indiana grand racing and casino fireworks

That’s why they traveled to Indiana on July 31, 1892. “The people of Chicago, with the exception of the criminal classes, want such places as Garfield Park track closed up,” said the Chicago Tribune.Ĭondon and associates needed a backup plan, just in case the reformers succeeded.

Throughout 1892, reformers wanted Garfield Park shut down, and applied pressure to wipe out gambling in the city. He was one of the primary owners of Chicago’s Garfield Park racetrack. But, in 1892, he was a king in the Chicagoland gambling world.Ĭondon made most of his money through bets on horse races. In an era before political correctness, he was commonly referred to as “Blind John.” A native of Logansport, Indiana, the 38-year-old Condon was in the early stages of losing his eyesight. Heading the group of twelve from Chicago was John Condon. It was that piece of real estate that was of interest to their visitors from Chicago And, they probably looked south, across the empty, sandy field that stretched to 112th Street. That’s the direction from which their guests would come. They certainly looked west, to the train tracks across Indiana Boulevard. But most of their attention was probably focused in two other directions. As the two men stood there, they could look north to a beautiful view of Lake Michigan, or to the east and see the shore of Wolf Lake. Across the line was 107th Street in Chicago. On that day, Hammond Mayor Thomas Hammond, and City Attorney Robert Gregory stood on an isolated field on the state line. The starting date for this story is July 31, 1892. So, let’s just look at how it all came about, and what it looked like at the start of our brief reign as a gambler’s paradise. There were three horse racing tracks in the far northern end of Hammond, a boxing arena which hosted championship bouts, and an off-track betting facility that drew thousands. There was a time when we were the horse racing and gambling capitol of the Midwest. The Horse Racing and Gambling Capital of the Midwest

Indiana grand racing and casino fireworks