http://www.archive.org/details/newpiasachautauq00pias
View the PDF. View the Flip Book
The chautaugua movement was a popular educational movement in the late 19th century that continued into the 1920s, when radio and other forms of popular entertainment led to its demise. The Piasa Chautaugua--"the pioneer chautaugua of the Mississippi Valley" in southern Illinois not far from St. Louis was "in a beautiful valley between high, massive bluffs, with the Mississippi at its front and an almost unexplored forest at its back, one of Nature's most picturesque spots and dear to all those who have enjoyed its beauties, its clear, pure air, delightfully cool nights and beautiful scenery." For a few weeks each summer, residents of St. Louis and other nearby communities would gather for a program featuring educational speakers, workshops, musicians, artists, and physical recreation. This week's featured book is the program for the summer of 1912. Filled with wonderful photographs.
