The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-05-28

earlier worlds fairs The TRAIL" as the
amusement street of the Western World 5
Fair is called. is situated on a wide
bridge which spans Guilds Lake. the ma
tural grand basin" of the exposition.
The number and quality of the attrac-
tons secured for the 1oaiP, are in ac-
cord with the fitness of its location.
Exposition history tells US that the first
amusement street was located in Chi
cago in 1898. 1t was suggested that the
public, after gazing for hours upon the
marvels of modern civilization. would
take boyish delight in amusements of a
lighter nature AT the time. the Midway
Plaisance was an experiment: but it
proved remarkable success. Every one
who attended the Worlds Columbian
Exposition told the stay-at-homes how
much higher was the Ferris wheel than
the steeple on the Methodist church
and whistled the tune he had heard play
ed on screening horns by bloomer-clad
men in front of an Oriental theater. The
public that tired of one of the greatest
mechanical marvels of the century con-
tinued to be the willing slave Of the
bloomer man with the screeching horn
who footed the Oriental air.
When San Francisco held its Mid
winter Exposition the following year a
midway was dominating feature and
the people liked it. Then followed
fairs at Buffalo. Omaha. Nashville.
Charleston, Atlanta and st. Louis, and
each had it's. amusement street. and the
people liked them all. At st. Louis the
amusement feature saw it's climax in
a street called the Pike" where shows
ranging from very good to very bad
clamored for patronage along a mile
of pandemonium.
NATURE OF THE TRAIL.
The nature of the Trail" has been
made to correspond with the nature of
the exposition. AS the Western Worlds
Fair will be an exceptional exposition.
so the number of attractions on the
Trail" will be limited. and care will
be taken to see that only entertain
ments worthy of the patronage OF an
intelligent public are permitted The
process of elimination which has been
found necessary in the other depart
ments of the exposition is as necessary
in planning the Trail
The Lewis and Clark Exposition's
''foolishdom' will be confined to a
space 500 feet, long by $50 feet wide.
One or two of the larger attractions
will occupy space on the shore OF the
lake, near the end of the bridge, but
the Trail will be practically confined
to this space.
Here will be the gayety boulevard Of the
fair, with its dancing girls and dancing
men, its spielers with their shrill calls
for patronage. its shouts and "jollies.'
its screechy music and roaring OF wild
animals its cannonading and general hull
labaloo. and its throngs OF Jostling,
laughing, happy. care-free patrons. Here
will come people of every walk in life
college professors jostling barkeepers:
clerks. lawyers, business men, stenog-
raphers, school teachers and factory girls
I-crowding. pushing. shouting in the av-
enue between the shows There are no
class distinctions on the Trail"
l. ..e day when people could be per-
suaded to part with money for a chance
to see a fat woman or a two-headed calf
has passed. The Trail attractions will
be real attractions, which could no, be
given for the same admission money any
where but at a Worlds Fair. The few
dollars capital of the seedy Snowman no
longer suffices. there will be not a few