The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-06
OLD TROTTIyG TRACKS.
The Munjey, Forest City and Pre-.
sumpScot Courses.
WHEN THE STATE FAIR CAME HERE
III PROSPERED.


-One of DIR. G. III. Bailey's Early Races
General Mcclellan Attends the State Fair
The Bad Luck of Presumpscot Park.
In 1859, for the accommodation of the
State Fair, a half mile track was graded
in large field on Munjoy Hill on the
site of the present location of the large
reservoir of the Portland Water Com
pany. 1t was enclosed in suitable stalls
built for horses. cattle and other farm
stock. The weather was fine, the
grounds pleasant and convenient, and
highly successful fairs resulted. AS
matter of fact all the State Fairs held in
Portland were successful. The society
before it settled down at Lewiston used
to alternate between this city, Augusta
and Bangor. They would frequently
come here some thousands of dollars in
debt, but would go away with few
thousands in the treasury. This Munjoy
Hill track required considerable grading
and the home stretch was little down
hill with corresponding rise up the
back side, which ran along parallel with
Washington street, and perhaps IS or 50
feet above it. Notwithstanding the rise
and descent and two rather abrupt turns.
very good time could be made upon it.
A Drew horse from Bangor-Hiram
Drew, jr., as near as recollected-won
the sweepstakes and got in heat as low
as 2.27. Rosa Bonheur, the property of
the late John Stimson of Alfred, did
some fast trotting, and won two or more
purses during the week. Mr.. Hall G
Burleigh, now the prominent cattle breed
Ell, was then much interested in horses
and had fine stud of horses at this 1859
fair. Grin NJ. Shaw, then proprietor of
the Bangor House, had quite string of
trotters from his stable. 1t was the
only event of any prominence for which
this track was ever used. A cave-in and
wash-out on the Washington street side
ended its brief career for racing pur-
poses, but some of the outlines of its
earth work are still in existence, despite
the wonderful marks of improvement in
that locality.
The Forest City Park.
The great civil war burst upon the
country in 1861 and the people were so
engrossed in the stirring scenes at the
front, filling the numerous calls of
Father Abraham for three hun
dred thousand more that they had
little use for sports and race tracks
were only thought of as availa-
BILE positions for military camps.
Fairs and festivities were generally sus-
pended throughout the country. The
war over, Portland once more gave some
of her attention to amusements and rec
reation of the people in the way of horse
racing, and the encouragement of gentle
men who had invested their time and
money in the improving of the breeding
/ of horses in Maine. And it was to the
early and persistent effort of these pio-
neersthat Maine stands to-day, with her
small population, the third in the whole
country in raising fast trotters.
Soon after the close of the war in 1865
a number of gentlemen of means and
good standing secured sizeable field
known as the Thompson field, from the
fact that it had been owned for many
years by Mr.. Thompson man largely
engaged in the business of butcher and
packer, and a man of rare merit.
Through the effort of his son George and
son-in-law Mr.. Fowler very favorable
terms were made; and the result was
that a half-mile track was graded and
enclosed in ''Libbytown,' now a short
distance beyond the Union railroad
station.
This track, so contiguous to the city,
became quite popular with the populace.
Considerable money was spent upon it's
construction and it was fast track for a
good horse for one race at least But
the sub soil was of that heavy blue clay,
of such material as our bricks are made
of, and put on what surface soil you
might, it would soon pound down and be
hard and wavy.
During the period of dozen years or
more many noted events occurred on
this Forest City course. Races were
frequent and well patronized by Boston
horses like Sorrel Dan, owned by Dan
Morris; Bill Mailman, controlled by
Mike Carroll, Careless Boy, OF. early
sporting fame connection with "Cocky''
Woods. 1t was hete that the Boston
party got left in all attempt to beat
Little Fred, Ash Savage's reliable trot-
ter and the best gambling horse in
existence at the time, meaning that the
spectators could buy the horse in pool
and neither Little Fred nor Ash Say
age would go back upon them if speed
endurance and honest driving could pre-
vent 1t was in joint effort to beat
Little Fred by two Boston horses that
Wellman had to trot so fast to win the
heat that, by an accident in jogging to-
wards his stall he broke his leg, by
stepping in one of the indentations in
the track. 1t was very unfortunate for
the horse; but he was placed in sings.
the leg set, and the horse saved for stock
purposes. 1t was by this accident that
some of the best blood of the famous
George NJ. Patchen came to be represent
ed in this section by many worthy and
fast horses like Tom Patchen Jr. 81.