies, discouraging youthful assaults on the flower beds and small animals, and enforcing bicycle speed regulations. They were also empowered to make arrests for more serious offenses.

For those fortunate enough to be within walking distance of the parks, or to have a bicycle or the carfare to get to them, opportunities for fun at little if any cost were boundless. For yet others, the parks were a rare treat; while for the poor, alleys and streets were their playgrounds. Mayor Carter Harrison remarked on this predicament in his annual message in 1900. Referring to the children growing up in the congested wards along the river he said "the cry for more humane treatment of the City’s youth is more insistent today than ever before." He believed it "common sense that by providing breathing spots and recreation grounds, a long step will be taken toward reducing the number of youthful criminals." In a strongly worded plea for permanent parks and playgrounds he referred to them as "breathing spots...where the young and old might flock for rest and recreation."

The City’s school administrators also recognized the need for recreational opportunities for children. In April 1900, the School Board resolved "hereafter no school building be erected unless suitable ground is acquired and provision made for play grounds in connection with same." The School Superintendent noted in his 1900 report "outdoor exercises should be indulged in as often as possible, partly for the benefit of fresh air and partly to secure the invaluable zest for play. To perfect this zest of play, games, duly regulated, are not only admissible but desirable."

The 1900 Proceedings of the Board of Education recorded requests by individual schools to open their gymnasiums for the use of residents of the community. Lake View High School sought permission to use its’ lunchroom for basketball games, and elementary schools opened school yards to ball games during summer months ---"providing that the boys agree to pay for all broken glass."

Vacation schools were opened at some schools, and music, art, sewing, manual training and excursions enriched children’s lives. The excursions took boys and girls to parks, natatoriums, lake ports, etc.--- wonderful, exotic places that kept them, at least for a few hours a day "from the evil influences of the street."

The Board of Education also presented a series of informative and entertaining lectures at various public schools. Designated the Ryder Fund Lectures, they were held in those parts of the city where such events were rare. According to Superintendent of Schools E. Benjamin Andrews, all were very well attended. A series of eight free lectures were also held at other city schools before large audiences (for example an average of 1,000 at Von Humboldt School; 800 at Lake View; 700 at McCosh 650 at Bismarck; 600 at Charles Kozminski ). The topics were as interesting and diverse as the people who delivered them. Jane Addams discussed Russia and Tolstoi [sic.]; Loredo Taft, talked about "Sculpture at the Art Institute; Francis W. Parker, "A Trip to Hawaii"; Dr. W. A. Evans, "Tuberculosis ---Its Causes, Prevalence and Prevention; Isham Randolph (Chief Engineer, Sanitary District of Chicago) "The Sanitary Canal of Chicago ---Its Purpose and Execution; and Prof. Elmer S. Riggs from the Field Columbian Museum, "Extinct Monsters of North America".

As a public institution supported by local taxes, the mission of the Chicago Public Library was to meet the demands of its diversified users with "works of imagination" as well as scholarly material. The Library had moved four times since its establishment in 1873. By 1900  it was settling into its new home, built on the site of the old Dearborn Park between Michigan Avenue and Garland Court, and Randolph and Washington Streets. The initial collection of 7,000 books contributed to the City by authors, publishers, and scientific and literary institutions of Great Britain after the Great Fire had grown considerably by the turn of the century and reflected the reading tastes of the many ethnic groups living in Chicago. There were no branch libraries yet, but delivery stations were established to reach readers in the more remote sections of the city. These stations were located in small shops and were serviced by the shop keepers who were paid by the Library for those services. Borrowers ordered their books, the orders were filled at the Library, sent to the stations in daily deliveries and finally returned the same way. New cards were also issued. This service which stretched from Rogers Park to South Chicago to Austin was entirely free to card holders. Reading rooms were also conveniently located, usually in small stores.

