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Show HAD Years Ag TTiay Incorporation? Whafs that? 6,000 admirers who had amassed to greet the great slugger John L. Sullivan. The popular heavyweight champ known as the "Boston Strong Boy" was the symbol of the bare knuckle era of boxing. "Fully 1,000 men and boys followed his carriage," said the dispatch to the Record, and the Palace Hotel was "besieged by the crowd desirous of paying respects." (The "Great John L." was touring the country to rave reviews, and before his death in 1918, he had earned more than $1 million. He fought his last heavyweight title bout under bareknuckle rules in 1889 in a 75-round fight in which he K.O.'d Jake Kilrain.) The Record also included news of more gentlemanly appearances. It noted that American physician, poet and humorist Oliver Wendell Holmes was embarking on a lecture tour to England. It's difficult to tell If the Record favored the tour, or if there was sarcasm in the suggestion that Holmes be joined by "a lecturer or actress act-ress from every State and Territory in the Union." There was news that John Engemar, a scout for Buffalo Buf-falo Bill, had recently died, leaving a fortune of $500,000. The Record then swept its readers from thoughts of the American plains to the International In-ternational Exhibition at Nice, where M. Faselli was showing his "observatory under the sea." The newspaper described his vessel as a "submarine balloon" able to withstand the pressure of the sea down to 100 fathoms. Through the glass floors, scientists were . able to study the marine . world in the contraption that was "almost an exact ; reproduction of Jules Verne's submarine steamer in his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'" In Park City, the large Chinese population was preparing to usher in its new . year, and the Record noted that "the firing of crackers has already commenced." Even those who were not "heathens" were in the mood to celebrate because, as the newspaper enthused that week, "In the history of Park City, the ore shipments have never been so heavy as at the present time." by Bettina Moench Dooley As most of you may already know, this year marks Park City's centennial centen-nial as a "real" city. Great festivities are planned throughout 1984 to celebrate the occasion, but the highlight will be Founders' Week March 3-10, when the city will commemorate that week a century ago when the Park received its charter of incorporation. With the anniversary an-niversary of that event just five weeks away, it's interesting in-teresting to look back at how Parkites 100 years ago were anticipating the auspicious day. Oddly enough, that milestone in the mining camp's history was still a dream on Jan. 26, 1884! "No organizational move has as yet been made to secure a charter for this city, and it is high time something was being done for it," complained com-plained the Park Record. "The citizens can have their demands granted by petitioning the Legislature for an act incorporating Park City, if too many privileges that should only belong to large cities are not asked. Some united action should be taken at once, and we can rest assured of the hearty co-operation of a great many who vigorously opposed the act two years ago." (Twice before, in 1880 and 1882, the city had petitioned the Legislature for incorporation, incor-poration, and twice their efforts ef-forts had been thwarted. Perhaps it was the Park Record's editorial that rallied support to try yet again. Less than two months later, their efforts succeeded, suc-ceeded, and a receptive Legislature granted the city's charter. As a centennial centen-nial tribute, local, author Raye Eingholz has recounted recount-ed that colorful part of Park City's history in the winter 1984 issue of the Park City Lodestar magazine in an article ar-ticle entitled "The Park Becomes a City.") At the same time the Record tried to arouse the town's enthusiasm, it also piqued its interest in news stories beyond the city limits. In the last issue of January 1884, the Record told readers that "the Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) gold excitement ex-citement continues unabated, un-abated, and spring will witness the greatest rush for that country that has occurred oc-curred since the days of California. Every mining camp in the Rocky Mountains Moun-tains and the Pacific Coast will send out its quota, and Park City will be represented represen-ted by quite a number." The Record predicted that most of the miners would arrive in the Idaho area "without purse or scrip" to keep them going, and would be "returning footsore to tell what a great bilk they think the gold fields are." In San Francisco, police were dispatched to calm the |