The Harness Horse Racing Craze

Harness racing at the Waukegan Fair's race track, Waukegan, Illinois, circa 1878.

Dunn Museum, Glass Negatives Collection, 93.32.142.

Horse racing, specifically harness racing, was a wildly popular past-time in Lake County from the 1850s to the 1910s. In Lake County, there were three harness racing tracks: McKay's in Waukegan, the Libertyville Trotting Association, and the Lake County Fair in Libertyville.

James McKay's racetrack was built about 1852 and located where the Karcher Hotel building still stands on Washington Street in Waukegan. It was used for "trotting matches" and as the site of the first Lake County Fair.

Waukegan Fair's (McKay's) racetrack, circa 1878. Note the county courthouse in the distance at center.

BBDM Glass Negative Collection

Chicago Tribune column on 4th of July activities at Waukegan 

in 1860, including "trotting matches" at McKay's track.

Black Weasel, owned by Mr. Arnold, won $50 in the mile heat.

It was a given that county fairs needed a racetrack to draw crowds, and harness racing was a featured attraction. When the Lake County Fair moved to Libetyville the new fairgrounds included a racetrack.

From 1858 - 1881, the Lake County Fairgrounds were located at Milwaukee Avenue and Winchester Road (now Winchester House), and then at Appley Avenue (now Lake Minear) from 1882 - 1925.

Lake County Fairgrounds and racetrack on the site of today's Lake Minear, 

Libertyville, circa 1907. Dunn Museum M-86.1.655

Another view of the Lake County Fairgrounds racetrack  with harness racers coming around the turn, 

about 1910. Dunn Museum M-86.1.646

In 1904, a new racetrack opened called the Libertyville Trotting Association Track. It was located on 100 acres west of Garfield Avenue and south of Route 176. Locals often refer to this track as the "one-mile track," although all harness racetracks are required to be one-mile.

Libertyville Trotting Association Track in use from 1904 - 1918. This colorized postcard is from about 1914 and shows the track during its motorized race days. Dunn Museum M-86.1.658

For the first several years, the Trotting Association Track featured harness racing, and then was used as a training track for harness races. By the 1910s, the popularity of automobile and motorcycle races monopolized the Libertyville track, and harness racing's popularity began to wane. In 1918, Samuel Insull purchased the property and closed the track.

One of the regionally known trotters was King Heyday (1891 - 1919), owned by Edward and Charlotte DeWolf of Waukegan. (pictured below)

Edward Dewolf with his prize trotter, King Heyday, circa 1910. 

King Heyday was foaled on August 18, 1891. Dunn Museum, DeWolf Collection

Edward DeWolf (1848-1927) was an influential businessman in Waukegan, a promoter of the Electric Railroad line, and a mayor of Waukegan (1895-97). He was a lover of history, historical preservation, nature, and a keen horseman. He and his wife, Charlotte, owned several trotting horses, but King Heyday was their favorite.

Edward P. DeWolf (1848 - 1927)

King Heyday, was bred at the J.W. Swanbrough Stock Farm on Sheridan Road in Waukegan Township. King Heyday's sire was Prairie King (pictured below) and dam Mabel H.

Prairie King (King Heyday's sire), photographed in 1890 

at the Swanbrough Stock Farm. Dunn Museum, DeWolf Collection

The stock farm was owned and operated by John W. Swanbrough (1843 - 1924), who fought with the 96th Illinois in the Civil War. Swanbrough was a member of the Illinois Association of Horse Breeders, and served as Lake County Sheriff (1876-1886).

With the popularity of harness racing came the need to breed trotters or "standardbreds." The term appeared in 1879 based on the racing standard of a one-mile track and standard time of 2.5 minutes maximum. A horse bred to these standards was "standardbred."

Swanbrough Stock Farm catalogue, 1891

Steenbock Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison

King Heyday with Charles Heydecker, circa 1905.

Heydecker bred and owned King Heyday's dam, Mabel H. 

Dunn Museum, DeWolf Collection

Edward DeWolf called King Heyday: "the handsomest horse that I had ever seen" and "a horse with remarkable speed."

King Heyday took his record of 2.17 at the Milwaukee Mile. DeWolf boasted: "his mile really being in 2.13." The Milwaukee Mile was a private horse racing track established by 1876. In 1891, the property became the permanent home of the Wisconsin State Fair.

Charlotte DeWolf loved "driving" King Heyday, whom she nicknamed "Punch." She took him out every day, except Sundays, for a drive in a carriage or sleigh. (pictured below)

Charlotte DeWolf being pulled in a sleigh by her beloved King Heyday, nicknamed "Punch." 

The DeWolf's setter, Laddie, is barely visible at left. Dunn Museum, DeWolf Collection

According to DeWolf, King Heyday was "Charlotte's pet, and he seemed to understand and return the love she had for him."

