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The Red Cloud Chief on Sept. 17, 1889, reminded readers:
"Don't forget the [Webster County] fair which commences
next Tuesday. Chariot races every day. Do not fail to come.
Every farmer in Webster county should make it a point to be
present."
Not everyone was a fan. Some people complained that
such entertainment had nothing to do with a fair's true
purpose: to educate the public and improve agriculture. The
Columbus Journal on March 25, 1885, called chariot racing
"one of the nonsensical attractions (?) of the State Fair" and
an "abuse of the object for which fairs are intended, having
no recommendation except that it is a 'drawing' feature to
swell the gate receipts." The Columbus paper also reprinted
sarcastic commentary from the Nebraska State Journal: "We
observe that the board of managers of the State Fair have
retained the chariot race as a feature of the annual exhibition.
We are delighted to see it. The intimate relation between the
improvement of agriculture and the spectacle of a half-naked
woman driving four old plugs at a gallop around the race
track is so intimate and vital as to need no comment."
But chariot racing remained popular until
other forms of entertainment – such as
automobile racing – took its place. Chariot
races are still a feature of some modern
rodeos. ■
Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society's
website at nebraskahistory.org.
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Roman chariot racing in the public imagination. Illustration in the Omaha Daily Bee, Oct. 21, 1906.
