The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-22
HIT THE TRAIL IS
PORTLAND SLOGAN
Many Wonders Will be offered
the Public
HAS A UNIQUE SETTING
Trail VIII Be built Over Water and
Speciality viii Be Made of
Aquatic NoveIties-Work
Is Progressing.
HAS A UNIQUE SETTING
BY w. e BRlNDLEY.

Portland Oregon, January N.-(Spec-
aD.-"Hit the Trail" Hit the Trail!'
Us coloqulal rlangy IL you will, but
it's catchy isn't It? It's the slogan of the
Lewis and Clark Exposition, which will
open It's gates to the public on June
next. You took in the Midway at
Chicago; you went down" the pike at
St. LOUIS you will "hit the trail at Port
land. And If you enjoyed taking in the
Midway and going down the pike, you
will enjoy hitting the trail. ror at the
Western Worlds Fair there will be found
the amusements that were most popular
at earlier expositlons, and many entire
ly new ones created especially for the
Trail.
That peculiar thing call-d the public"
has set the seal Of it's approval on shows
of the kind that are found on the mid
ways and pixies and trails. Hence the
shows. You and l. and the rest of the
good people, will probab talk TO our
sons and daughters and wives about the
fooishness of spending good money to
see shows that arnt worth the money.
We may even discourse in the learned
terms we have acquired from books, or
in the platitudes we have heard at church
of the evil effect of such entertainments
upon the susceptible minds of the young.
But way down deep in our hearts we
like EN-. And that ends it. When we
come to the fair we win spend about half
our time on it's midway or pike or trail,
and scatter dimes and quarters and half
dollars with a recklessnes that we would
not have dreamed of at home. And pos
sibly-yes, probably-if there was to be
no amusement street at the fair many of
us would decide not to CO.
Amusement Street Added.
IT was with a view to these facts that
the managers of the Lewis and Clark
Centennial decided to add an amusement
street to the many attractions of the fair
At the same time they decided to limit
the attractions to the legitimate, curb in
those that might otherwise me made OBJ
jectionable, and give Inc people shows
that would be worth the money charged
for them They put in charge John A.
Wakefield, giving him the title of direc-
tor of concessions and administrations.
Mr.. Wakefield has had unrivaled exper-
fence as secretary of the Ohaha EXPOSE
ton, manager of an important conces-
sions at the Pan-American Exposition,
and chief of the department of conces-
siuns at the st. Louis Worlds Fair. Mr..
Wakefield has spent several months In
st. Louis. securing the best of the shows
which made the Pike famous.
For it's amusement street the managers
of the Lewis and Clark Centennial have
chosen setting entirely unique in ex-
position history, a setting not possible at
other worlds fairs. The trail will be
located on the Bridge of Nations. which
spans two thousand feet of water and
connects the mainland with the Govern
ment Peninsula in the center of Guilds
Lake. The mainland end of the bridge
has been built $50 feet wide for n distance
of 500 feet. On this wide bridge will be
located the principal shows. which will
occupy a strip forty feet w4de on each
side of the seventy-foo avenr5. Natural
ly with such a setting. part.-Ilar atten-
ton will be given to aquatic features, and
the circumstance of the trail being sur
rounded with water will be made the
most of.
Has Attractive Setting.
In this attractive setting, with the foot
hills of the Cascades clustering near, and
several of the tallest peaks of that mighty
range in the distance. will be located the
'foollshness exhibit at the fair. Here,
with the waters of the lake. and the sur
rounding hills, echoing their cries, eager
barkers. clad in the fantastic garbe of
| the orient, will fill the air with a medley
| of strange sounds, while jostlng throng
| crowds the space between the show, and
| the myriads e vari-colored electric
| lights cast strange shadows and give
| to the spectacle a weird, fantastic air. To
| the trail will come the hard-handed.
| close listed tiller of the soil. clinging to
| his solitary ten-cent piece and moving
| from show to show until he has heard the
bankers of all of them and seen a part of
many, while he still held close to the
| dime Here, too, will be the girl who
| chews gum and wears a last winter S
| boa regardless of the weather; the col
| lege boy in his "rah-rah" clothes, the
school marin and professor looking for
something enlightening, and the business
man, who, with careless generosity,
| takes his family and friends and makes
| the trail a possibility by his patronage.
To the many people on the trail will be
| found as interesting as it's attractions
| for which the dimes and quarters and
| half dollars are asked.
With the opening date still four months
ahead. number of important concessions
| are unuer CONSIDERATION. lnere VIII be an
Oriental exhibit, in which native of Med
| iterranean and Asiatic countries, clad in
| the fantastic garb of the Fatherland, will
| dance the dances of the Fatherland be-
| fore audiences who care nothing for the
| Fatherland but enjoy the dance. Pic
turesque Arabs with their long rifles, and
| murderous knives all will be there, with
| giant Kubian runners. black as the ebony
| from their native forests, and fine ladies
| mounted on steeds that pranee bewitch-
| ingly, while the fine ladies bow their
| painted faces relax in the smile which
commercialism has taught them. There
will be native Indians stalking solemnly
wrapped in blanSets-the native red man
always stalks you know-and little Indian
boys that shoot at a mark with the bow
and arrow that was the weapon of the red
man before the white man brought him
| muskets. There will be a wild animal
show, with tigers and lions, and other
beasts known TO frequenters of Zoos and