A Tribute to 'Popcorn Dan' of the Titanic

Veronica Hinke also pays tribute to "Popcorn Dan" (aka Daniel Coxon) of her hometown of Merrill, Wisconsin.

"The Gage (restaurant) contributed a caramel corn recipe in honor of Daniel,"  Hinke said.  "It's also a special nod to Chicago because Cracker Jack was  introduced here during the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, and you can imagine that caramel corn had become so popular by the time the Titanic sailed that it might well have been on board as a special treat."

Pop That Corn.  --CootDan

Daughters (DAR) Going Strong on North Shore-- Part 1: A Whole Lot of History

From the June 30, 2016, Chicago Tribune by Mark Lawton.

When the North Shore (of Chicago) chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was incorporated in 1893, Grover Cleveland was about to be inaugurated as president for his second term, the kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in a coup d'etat and the first Ferris wheel was built for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

On April 20, 1893, a dozen women organized the North Shore chapter of the DAR in Highland Park, the second chapter in the state (after one was established in Chicago) and the 130th in the nation.  The national organization had started only a few years earlier on October 11, 1890.

The DAR has a three part mission.  First, it is active and preserving historic homes and marking graves of American revolution veterans.  It also undertakes patriotic activities like supporting U.S. military and veterans.  They also provide educational outreach opportunities.

My mother was a very active member in her Goldsboro, N.C., DAR chapter.

--CootDAR

DeKalb County 125 Years Ago, Feb. 26, : Columbian Exposition

From the Feb. 25,2015 (Sycamore, Ill) MidWeek.

Feb. 26, 1890--  The old Harvester shops caught fire Sunday night of unknown cause.  The fire was fierce but fire companies were able to put it out.

**  News of the progress of balloting in the House of Representatives for the World's Fair eagerly watched by citizens.  Voting began with Chicago in the lead as was expected.  This was for the Columbian Exposition.

**  Booming sounds are being made by the prairie chickens during mating season are becoming frequent and sportsmen can expect a good hunting season.  They are a species of grouse and are now "the best game in this part of the country."  These almost became extinct in Illinois.

--Cooter

Digging the 1989 Columbian Exposition

Archaeology classes at the University of Chicago are getting some close to home practical experience as they did for remnants of the World's 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago's Jackson Park.

They're not finding Indiana Jones type stuff, but rusty nails, broken crockery, and pieces of glass bottles.

The fair lasted for 6 months in1893 and featured the stunning White City, mostly sculpted of plaster and attracted 27 million visitors. Only one building was constructed to be permanent, the Palace of Fine Arts, which is now the Museum of Science and Industry. Almost all of the rest of the fairgrounds was gone a few months after its close.

This is U of C's first attempt at using the city itself for urban archaeology.

Professor Rebecca Graff and 20 students have four different holes dug around the 633-acre site. Each is 6.6 feet square and just three feet deep. At that point they encounter a layer of sand dunes and marsh that existed before European settlement.

They've encountered old pipe at each excavation and believe it to ave been fair infrastructure used for water and sewage.

May 18th Chicago Tribune "Urban 'Indiana Jones' seek traces of 1893 World's Fair" by William Mullen.

Good Experience for the Students, Even Though I Doubt They'll Find Much. --Coot

THIS DATE IN HISTORY-- 1927--Lucky Lindy arrives in Paris, France, after completing his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. More press coverage on this even than anything in previous history.