Sea horse figure, winner of 1997-1998 "Design a Carousel" contest. Courtesy National Foundation for Carnival Heritage
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Midway USA: Kinsley, Kansas
Kinsley, Kansas, earned the name "Midway USA"
by being exactly 1,561 from San Francisco to the west and
1,561 miles to New York in the east, inspiring a 1939
Saturday Evening Post cover showing two cars,
starting in Kinsley and going in opposite directions, both
bearing a sign saying "World's Fair or Bust." (In 1939, there
were two "World's Fairs": an eponymous one in New York, and
the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco.) Kinsley, a small
community with less than 2,000 residents, is set in a region
of prime agricultural land supporting wheat, corn, soybean and
cattle production.
In 1901, Kinsley area farmer Charles Brodbeck,
ventured to Hutchinson, Kansas, a journey of almost one hundred
miles. There he was fascinated by a small cable-driven carousel,
but more fascinated that people would ride a horse a considerable
distance and then pay someone a nickel to ride a wooden horse
around in circles. Brodbeck traded a quarter acre of land, some
horses and cows for the little carousel. Brodbeck at first kept the
carousel at his farm and gave rides to the neighbors, but, in 1908,
he and his son Fred loaded up the carousel and took it to nearby
towns to sell rides. Very soon the family concluded that the little
carousel with the wooden horses going round in a circle could make
more money than farming. The next year, the family went out with
the carousel and offered rides at small town fairs and picnics
throughout south central Kansas, and added a Ferris Wheel, one of
the first commercial ones in the nation.
Clearly there was money to be made in the carnival
amusement business and there was a great need for family
entertainment in the small towns of the Midwest. Rides were added,
games and exhibitions were added, and soon the traveling carnival
became a full-fledged "show." Brodbeck was unable to meet the
demands of towns that wanted a carnival, and involved the rest of
his family in the carnival business. Each carnival would hire local
workers to set up and tear down the shows, and concessionaires to
sell popcorn, sno cones, and run penny arcades.
From the early part of the 20th century through the
1970s, the carnivals of Kinsley would travel throughout the Midwest
from April to October setting up amusements for the delight of
young and old. By the late 1970s, the costs of liability insurance,
overhead and finding reliable employees made the operation of the
smaller family carnivals difficult. Very large carnival companies
began to serve big events like State Fairs and large
expositions.
The rich carnival history of Kinsley inspired the
establishment of the National Foundation for Carnival heritage in
1991. Bruce White, a nationally recognized wood carver of carousel
figures, began working with the National Foundation for Carnival
Heritage. Its museum houses a small carousel populated with figures
that have been created from the winning entries in the "Design a
Carousel" contest. Carnival games, artifacts and memorabilia along
with photos of the historic days of carnival and the Carnival Hall
of Fame provide visitors a rich experience in learning what family
carnival life was like. In 1998, the Foundation purchased an
historic two-story carousel platform made by the Heyn Carousel
Works in Germany in 1900; Bruce White has been commissioned to
carve 32 original carousel animals, two chariots, and four love
seats for the carousel, based on old photos and historic records.
In Kinsley, the legacy of a man who bought a wooden horse and
developed an entire industry in a small Midwestern town is being
preserved and built upon for future generations.
The project is documented with a nine-page essay and
22 photographs.
Originally submitted by: Jerry Moran, Representative (1st District).
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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