Des Moines, Iowa -
Locomotive Thrill Wrecks of 1896

While doing research for my recent history of state fairs, I visited the museum on the fairgrounds of the Iowa State Fair. There I saw a bell from one of the locomotives that they wrecked during the thrill show of 1896.

It turns out that staged locomotive collisions were a big deal until the '30s, with crowds of more than 50,000 people jammed into the old wooden grandstands. Special track was laid on the infield, with two steam locomotives at either end. The engineers opened the throttles, jumped off and the massive engines smashed into each other. The master of the collisions was Joe "Head On" Connolly of Iowa, who staged 146 shows between 1896 and 1932.

The Iowa fairgrounds are located just off I-235, due east of downtown Des Moines. [Derek Nelson, 04/16/2000]

[RA: You can find more fascinating details about wacky State Fair history in Derek's book, The American State Fair. Order a copy at the Souvenir Hut.]