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the closing of its doors, one of Kansas City's well known hotels passes into history. The old Midland was not a home for Kansas City people, but for twenty years it has been the stopping place of many of the notable visitors to the city, the headquarters of the politicians who made parlor "S" famous for political gatherings, the Western stockmen and a favorite meeting place for conventions. It was in the old Midland that Elihu Root, the Secretary of State and E. H. Harriman came right up to the verge of a clash over the Roosevelt policies during a banquet of the Commercial club.

The newspapers in Kansas City, in the summer of 1871, began to urge the establishment of an industrial exposition. The public favored the idea, and a company was organized to give an experimental exposition in the fall of that year. The fair was held and was regarded as highly successful. Tremendous enthusiasm attended the opening of the exposition in the fall of 1871, when for the first time the products of the adjacent country were brought together in one display. From 1871 to 1893, Kansas City had a fair regularly every autumn.

It was the original plan of the Industrial Exposition association organized in 1871, to have no exposition grounds, but to display the exhibits in different parts of the city. There were to be booths in the courthouse for the light machinery and smaller exhibits, horses and mules were to be shown on the public square, the cattle market was to be situated in the West bottoms, the speed trials in the driving park in McGee's addition, and a special building was to be erected for the agricultural implements and heavy machinery.

But the directors of the exposition association decided that the exhibits must be grouped, and a site was selected on the McGee farm, bounded by Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Campbell and Cherry streets. Here were erected four temporary structures, an agricultural implement and machinery hall, a fine arts hall, a horticultural building and a main building.

The early fairs and expositions held in Kansas City were of such great public interest that they were given the personal support of almost every one of the inhabitants. Almost the entire population of the city, if reports are correct, witnessed the opening of the first fair, October 16, 1871. The public schools were closed and practically all business was suspended for the day. Almost every house on Main street between Third and Twelfth streets, was decorated. The throng that gathered on Main street early on the morning of the opening day was described as "dense." It was Kansas City's first great gala day. It was estimated that 20,000 persons, half of the population of the city, marched in the parade. Every benevolent society, trades union and military organization in the city was fully represented. The entire fire department "turned out." Local brass bands and bands from

Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley and several neighboring towns headed the various divisions of the parade.

The opening address was delivered by Norman J. Colman of St. Louis. Mayor William Warner of Kansas City and Kersey Coates, president of the exposition company, spoke. These are some of the incidents of the exposition as given in the old Kansas City Times:

"There are many pens for hogs on the grounds and yesterday a huge porker escaped and in his route ran under a lady and triumphantly carried her the distance of some fifteen or twenty yards, apparently well pleased with his burden. Andrew Reno was seated upon the railing at the top of the seats, twenty feet from the ground. A favorite horse took the premium and while vociferously applauding he lost his balance, fell to the ground and broke his shoulder blade; he was from Clinton county. One of the cows, perhaps a little irritated because she failed to get the premium ribbon, on leaving the ring took little Johnnie Bayles on her horns and tossed him a complete somersault; he was more scared than hurt.

The visitors at this early fair seem to have been impressed especially by the exhibits of machinery and farming implements. Sewing machines were not as common then as at a later date, and they attracted attention. A machine that made button holes was an especial object of wonder at the fair of 1871.

The attendance at the fair increased as the week progressed until one day there were 40,000 paid admissions. According to the press reports 1,500 persons came from North Missouri, and on one occasion forty-one persons were seen riding on the roof of a one-horse street car that was constructed to carry only twelve passengers. The principal attractions for the last day of the exposition were a brass band tournament, base ball games, running races a slow mule race and a baby show. Ninety-six infants were entered in the baby show. The prize a baby carriage with satin lining and gold and silver mountings, was awarded to Florence, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Leverige.

The experimental fair of 1871 was a financial success and was highly satisfactory to the residents. The Kansas City Industrial Exposition association was incorporated at once, and obtained a six years' lease on ninety-seven acres, between Twelfth street and Fifteenth street, known as the Evans tract and later called Dundee place. The fair grounds in the fall of 1871 were small and the equipment was inadequate, but there was ample room on the Evans tract for a grand stand that seated 20,000 persons, a circular race track, several large buildings for exhibits and stables and pens for the live stock and poultry.

