This is almost two books, one about the creation of the Chicago World’s Fair, or World’s Columbian Exposition; the other basically a true crime story about a serial killer who took advantage of the Fair to lure some of his victims. He is the “devil” of the title; the White City was the nickname for the major buildings of the Fair. The fair took place in 1893, a year late for celebrating Columbus’ arrival in the New World. While the murderer’s name has faded into obscurity, the names of most of the architects who created the buildings for the White City have not. Since I am married to an architect, I had heard of a number of them, especially Louis Sullivan and Frederick Law Olmstead. These architects, and their creation of the White City, influenced urban planning and the design of public buildings.
The subtitle of the book is “Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America”. According to Larson, the fair changed America in several ways, both profound and mundane. First, the completion and success of the Fair proved to the world that the United States could create a cultural event to rival the one Paris had staged a few years previously, including the Ferris wheel to counter Eiffel’s Tower. Also, it proved Chicago could compete with New York. Other impacts included the fact that Burnham was forced to give in to some of the labor unions’ demands to get everything constructed on time, if not on budget. Both Shredded Wheat and Cracker Jack were introduced at the Fair, as were the Midway and Ferris wheel. At nightfall, the buildings were illuminated with lightbulbs powered by alternating current, and this was the first time most fairgoers had seen electric lights.
Larson sets the historical stage by discussing the financial crash that threatens to derail the Fair completely, the labor union unrest that delays construction, and the fact that since most people traveled by train to the fair, that high ticket prices slowed attendance. He also discusses social mores, how easy it was to become a “pharmacist”, and how people got virtually all of their information from newspapers. So not only did people learn about the highlights of the Fair, which may have encouraged them to attend, but they also followed the arrest of the serial killer, the search for some of his victims, his trial, and execution.
If this was your family, how would you research them? A lot of people attended the fair, coming from all over the country. The only way you might know if your ancestors attended is if they kept a postcard or other memento, or if it is part of your family lore. If they lived in the Chicago area at the time, more than likely they did attend. There was an official photographer, and few others were allowed to take photos, but you can find many of the official photographs online, mostly at sites that want to sell you a print. If your ancestors did attend the Fair, they probably got there by train. David Rumsey’s map site, https://www.davidrumsey.com/, has a railroad map for 1890 and 1884, as well as a map of the Exposition grounds.