Charlotte DeWolf with King Heyday and Laddie, circa 1915. Dunn Museum, DeWolf Collection

King Heyday died on December 10, 1919, and Charlotte DeWolf passed away eight days later.

~ ~ ~

Special thanks to museum collections volunteer, Cynthia Kolanko, for her dedication to processing the Edward DeWolf Collection, and bringing King Heyday's story to light.

- Diana Dretske, Curator ddretske@lcfpd.org

The Silver Trade

Trade between Europeans and Great Lakes Native Americans began in 1634 when French trader, Jean Nicolet (1598-1642), arrived in the area of present-day Greenbay, Wisconsin.

The arrival of the French explorer was depicted by Edwin Willard Deming in his 1904 painting "The Landfall of Jean Nicolet" commissioned by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Nicolet was a prominent French explorer who, for many years, lived among the Indigenous peoples of Quebec. In 1634, Samuel de Champlain, the Governor of New France, sent Nicolet west on a journey to explore the great interior. There was an expectation that he would reach Asia by this route, and Nicolet fully expected to encounter Asian peoples. With this in mind, he donned a Chinese damask robe to greet them but met, instead, a small group of Menomonee Indians.

This encounter marked the beginning of trade between the French and native peoples in this region. The silver and fur trade prospered from 1680 to 1820. In exchange for fur, Native Americans were given goods such as silver armbands, rifles, gunpowder, and wool blankets.

Silver was popular with Native Americans who felt it was a gift from the underworld and its radiant quality reflected the power of the upper world. They believed that there were key points on the body at which evil spirits could enter (fingertips, nose, heart, etc), but wearing silver prevented this. The trade items were designed with this belief in mind, and took such forms as nose rings, wristbands, finger rings, hair ornaments and gorgets.

In this painting from 1776, Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea)(1743 – 1807) wears silver, not simply as decoration but to dispel evil spirits. Brant was a Mohawk born somewhere along the Cuyahoga River, and became a military and political leader allied with Great Britian. Portrait of Mohawk, Joseph Brant, from National Heritage Museum.

Since native peoples already created and appreciated finely crafted items made of stone, wood, leather, quill and beads, they would not accept inferior silver products from traders. One of the most popular trade items were silver crosses, in particular double crosses (Cross of Lorraine). For Native Americans, the shape of the double crosses was much like a dragonfly, and typically not seen as a Christian symbol.

In 1889, excavation work near Waukegan's Sugar Refinery uncovered silver objects and human remains. It is unknown if the human remains were of Native or European origins. 

Waukegan (previously known as Little Fort) may have been established as a French trading post as early as 1695. The region was part of the vast silver trade network, which by 1768 was dominated by the Potawatomi.

Some people thought the items recovered in 1889 were a hoax, and the items disappeared from public view. In 1917, several items resurfaced in the possession of C.T. Heydecker.

Edward DeWolf's handwritten note from 1917, regarding the silver crosses and remains in the possession of C.T. Heydecker. DeWolf Collection, Dunn Museum.

DeWolf's note reads: "The above silver crosses, Nos 1 & 2; the Brooch No 7, the square & comp--- No 8, also the skulls and thigh bones, were found in the sand dunes near the site of the Sugar Refy probably in the R-of-W of the E.J & E Ry in 1889. See drawings on another page in which the numbers correspond with those shown above. The above photograph was taken on July 24th 1917. (E.P.DeW)."

Detail of Edward DeWolf's 1917 photograph of the silver crosses and brooch found in Waukegan. 

DeWolf Collection, Dunn Museum. 

The silver crosses bore the markings of "RC" and "CA." At the time, locals thought the initials were those of Jesuit missionaries. Contemporary research leans towards identifying the mark "RC" for professional silversmith, Robert Cruickshank (c. 1748-1809) of Montreal Canada. "CA" may be the mark of Charles Arnoldi also of Montreal, and possibly Cruickshank's partner. Apprentices were also allowed to make items and use their master's mark.

Two of the crosses again turned up in 1960 in private hands, and were brought to the attention of Robert Vogel, Director of the Lake County Museum of History. Vogel was asked to authenticate the crosses and enlisted the help of Fansteel Metalurgical Corp. in North Chicago. One cross had 5-10% copper, and the remainder silver; the other cross had 10-20% copper, a little gold, and silver. 

Vogel was the first to dispel the notion that the crosses were those of a Jesuit missionary, and asserted they were trade items.

The trail of the crosses runs cold after Vogel's research. The silver crosses may still be nestled in the homes of Lake County citizens, who may or may not realize their significance. It is hoped, though it is difficult to confirm, that many of the items discovered in 1889 made their way to one or more museums in Chicago.