The Lone Star Fair

The Lone Star Fair (HM289U)

Location: Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Nueces County
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Country: United States of America
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N 27° 47.809', W 97° 23.769'

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Inscription
Henry L. Kinney (b. 1814), founder of Corpus Christi, began by October 1851 to organize the Lone Star Fair to boost local economy. The fair was publicized to attract new settlers to the area, but was a thinly-veiled attempt to recruit men for the army of Gen. Jose J.M. Carbajal, a Virginia-educated revolutionary who was trying to liberate northern Mexico. Kinney called on Dr. Ashbel Smith of Galveston, Governor P.H. Bell, and ex-governors J.P. Henderson and G.T. Wood to help promote the fair. Kinney advertised internationally and went deeply into debt to build the facilities.

When the fair opened, May 1, 1852, main attractions included races on a new racetrack, bullfights by the noted Mexico City Matador, Don Camarena, the popular Maltby's Circus, a theatrical troupe from New Orleans, philosophical oratory, stock and agricultural shows, and exhibitions of horsemanship and wild bull riding, with prizes for all competitive events.

Kinney planned for an attendance of 30,000, but only 2,000 visitors appeared. The failure of the fair was attributed to the remoteness of Corpus Christi, poor transportation, and the revolutionary activity the fair supported. The venture bankrupted Kinney and he soon departed for Nicaragua to recoup his fortunes.
Details
HM NumberHM289U
Tags
Year Placed1973
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, June 9th, 2018 at 1:01am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14R E 658001 N 3075726
Decimal Degrees27.79681667, -97.39615000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 27° 47.809', W 97° 23.769'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds27° 47' 48.54" N, 97° 23' 46.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)361
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 518 Antelope St, Corpus Christi TX 78401, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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