Photos of the Frontier West

I spent quite a bit of time with these over the last few days. Thanks for posting. I think we need a history corner here at WTW.

Anyone know where this is?
west31.sJPG_950_2000_0_75_0_50_50.sJPG
 
Caption says "the Columbian Parade". Quick google search makes me think Columbia, Maryland. Then a google images search of historic buildings in Columbia looks to be about the right era but I haven't found a match yet.
 
Caption says "the Columbian Parade". Quick google search makes me think Columbia, Maryland. Then a google images search of historic buildings in Columbia looks to be about the right era but I haven't found a match yet.


Thats a pretty big city in the photo and the photo collection is "frontier photos". I'd guess Denver but I'm not sure.
 
Columbia, MD, a planned community, didn't exist in the 1890's. My guess is Chicago, the "second city."

http://www.chicagohs.org/history/expo.html

http://www.teslasociety.com/columbia_expo2.htm
 
Library of Congress

Looking at the above page from the Library of Congress it does appear to be Chicago


I'll go you one better DD.

It's the Auditorium Building at 430 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. When completed, it was the tallest building in the city and largest building in the USA. President Grover Cleveland laid the cornerstone in 1887, and the photo is from 1892, only five years later.

A tidbit: Some interior details were probably drawn by Frank Lloyd Wright, who started in Sullivan's office as a draftsman in 1887.
— Sir Banister Fletcher. A History of Architecture. p. 1241.

My great grandfather was a Chicago man and would have been 23 years old when they had the Columbian Expo. I'm guessing with a crowd of 100k spectators that he was there. Must be channeling the old man . . .

Now, do I win a new Strongback chair? :p
 
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