The new fair grounds were a natural park. The land was rolling and in places was high enough to give a view of the entire enclosure and part of the surrounding country. There was a fine grove of oak trees and blue grass, and wild flowers grew in luxuriance. An old fashioned mansion that stood on the property was used as the administration building. The old homestead had a spacious gallery that was supported by fluted columns and classic Corinthian capitals.

The exposition held in the fall of 1872 in every way surpassed that of the previous year. The exhibits were large and better and the attendance was increased. The prosperity of the exposition attracted the attention of the Jesse James gang of bandits, and on September 26, 1872, occurred the famous robbery of the box office at the fair grounds.

At sundown on the "big Thursday" of exposition week, three masked men mounted on horses rode to the ticket office at the Twelfth street entrance to the grounds. One of the men, said to be Jesse James, dismounted and went to the ticket booth. He "covered" Benjamin Wallace, the ticket seller, with a revolver and took $978 from a tin box. The robbers escaped.

The name of the exposition company was changed in 1873 to the Kansas City Industrial Exposition and Agricultural Fair association. In the fall of 1873, the Farmers' and Cattle Men's convention was held the same week as the exposition and there were daily live stock sales. The premiums amounted to $20,000; an offer of $5,000 was made for the best display of raw cotton. Some of the most noted speed horses in America raced at the exposition in the fall of 1874. The exhibits of farm products, live stock and poultry were especially satisfactory that year. The feature of the exposition held in the fall of 1875 was the visit of Jefferson Davis and his address on agriculture. The distinguished guest was given a public reception at the Coates House. At the exposition grounds he was introduced by Kersey Coates. In the opening remarks of his speech, Mr. Davis said:

"I have heard of the rich country of the Northwest Missouri. I have heard much of your soil, teeming with all that is necessary for the support of man. I have heard of your undeveloped mines, and I have had occasion to know something of your gallant people. But I say to you as the Queen

of Sheba said to the King of Israel-'the half has not been told me.''

There is nothing special to say about the expositions held from 1875 to 1883, except that they were successful. Goldsmith Maid, the trotting mare, made her famous race against time for a purse of $2,000 in 1877. The Kansas City Exposition association became a member of the Great Western Fair and Racing circuit in 1878. The grandstand and the main hall on the exposition grounds were destroyed by fire in 1881, causing a loss of $75,000.

A company known as the Interstate Fair association equipped exposition. grounds in Westport in what is now the Roanoke residence district, and the exhibitions were held there from 1883 to 1886. This land soon became too valuable to be used for expositions and then the fair grounds were established between Twelfth and Fifteenth streets at Kansas avenue. A building modeled after the Crystal Palace in London was projected by James Goodwin as an individual enterprise. After vexatious delays, Goodwin called on the public for money to complete the work and $200,000 was subscribed. The opening was held October 6, 1887.

The exposition building for several years was one of the chief attractions of Kansas City. It had seventeen acres of floor space and 80,000 square feet of glass formed its roof. The cost of the building was $265,000 and the equipment $30,000.

The opening of the fair of 1887 was a brilliant event. There had been nothing in Kansas City to compare with it in public interest since the opening of the first exposition in 1871. Bishop E. R. Hendrix of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, made the invocation, and the principal address was given by Major William Warner. Gilmore's band was one of the features of the exposition. President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland visited the fair and a crowd estimated at 50,000 passed in review before them. Chauncey M. Depew and Cornelius Vanderbilt were other noted visitors.

The numerous special days, such as children's day, Kansas day and Irish day, attracted large crowds. The total attendance was 400,000 and the cash receipts were $60,000. The results of the exposition were very gratifying but the exhibitions held the following years were not so successful. In 1892 the exposition association lost about $12,000 and in the fall of 1893 the last exposition was held in the great "Crystal Palace."

Exposition hall, an empty shell, with most of its 80,000 square feet of glass shattered by hail stones, stood until August 5, 1901, when it was destroyed by fire. A week before it had been announced that dynamite would be used in tearing down the building, but some one thought of a safer method. Fire was discovered in three parts of the building about the same time.

With the inrush of gold seekers, there came to Kansas City traveling shows, gambling devices, shooting galleries and all other amusements that are an adjunct to, and followers of a miscellaneous traveling public. As these conditions passed and Kansas City became more settled, lecture halls were built and the amusements became of a higher type. Debating societies were formed in churches, lecture courses were established, increasing in interest and improving in quality, until the need of a theater for the production of first class plays became apparent.

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