Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-26

outcome OF the GredteT ROCK
Island movement of year ago
last spring. This movement. it |
will, be remembered, resulted in |
the voluntary raising of fund of
$4,000 for the development of Rock |
Island industrially. commercially AM
in every way tending toward the
greater prosperity and happiness of
the people and the growth and dc
velopment of the city. The raising
OF the fund brought about the organi-
cation of the Rock Island Booster club
and this organization took upon itself
number of important undertakings
The last of these developed in the
early summer, when the exposition
project was launched. number OF
meetings of the Booster club and the
Rock Island Club were held, and final
ly resolution was adopted, declaring
that an exposition would be in every
way good thing for the city
Project Develops Rapidly.
This was followed by a resolution
that the exposition be handled by a
stock company. with a capital stock
500 each, only one share being al
loted to any one man. A committee
was named to solicit the stock sub.
scriptions, and within week the bulk
of the stock of the Rock Island Expo
sition company had been subscribed
and the preliminaries of organization
were under way.
The committee was composed of c.
r, Nourse. c. S. Mcdaniel DR.. c. L.
,Silvis, Hon. T. J. Medill. chairman;
Charles McHugh, John w. Parker,
secretary; William NJ Reck. Carl He'll
penstell and E. w. Lewis.
COmuany IL Organized.
The stockholders of the company
held meeting July 6 and organized
by the election of a board of II direc
tors. as follows: B. C.. Hartz, Carl
Hellpenstell, T. F. LaVelle, E. w
Lewis, c. S. Mcdaniel, Charles Nc
Hugh. r. ]. Medill, c. R. Nourse, J.
w. Parker, w. NJ. Reck, C. l.. Silvis
and H. p. Simpson.
The same evening the directors or
ganized by the election of the follow
ing officers:
President-Hon. T. ]. Medill.
Vice president-Charles McHugh.
Secretary-John w. Parker.
Treasurer-Carl Hellpenstel.
Manager-E. w. Lewis.
At subsequent meeting the organ
ization of the company was made more
complete. and committees were named
to handle the details of the arrange
ments for the first annual event to
be held next week. These commit
tees were named by President Medill
as follows:
Publicity-H. P. Simpson, j. w. Par
ker w. NJ. Reck.
Attractions-C. S. Mcdaniel T. F.
LaVelle. B. C. Hartz.
Grounds-E w. Lewis. ]. w. Par
ker. Carl Hellpenstell.
oncessions-Charles McHugh, c.
r. Nourse, c. S. Mcdaniel
Exhibits-C. l.. Silvis, Z. w Lewis,
T. F. LaVelle
Reck. C. R. Nourse.
Later special committees to make
arrangements for the two political
days were appointed, the committees
in charge of the democratic day being
composed of Hon. T. J. Medill. H. P.
Simpson and Charles McHugh, and
that in charge of republican day in
Guiding John W. Parker c. r. Nourse
and E. w. Lewis. The committee for
Woodmen day is composed of William
NJ Reck, J. w. Parker and E. w.
Lewis.
Grounds Are Transformed.
The committees began work at once,
and have since been busy increasingly
in the effort to make the exposition
a great event in the history of the
city and community The committee
men have been untiring in their work,
and there is no doubt that if the
weather is favorable, there will be in
Rock Island one of the largest crowds
of people ever attracted to the city
The company secured a five year
lease on the old fair grounds and race
track on Ninth street and the work
of transformation began at once. The
fair grounds have been entirely
changed and transformed into an ex
DOSllfOH DdIh lHdl 10 certainty OCoU
tiful and attractive. A new amphi
theater has been built, a new stage
has been constructed, the old sheds
and fences that were not of pleasing
appearance have been removed and
new fences have been built, and {
fine gateway has been placed at the
entrance, at Eighteenth avenue ant
Ninth street This gateway is o
stucco. and adds materially to the at
tractiveness of the park. A prett.
electric fountain has been placed il
the park, the grounds have been lev
eled and the track put in excellen
shape, and in many other ways thu
park has been improved. An Office
building for the administration of tn
companys affairs has been added t
the structures in the park. The con
mittees have endeavored. and with ap
parent success, to provide every fea
tire for the convenience and accomo
dation of the public.
The directors, in the work of al