(pictured above is a snippet of a late 19th century CBOT illustration out of Harper's, can click to enlarge detail)
A historical reenactment based upon elements of Frank Norris' 1903 book The Pit will occur on Sunday, October 20th from 3-4pm at the CBOT building. The presentation is being organized by highly regarded Pocket Guide to Hell tours who continue to recreate significant Chicago historical events, talks and tours. This weekend's event is being held in conjunction w/the Chicago Architecture Foundation and their effort to spread insight and access to Chicago's architectural treasures.
I got an opportunity to get a peek at the script and it's excellent, entertaining and historically accurate...not to mention much better than anything I could create! The aim of the event goes beyond Frank Norris' book to also explore Chicago's cornerstone industry of commodities trading which continues to operate without equal. Various historians and narrators will be on site to enhance the event and it will likely be more boisterous than the actual trading which remains on the CBOT floor.
Part of the fundraising effort was done through hosting a couple Pit the board game tournaments at Chicago bars and the first one I was able to attend was a lot of fun. The opportunity to take part in supporting the production remains and special edition futures contracts can continue to be obtained.