After the new Library building was completed, budget constraints affected the ability of Library personnel to buy books, to maintain the delivery stations, reading rooms, and Library hours of service. Library staff was cut. This problem would reach its low point in 1902 when the Library faced an almost bankrupt condition. Still in 1900, people from all walks of life and in every section of the city could enrich their lives through books. Although limited to one book per card, readers were not discouraged from using the cards of friends or relations to take out more than one book at a time. (The caveat was, of course, that the borrower would be responsible for all books checked out.) Because literature and novels were purchased in the languages of many of the major ethnic groups living in Chicago, proficiency in the English language was not necessary. City residents all had an opportunity to discover that "a good book is the best of friends, the same today and for ever."

There were many fine cultural institutions in the city in 1900. The Art Institute, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Crerar Library, the Field Columbian Museum, the Newberry Library, the Chicago Opera, the Chicago Historical Society and the Chicago Academy of Sciences were available to the public. The Auditorium building was the site chosen for much of the cultural life of the city. While these institutions were open to all Chicagoans, most appealed to an "established taste". And certainly, those who lived n the crowded and poorer sections of Chicago seldom, if ever, attended. Instead, many looked to neighborhood fraternal organizations, singing societies, religious institutions, mutual aid societies, and local political organizations which for them, held ties of "custom and family". There were more than 6,000 societies in the city at the turn of the century. Whether organized to keep alive memories of the fatherland or to provide comfort and help in a new land, they played an important role in the lives of Chicagoans and a chance for fun.

Neighborhood societies often met at the local saloon where the proprietor himself was frequently a member. Taverns were not all dens of vice and iniquity. In 1900 Chicago had 6,395 licensed retail saloons. Many had accommodations for dancing parties and lodge meetings. Some had restaurant departments attached. Lange’s Pavilion at 445 Milwaukee Avenue (1896) advertised itself as a "family resort with a music pavilion where vocal and instrumental musical entertainments are given in connection with a vaudeville stage." Engel’s Opera Pavilion at 463-65 E. Clark Street also featured the music of a 12 piece orchestra, appearing nightly. Mr. Engel assured the public that it was "strictly high-toned...no ladies need blush". Other establishments catered only to men. Patrick Daly then at 1600 S. State Street probably did not blush when he advertised that "a woman shall never be allowed in his place - neither will he permit a disreputable character to frequent the premises." Other taverns catered to Scandinavian working men, to the Irish, to Germans, to Italians. They catered to singing societies, to businessmen and sportsmen (the owner frequently being an acknowledged expert in a particular sport from horse racing to dog breeding, to bowling).

And has there ever been a Chicagoan surprised to learn that politicians frequently had connections to saloons? Two names that have a familiar ring were connected with the profession around 1900; J.J. Cullerton, a brother to Alderman Edward F. Cullerton, kept an establishment at 889 Ogden Avenue. Alderman Edward P. Burke, alderman of the 5^th Ward for 5 terms beginning in 1880 kept a place at 838 35^th Street with a hall above, which according to an 1896 blurb, was used for lodge meetings and frequented by politicians and businessmen. Whether in the business district downtown, the neighborhoods, near the parks or the factories, for good or bad, taverns offered some form of respite, and an opportunity for "gemutlichkeit" to all classes.

Vaudeville and musical performances were often staged at taverns equipped with stages. They were also performed in downtown and neighborhood theaters, such as the Dearborn, the Great Northern, the McVickers, and the Bijou. Acts like Carrington and Holland and Baby Olivette joined the Geraldine Sisters on stage every evening, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays during their run at the Chicago Opera House in the summer of 1900. Chicagoans enjoyed the acts, spending anywhere from ten cents for balcony seating to thirty cents for the main floor front and center. Melodramas also drew audiences for similar ticket prices. Fans could follow the personal achievements and disappointments of their favorite performers through newspaper articles, which kept track of marriages, divorces, and deaths.

Ten cents also paid the fare (including transfer) on the trolley car that took one to "Chicago’s beauty spots..." outside the city limits. Advertisements in the newspapers lured the weary or anyone else who might "wish to mingle with humanity, commune with nature, breathe fresh air...Go to Lyons today". Directions were always included, in this case for the Odgen Avenue Trolley Car Line. Mackinac Island and Escanaba in Michigan were other summertime destinations for those who could manage  $13.00 per person for a four day Lake trip, meals and berths included.