Tours of the World
| Other Name(s) | Hale's Tours of the World |
|---|---|
| Type | Exhibition |
| Park Section | North |
| Built | 1906 |
| Opened | 1906 |
| Closed | 1907 (fire) |
| Fires | 1907 |
| Manufacturer | George C. Hale |
| Designer | George C. Hale |
| Frame | Wood |
| Number of Stories | 1 |
The Tours of the World exhibition opened at Olentangy Park in 1906.[1][2][3][4] It was one of a series of film-based exhibitions by George C. Hale, where visitors entered a stationary replica of a Pullman railway car. Inside, audiences sat on wooden benches facing a screen and a motion picture device, which played scenes filmed in a "phantom ride" style, making visitors feel as though they were traveling by rail to different locations. Staff would provide a rocking motion of the "car," and wind machines and sound effects added to the realism.[5][6] Scenes were changed weekly.[7]
At the end of the 1906 season, park management refused to increase the wages of the operators of the attraction, and they went on strike. An employee stole a lens from one of the machines, making it inoperable.[8]
The following year, a fire that started in the Theatorium in July 1907 spread to the Tours of the World and other attractions, and the attraction was "burnt to ashes." The fire department estimated the damage at $3,000$102,595 in 2025 dollars.[9]
Related Patents
References
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Opens on April 29." Columbus Evening Dispatch. April 15, 1906. Page 7.
- ↑ Long, W. C. 1906. "Columbus, Ohio." The Billboard. Vol. 18. Issue 19. May 12, 1906. Page 20.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Democrat-Sentinel (Logan, Ohio). June 14, 1906. Page 2. Accessed through Newspapers.com Clip 1 | Clip 2
- ↑ "The Opening of Olentangy Park." The Marion Star (Marion, Ohio). April 28, 1906. Page 10. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hale's Tours of the World." InspiredByEarth.info. Accessed on July 22, 2022.
- ↑ "Hale's Tours of the World." Wikipedia.org. Last modified on Feb. 10, 2022. Accessed on July 22, 2022.
- ↑ "The Tours of the World." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. June 17, 1912. Page 11.
- ↑ "Striker Cripples Scenic Railway by Taking Lens." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Sept. 2, 1906. Page 1
- ↑ "Boy Leads His Two Sisters Out of a Fire at Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 5, 1907. Page 13.
- ↑ Hale, G. C. 1905. "Pleasure railway." U.S. Patent No. 800,100. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF