You find references to Walt Disney in the weirdest places these days.
I mean, here I was … enthusiastically paging through Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America” (2003, Crown Publishers, $25.95) … which is this flat out wonderful book about the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 (AKA the Columbian Exposition) when I came across this intriguing passage:
“The Woman’s Building was nearly finished, all its scaffolding gone; the giant Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building had begun rising above its foundation. In all, the workforce in the park numbered four thousand. The ranks included a carpenter and furniture-maker named Elias Disney, who in coming years would tell many stories about the construction of this magical realm beside the lake. His son Walt would take note.”
Mind you, Walt Disney’s dad isn’t the only intriguing real-life character to make a cameo appearance in Larson’s epic non-fiction novel. As one reads through “The Devil in the White City,” you’ll also encounter Thomas Alva Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Buffalo Bill, Mickey Finn, Clarence Darrow, George Ferris (the inventor of the Ferris Wheel) as well as Henry H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer.
Actually, Holmes’ incredibly twisted tale is one of the main threads of this rich literary tapestry. Erik skillfully charts how Henry — this handsome, blue-eyed, seemingly normal Windy City doctor — used his good looks and charm to lure dozens of young ladies to their doom.
(A word of warning to those of you who are actually considering purchasing this New York Times best seller: These particular passages of “The Devil in the White City” — which go into great detail about what supposedly went on in the secret torture chamber that Henry had hidden away in the basement of his “World’s Fair Hotel” — are honestly not for the squeamish. Holmes’ private chamber of horrors — which actually included his very own 3000 degree crematorium for the disposal of his victims — may seem like something that only Stephen King would dream up. The only problem is … this nightmare actually happened!)
To be fair, I should also mention that Larson’s book is more than a collection of weird little yarns about turn-of-the-century celebrities and/or a grisly recollection of an infamous crime spree. “The Devil in the White City” also recounts the tale of Daniel H. Burnham, the renown Chicago-based architect who overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to turn sandy, swampy Jackson park into the White City. This amazingly opulent World’s Fair which seemed to signal America’s arrival as a major player on the world stage.
Look, I know you folks usually come here looking for Disney-related stories. Well, “The Devil in the White City” does have some of these. Take for example, this intriguing anecdote:
“The fair had a powerful and lasting impact on the nation’s psyche, in ways both large and small … Certainly the fair made a powerful impression on the Disney family. It proved such a financial boom that when the family’s third son was born that year, Elias in gratitude wanted to name him Columbus. His wife, Flora, intervened; the baby became Roy.”
All this, plus Larson reveals how Burnham’s ambitious design for the White City may have influenced L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow’s design for Oz’s Emerald City. Tale after tale after tale … and the truly amazing part is that they’re all true!
You want a book that you really can’t put down? Something that skillfully mixes horror with history? Then go pick up a copy of Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America.”
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