OT: Shoot the Chutes in Sportsman's Park

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

This is how Chris Van der Ahe was trying to attract people to the ballpark in 1896. I found this in the June, 19, 1896 St Louis Daily Globe Democrat...I have entirely too much stuff laying around. A quick Google search shows that the Baseballlibrary.com has the date of Chutes opening wrong as this was advertised in a newspaper a full year before they claim it opened.

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Posted By: Joann

OK. I give up.

1) What were the chutes?

2) What was so great it made this a competitive activity (ad for another chute place in same column)?

3) What's the problem with intoxicants and gambling?



Joann

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

The chutes were waterslides...it is not entirely clear to me how they were set up and if you went down in a "boat" or if you went down by yourself like todays waterslides. I found a better advertisement for the Chutes from the grand opening from a paper a few days earlier.

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Posted By: dennis

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Cool postcard Dennis and that gives us a good idea of what it must have looked like. I wonder if they went from the top of the grandstands into the river? I would love to see a photo or drawing of what the setup was in St Louis.

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

This is not mine by the way, but I thought it would be cool to show a picture of it in this thread.