Bit of History - July 19, 2023

From August 26 through 30, 1913, Ridgeway hosted its first Chautauqua, pronounced “she-TAW-kwa”.  This event was part of an adult education movement that had begun in 1874 on the shores of Lake Chautauqua, New York, when John Heyl Vincent, a Methodist minister, and Lewis Miller, a business man, developed an adult education summer camp modeled after the camps Vincent had been operating to train Sunday School teachers.  Their idea, which later became the Chautauqua Institution, brought both entertainment and culture to people and was very popular with families.  Later, circuit or “tent” Chautauqua events were offered by companies that traveled to rural towns to present lectures on reform and religious topics, comedy pieces and music to people who lived far away from the Institution.

Ridgeway’s first Chautauqua was organized by local businessmen and they hired a company from Iowa to run the show.  Some of the many presenters included Victor’s Italian Band, the Dunbar Singing Orchestra, and Governor Robert S. Vessey of South Dakota.  Chaplain Lougher, “The Whirlwind of Welsh Oratory”, gave his address titled “Thousand Million Men” and the Hon. Arthur K. Beck had an illustrated lecture on the government lifesaving service. The Floyds would preform magic acts.  Even the children could take part with games and crafts to teach them about the Seton nation.  

The Ridgeway Chautauqua would take place every August from 1913 until 1930.  In 1931, the event was cancelled due to lack of funding and was never held again.  The Chautauqua Institution in New York still exists, however, and still provides education opportunities in New York.