254 



EXPOSITION, TRANS-MISSISSIPPI AND INTERNATIONAL. 



central entrance were towers, or rather mosquelike 

 minarets. This feature was reproduced on four 

 sides. funning an octagon from which sprang the 

 dome. Between these minarets were placed circular 

 colonnades, surrounded by statuary emblematical of 

 the sea-ous. Above the dome was an open observ- 

 atory balcony from which could be obtained agrand 

 view not only of the Exposition grounds, but of 

 the city and adjacent lakes, the picturesque valley of 

 the Missouri, and the city of Council Bluffs, five miles 

 away. A I >ovf tins open balcony was the belfry. At 

 the end* of the wings wen- octagonal-roofed pavil- 

 ion- in harmony with ami emphasi/.ing the general 

 form of design'. The wide frieze was beautifully 

 ornamented with cnpids reveling amid fruits and 

 llowcr>. <n cither >ide of the main entrance on 

 a high st> lobate were placed groups of statuary rep- 

 resenting " Night " and "Morning," festooned, the 

 one with morning-glory and the other with night- 

 blooming cereii-. The building was profusely 

 decorated with (lower urns, hanging baskets, and 

 ornamental plants of every description from .semi- 

 tropic climes 



At I he extreme north end of the grounds was the 

 Trn*intrtatit>n Huililing, designed by Walker & 

 Kimball. It was 432 feet long, 249 feet wide, and 

 red more than three acres of ground. Being 

 one of the farm group, it had its characteristic 

 architecture of half timber and half plaster. Its 

 whole surface was marked off into panels by an in- 

 teresting network of framing timber, posts, brack- 

 et-. and braces. A deeply recessed porch sheltered 

 the east and west entrances, and a soft light per- 

 vaded all portions, shed from a skylight of new 

 and interesting material which promises to soon 

 replace glass for that purpose. Wide, overhanging, 

 bracketed cornices gave the broad shadows so neces- 

 sary to this style of architecture. Here were housed 

 all forms of vehicles, from the bicycle to a Pullman 

 train, as well as all farm machinery and imple- 

 ments. I). II. Elliott was the superintendent of the 

 Department of Transportation and Agricultural 

 Implements. 



To the west and directly opposite the Transpor- 

 tation Building were the Apiary Bnilding,of Swiss 

 medieval architecture, designed by John McDonald, 

 of Omaha, Neb., and the Dairy Building, in the 

 German style, designed by F. A. Henninger. 



Likewise on the Bluff tract were the State build- 

 ings. The.-e included the 



Georgia Building, built of Georgia pines and 

 filled with an interesting state exhibit of minerals 

 and other native resources. 



lUiiniiK /iuililin;/, designed by Wilson & Mar- 

 shall, of Chicago, 111. The architecture was a com- 

 bination of Colonial, Greek, and Byzantine styles. 



luu-n Bnililimj. designed by Josselyn & Taylor, 

 of Cedar Kapids, Iowa. It was 90 feet long and 56 

 feet deep, and was of a composite style of architec- 

 ture with Corinthian porches. 



h'lniMtix BnHilintj. designed by John F. Stanton, 

 of Topeka. Kan. It was 57 feet long by 55 feet 

 deep, and is described as "a dignified structure 

 with broad porticoes and ample balconies." 



Mimtttota Buil<lin</, dc-igncd by James A. Mc- 

 Leod, of Minneapolis, Minn. It was 100 feet long 

 and H Ml feet wide, two stories high, and made of 

 native logs, somewhat re-emMing a Swiss cottage. 



Montana Building,* plain structure. i: t feet long 



by 60 feet .leer.. 



kn Building, designed by Craddock \ 

 McDonald, of Lincoln. Neb., and wa< of i-la->ic style 

 following the Ionic order. It was 145 feet long, 90 

 feet deep, and *.i r,.,-t high. 



York Building, designed by Dunham 

 Wnfteler, of New York city, a one-story building 

 surrounded by a broad portico. 



Wisconsin Building, designed by A. C. Clas, of 

 Milwaukee, Wis. It was in the classic style, with 

 an imposing entrance through four immense fluted 

 Corinthian columns. 



Amusement Features. These were grouped 

 for the most part on the north side of the grounds 

 on the thoroughfare at right angles to each other, 

 and known, respectively, as North and East Mid- 

 way Streets. The usual mechanical devices such 

 as a Giant Seesaw, a Scenic Railway, and Shoot- 

 ing the Chutes were conspicuous, and as a nov- 

 elty in this class of attractions there was a Union 

 Pacific Miniature Train, said to be the small- 

 est in the world, having a total length of 29 feet, 

 including the locomotive, tender, 4 observation 

 cars, 1 box car, and a caboose. Each diminutive 

 car seated two children comfortably. The engine 

 weighed about 450 pounds, and its nearest com- 

 petitor was said to be a London locomotive weigh- 

 ing 5,000 pounds. Ethnological shows were com- 

 mon, and included an A fro- American village, a 

 Chinese village, an English county fair, a Flem- 

 ish village, a German village, an Irish village, a 

 Japanese tea garden, a Moorish village, streets of 

 all nations, Streets of Cairo, and the usual Wild 

 West Show. There were a mammoth whale and 

 an ostrich farm, as well as Hagenbach's trained 

 animals for those who cared for natural histon, 

 and a baby incubator was a feature that attract- 

 ed many. The little Cuban lady, Chiquita, only 

 26 inches in height and twenty-eight years old, 

 was of interest. Cycloramas of Havana and thd 

 " Maine," and of the great fight between the 

 " Merrimac " and the " Monitor," were adjacent to 

 each other on the North Midway. The weird 

 Night and Morning, the Haunted Swing, the Mirror 

 Maze, Lunette, and other optical illusions were 

 conspicuous. Several vaudeville theaters, concert 

 halls, and beer gardens completed the catalogue of 

 amusement features in the Midway. 



Likewise to be included under this heading were 

 the daily concerts given in the Auditorium by 

 famous orchestras and bands, including those led 

 by Theodore Thomas, William H. Santelmann, and 

 F. N. Innes. Also fireworks were conspicuous and 

 frequent features that attracted visitors in the 

 evenings. 



The Congress of Indians. An ethnological 

 exhibit of rare interest was the gathering of over 

 500 Indians, representatives of 25 tribes, who, by 

 permission of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 

 were brought from various reservations and as- 

 signed to camping grounds within the Exposition 

 tract. For this purpose an appropriation of $40,- 

 000 was obtained from Congress, and under the 

 direction of Capt. William A. Mercer, U. S. A., the 

 Indians were selected and brought to Omaha. As it 

 was desired to exhibit the native methods of living 

 so far as possible, the Indians came prepared ao- 

 cordingly to erect their various kinds of homes. 

 The Sioux and other Indians from the plains raised 

 their tepees of cloth decorated with the totem 

 marks of their respective tribes. The Indians of 

 the South built wickiups, which are little more 

 than cloth spread over bushes, the tops of which 

 were drawn together and tied. Those who came 

 from Wisconsin prepared wigwams made almost 

 wholly of birch bark stretched over poles. One 

 of the homes that was conspicuous was a grass 

 house made by the Wichitas of Oklahoma. In 

 shape it was similar to the cloth tepees and cov- 

 ered with grass laid on the poles that run over the 

 side of the structure. Also of interest was t.n 

 adobe house built by the Santa Clara Pueblos, of 

 New Mexico, that was identical with similar build- 

 ings erected centuries ago by the ancestors of these 

 Indians. They came with their special costumes, 



