The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-04
BUTTE'S BIG STATE FAIR
Ample Grounds and Buildings
Will Be Provided.
A TEN YEARS. FRANCHISE
a Meeting Soon to Be Held in Butte to
Arrange the Preliminary Details.
Grounds to the South OF
Butte.

The citizens of Butte are grateful for
in granting a 1o-year franchise to the
State Fair association at Butte. The
| bill originally provided for a 20-year
franchise, but was amended so as to
give this city 10-year trial at the state
| fair business. If successful. it is pro-
| bable that the time will be extended.
| If not, it will have been shown that
| Butte does not want the fair in which
| case some other city may see fit to take
hold of the proposition. AS there was
no dissenting voice raised against the
| passage of the bill it is inferred that the
| entire state is favOrahlN disposed to
| give Butte the big fair
| As announced in the standard at the
time the articles of Incorporation We're
filed, ii is the intention Of the asso
citation to provide ample grounds and
buildings for the conducting of a state
fair in all it's details. There are to be
all the buildings usually found at big
state fairs, machinery halls, ant build
ings, women's buildings exhibit halls
and the like. bicycle and horse racing
tracks, baseball and football grounds,
parks. pavilion, boulevards. in fact
everything which enters into the make
up of first-class fair grounds.
There is to-day absolutely no detail
completed in so faras material cOnstruC-
ton is concerned. The first step in this
direction will be taken AT a meeting
of the association to be held in Butte
within a very few days. The main
grounds have only been looked at from
a distance. They will in all probability
he situated south of Butte.
1t is the plan to consult the leading
business men of the city with regard to
that part of the enterprise most essen
tial to the accomplishment Of the pur-
pose-money, After this is arranged,
then a local board of directors will be
formed. after which organization will be
effected with president secretary,
treasurer and wire presidents. one to be
selected from each county in the state.
such officials to make up the board of
trustees.
While it all looks easy at a superficial
glance, the incorporators appreciate the
vastness and Importance of the under
taking. There is much to be done in
a strictly preliminary way. and in order
to start the ball rolling an early meet
ing is to be called.
There will probably be brought to ma
terialization a scheme which has met
favor in this city for several summers
"a driveway or boulevard. not a pre-
tense. but an actualty-a speedway that
is a speedway for drivers and Wheel
men. There maybe at frequent inter
walls electric lights. SO that pleasure
may be derived therefrom Of nights as
well as of days. At the grounds
large artificial lake lakes its place among
the probable features. There will be
on this lake, which may be a quarter
of a mile long, a large number of row
boats. maybe a steam launch or two.
With the machinery hall will be con-
nected electric wires coming from one
of the big power schemes nearing COM
pletion not far from Butte.
Another chapter of the well founded
supposition includes a double track
electric line from Butte to the grounds
this line to run parallel With the drive
way. 1t is also suggested that two or
three of the railroads run loops to the
grounds.
1t is estimated that $4,000 will be re-
CURED for a starter. There are men
in this city who say they are convinced
that that amount will be raised without
as much as an effort They said this
yesterday. They also said that it would
be just after the frost leaves the ground
when dirt begins to fly at the new
Montana state fair grounds at Butte.
Tt will probably be decided at the
meeting to send a delegate to one of
the successful state fair grounds not
far from Montana for the purpose of
collecting valuable data and informa-
ton bearing on the conduct Of such as
sociations.