Horse Racing at the Manitowoc County Fair
Harness racing, or sulky (referring to the two-wheeled cart the horses pulled) racing, used to be very popular at the old Manitowoc County Fairs. There were two different types of races: trots and paces, indicating the gaits the horses used to compete. The Fair would annually draw some of the best horses from around the state and the Midwest to compete in racing events.
On August 15, 1935, the Manitowoc Herald-Times published a Souvenir Edition of the Manitowoc County Fair Diamond Jubilee, featuring past Fair excitements. “Among the closely allied events with the annual County Fair in Manitowoc, were the Derby Days quite a number of years back when the fair grounds were the scene of many a gay gathering of racing fans and audiences that enjoyed the rivalry of local horsemen as they matched their matinee steeds. In those days Derby Day was quite an event and the stores closed for the afternoon.”
An annual highlight was the parade leading up to the horse races, during which the horses and sulkies paraded through downtown Manitowoc on their way to the racetrack.
The Diamond Jubilee Edition also featured an article on the Fairs that took place at Clarks Mills from 1874 to 1883. The Central Agricultural Society sponsored the three day Fairs. The early Fairs designated the horse races as “trials of speed.”
“For instance on the second day of the fair there was a trotting race for horses that have never beaten 3:15 for the mile with a $30 purse. A running race also carried the same purse. On the third day the pace grew a bit faster. Horses who had never beaten three minutes in the mile were eligible to enter to compete for a $70 purse, divided $35, $20, $15. Sweepstakes were not unknown in the early seventies. The 1877 fair had such a trotting race with a $70 purse. The trotting races were mile heats, best three in five. The running races half mile heats, best two in three. In all the races 10 percent of the purse was charged to enter and it was provided that at least four had to enter and three start to make it a race.”
The 1894 Manitowoc County Fair’s Official Score Card highlighted the gambling aspect of the horse races: “If you want to be sure of placing your money on the winning horse at the races during the fair, you can do so by calling at The Senate, 806 York Street, Carl Hansen, Proprietor. Head quarters for sporting events during the fair.”
A thought to consider when attending the 2018 Manitowoc County Fair recalls the Diamond Jubilee Edition’s advertisement for the 1935 Fair Week: “Once more our city is proud as we welcome all Manitowoc County to the Fair. The Fair Grounds will be a pattern of gay changing color. The spectacle is one that makes children dream of the great mysterious world they have never seen. And it carries grownups back to the magic land of Make-Believe that is childhood’s illusion.”