The World-Famous 'Nonpareil' Comes to Fairhaven
Jack Dempsey, the legendary middleweight champion, brings a high-profile glove contest to the local Casino Theatre, electrifying the town.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The greatest event in sporting circles that ever occurred in Fairhaven took place last evening at the Casino theater. Never before has any Sound city north of Seattle had such a number of sporting men in it as yesterday congregated in this city, the attraction being a glove contest between the world-famous Jack Dempsey, the Nonpareil; Dave Campbell, the heavyweight of Portland; and Paddy Gorman, the champion middleweight of Australia. After their arrival on the state of Washington, they were met by a delegation of local sports and toured the city, eventually congregating at the Spokane for introductions. Later, the trio took a fishing trip to Lake Padden. In the evening, the theater was crowded to its utmost capacity, with boxes and down-stairs seating sold out early. The entertainment featured bicycle riding and legerdemain before the athletic exercises commenced. Dave Campbell demonstrated skillful club swinging before Tom Barry introduced the featured bout: Dempsey versus Gorman. The four-round Marquis of Queensberry rules contest was spirited and clever, leaving the audience delighted. Before the close of the show, Tom Barry issued a challenge to any middleweight for a future fight in this vicinity.
“Not one of these three men would be taken for the men they are, as there is nothing of the rough or tough in their appearance, and most men would pass them on the street thinking them young business men or clerks.”
In 1890, Fairhaven was an aspiring 'focal city' using sporting spectacles like boxing exhibitions to signal its cultural and economic importance to the Pacific Northwest. Today, these historic theatre spaces have evolved, but the desire for grand civic 'attractions' remains a core tenet of Bellingham's promotional DNA.
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