“In 1893, 27 million people from around the world visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago’s Jackson Park. The gleaming fairgrounds, nicknamed the ‘White City,’ were adorned with neoclassical buildings, lush gardens, elegant promenades, and diverse pavilions representing 46 countries.
“‘It was a very formal showcase,’ Tim Samuelson, cultural historian for the City of Chicago, told Chicago Stories.
“And then there was the Midway Plaisance, a narrow, mile-long stretch of land that jutted out from the main fairgrounds of the World’s Fair. It was far less formal, emphasizing the immersive experience and ‘showbiz’-style of entertainment as opposed to the elegant, educational aura of the main fairgrounds.
“‘The main part of the Colombian Exposition was there to impress,’ Samuelson said. ‘You could go to the Midway, and you could just let loose. There’s a little bit of voyeurism in some of it. There’s a little bit of a salacious nature to it. There is a little bit of something for everybody.’
“The Midway Plaisance, which was full of ‘crazy, corny things you wouldn’t even imagine,’ Samuelson said, would set a new precedent for the modern American amusement park.
“The Midway Plaisance was certainly full of action. Originally, the plans called for the Midway to be a place of ‘serious anthropological study,’ Samuelson said. ‘Well, it didn’t turn out that way.’
“Samuelson said it’s hard to categorize what exactly the Midway was. It was a ‘zone for entertainment,’ had a small number of rides and attractions, shopping, food, entertainment, and plenty of spectacles, surprises, and oddities. Fairgoers were able to throw a baseball to knock over pins, kiss a piece of the Blarney stone, or purchase Venetian glass. Samuelson said there was a section of the Midway that recreated an entire street in Cairo using parts of buildings and windows from real places in the Egyptian city. Merchants set up shop along the street and sold goods. ‘It actually looked very convincing,’ Samuelson said. There were also strange things such as the ‘Submarine Village.’
“‘You looked into a giant tank, and there were men underwater in diving suits. They were doing things like sawing wood underwater,’ Samuelson said. ‘You could actually throw money into the tank for them to show your appreciation, and they would hold up a chalkboard that said, ‘Thank you.’
“While there weren’t the kinds of rides amusement-park goers would expect today, visitors to the Midway could also hitch a ride on the “captive balloon,” which was basically a hot air balloon tethered to the ground that allowed people to float up to see the view of the fairgrounds. (It unfortunately was damaged in a gusty storm and was removed.) But no view was more spectacular – or thrilling – than the one from the showstopper of the Midway: the world’s first Ferris wheel.
“The Ferris wheel, designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., was intended to be the icon of the fair, said Futrell, and to compete with the Eiffel Tower, which debuted at the 1889 Paris Exposition. But this Ferris wheel wasn’t your run-of-the-mill wheel with small, two-seater chairs. Each of the 36 cars on the 264-foot-tall wheel was the size of a streetcar that could accommodate up to 60 people.” (Chicago Stories, WTTW Chicago)