Wheels A-Rolling B/W

Wheels A-Rolling: 100 Years of Railroad Progress B/W Presented by Chicago Railroad Fair Pageant / Play with music - probably for Chicago World’s Fair - slightly surreal as historical pageant is acted out on outdoor stage in front of large concrete block backdrop. Pageant showing history of transportation - Starts with American Indian in head dress singing - smoke signals - Indians walking along with horses, carrying canoes. Re-enactment of missionaries reaching Lake Michigan. Various steam engines in pageant - George Stephenson’s Rocket steam engine - Steam Engine The John Bull. First railway train - the Best Friend of Charleston - built 1829 - passengers in period clothes. Dewitt Clinton engine - carriages are stage coaches on rails. 01:27:07 Tom Thumb engine (1821) designed by Peter Cooper. Race between Tom Thumb and horse drawn coach. Horse wins. The Atlantic Engine (1832) last of the upright steam engines. Gag as guard helps woman into coach showing bloomers - “ Early 1840s “ firemen and citizens using water pump as they fear Chicago about to be engulfed by fire - turns out to be smoke from Baldwin built locomotive The Pioneer. Train passes slowly, waving people. “1849” and the Gold rush - covered wagons and horses recreate trek West includes death on the trail. “1859” - Wells Fargo coach and horses - Pony Express - recreation on coach being held up. “1861“ “ Abraham Lincoln ” speaking on leaving Chicago gets into horse and carriage. 01:29:50 American civil war - shots of injured soldiers limping along. Train bringing body of Lincoln moves slowly. “1856” representation of RR going west - Cowboy and Indian fights. “1869” - Last rail link across America - Golden spike hammered in as Union Pacific line is completed. 01:33:06 Steam engine and train of the Santa Fe Railway - refreshment provisions include the “Harvey Girls” dressed as waitresses sing Beautiful Dreamer. Frontier town cowboys - Can Can girls. Minnetonka Steam engine and train. 01:35:10 Farmers and wives on hay wagon - train of the Burlington Line bringing farmers and immigrants to Mid West. Dancing - Hoe down - folk dancing. 01:38:03 “1890s” Horse cars and trams - cable car. Horse-drawn fire engines speeds past. Early bicycles and tandems. Dancing fashion show. Famous 999 steam engine - series of shots showing early forms of transport - cars - automobiles - gag policeman with drunk. Racing car - fire engine - more gags with policeman and drunk. “1934” - Diesel engine passenger service. Cast of pageant make map of American showing advancement of transportation. Diesel train along track. US History. Tableaux Vivants. Oddities. Tacky / Kitsch.