The Complete Chautauquan:
A Guide to What 'Chautauqua' Means in America
By Jeffrey Scott Maxwell
What is Chautauqua?
The answer to this question may depend largely on who you ask. Below is a list of some of the answers you might receive from people in various parts of the country -- all of them are correct, so follow the line of thought. A good overview of the word "chautauqua" can be had if the reader will scan through the topics of each list item, and then go back and read each description.
Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in New York. It is significant to this list only because it is home to the Chautauqua Institution. Link to the Chautauqua County Visitors' Bureau, but only when you've decided you're done learning about the other meanings of 'Chautauqua.' (Chautauqua is also a county or city name in many parts of the midwestern and western United States.) TOP
Chautauqua Lake, located in Chautauqua County New York, sits high at an elevation of over 1306 feet mean sea level (msl). It has been a popular resort area for Northerners since the end of the Civil War. The word "Chautauqua" probably came from the naming of the lake. It is said that Chautauqua is an American Indian word meaning "a bag tied in the middle" (to describe the shape of the lake) or "two moccasins tied together." I have also heard that some believe the word to mean "fish came from here," but it is more likely to be one of the first two.
Chautauqua, New York is a small town, located on the shore of Chautauqua Lake at a location originally called Fair Point, and the home of The Chautauqua Institution. TOP
The Chautauqua Institution, the "Mother Chautauqua," initially a summer training program for sunday school teachers founded in 1874 at Fair Point, Chautauqua Lake, New York. In later years, many secular programs have been added to make the Chautauqua Institution what is today, an exciting place for Chautauquans to enjoy a scientifically, politically, and culturally stimulating summer vacation -- what has been described as a uniquely American experience.
Visit The Complete Chautauquan: The Chautauqua Institution.
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC) became the first "book club." Many local reading circles participated in reading programs of the CLSC, for which half of the reading content came from prescribed books printed by the Chautauqua Press, and the other half of the readings came from the monthly publication, The Chautauquan. The significance of the CLSC cannot be overstated, for it was the genesis of many libraries and universities across the country, as well as its other significant contribution -- it put the name Chautauqua into all the continent to clear the way for the circuit chautauquas to come into town.
Visit The Complete Chautauquan: The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle.
Chautauqua University TOP
The Chautauqua Press published many books geared toward adult education in the late 19th and early 20th Century. One of my favorite books from the Chautauqua Press is actually a pamphlet that was published about Chautauqua publications. TOP
Independent Chautauquas, (also commonly called "daughter chautauquas" and occasionally referred to as "community chautauquas") well over 200 of them at one time became part of the American landscape in the late 1800s. These chautauquas were either created to emulate the first "Mother Chautauqua" of New York, or even to imitate the bigger independents. The programs and and even the architecture of some of the buildings resembled the original. A few of the original Chautauquas, such as the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, Colorado, have been in business since their beginnings in the 1800s. Others have revived the old Chautauqua programs to bring their Chautauqua parks and auditoriums back to life. An example of this is the Waxahachie, Texas, Chautauqua, which held a one-day program on September 23, 2000, to revive the old Chautauqua Auditorium for its original use after that town's chautauqua stopped doing business in 1930. (Waxahachie is now planning its third consecutive modern chautauqua.)
Link to The Complete Chautauquan: Independent Chautauquas.
The Jewish Chautauqua Society (JCS) was an important idea that was based on the largely protestant Christian Chautauqua Institution model. Reform Rabbi Henry Berkowitz founded the JCS in 1893 in Philadelphia to help teach all people, no matter what background, tolerance and understanding of Judaism. It has been recognized by The Chautauqua Institution as an important institution in the chautauqua spirit of creating understanding through a human interaction project. For nearly forty years, the JCS resembled the Chautauqua Institution with its summer camp meetings, correspondence school for Sunday school teachers, and similar outreach programs.
Visit the following web sites for additional information on the JCS: The Jewish Chautauqua Society | Albertson College of Idaho Jewish Studies Program | Jewish Studies Timeline at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
Circuit Chautauquas grew from an idea by Redpath Lyceum Bureau operator Keith Vawter beginning in 1904. These programs started with lecturers, elocutionists, artists, and musicians. During the years of the circuit chautauquas, magicians, menageries, plays, and operas were added to the schedules. Even programs for the children were a popular way to get the whole family involved in the chautauqua, which could last from three to nine (normally seven) days. A thirty year run of the circuit chautauquas supported by numerous circuits run by a couple of dozen agencies brought "culture under canvas" right to the doorstep of millions of people throughout the country, particularly the midwest.
Link to The Complete Chautauquan: Circuit Chautauquas.
The Chautauqua Movement, sometimes called the Chautauqua Adult Education Movement, is somewhat of a modern term. In the days when it was changing American life, people involved in the process knew that they were part of something important, but they didn't know what to call it. The development of adult education in America owes much of its roots to the work of the founders of the Chautauqua Institution, who later started the CLSC. and inspired the hundreds of local reading groups that came into existence in North America, and literally around the world. The independent chautauquas across North America and later the circuit chautauquas also contributed significantly to the education of American adults -- most whom had been a long time out of school -- in their own communities. The Chautauqua Movement is arguably the most important period in the development of what we know today as adult education. Many institutions as libraries, museums, universities, arts and humanities programs, came as a result of the Chautauqua Movement -- especially those institutions in rural America -- and even programs such as Elder hostel exist in a climate formed by the Chautauqua Ideal. Also, many other aspects of Twentieth Century American life (and in our current century), such as theater, performance art, and art and music appreciation were greatly influenced by the Chautauqua Movement -- to which all contributors, not just one or two aspects, must be given credit. It was the total of all of the meanings of Chautauqua from the 1870s into the 1930s that helped to shape American thought of the Twentieth Century.
Go to The Complete Chautauquan: The Chautauqua Movement.
The Chautauqua Stamp was a great honor, as well as a mistake. In 1974, the U.S. Post Office issued four stamps to celebrate "Rural America." One of the four stamps was to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Chautauqua Institution of New York, founded in 1874. However, the mistake came in the scene depicted on the stamp, which showed a tent of the circuit chautauquas of the early Twentieth Century. The Chautauqua Institution actually had little direct connection with the circuit chautauquas, so the stamp's mixed up message is certainly a confusing situation, to say the least.
Humanities Chautauquas, sometimes referred to as the "modern" chautauquas, developed from a renewed interest in the circuit chautauqua idea during the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Chautauqua Movement in 1974. However, instead of presenting contemporary speakers, as the circuit chautauquas did, the council chautauquas are a recreation of the old circuit chautauquas with scholars portraying historical figures in a first person setting. There are usually three to six scholars who portray characters linked, however directly or indirectly, to a central theme. The humanities chautauquas are often referred to by The Complete Chautauquan as the "contemporary model" chautauquas, as opposed to the "historic model" chautauquas as with the Chautauqua Institution in New York or the independent chautauquas that are still around or have revived programs.
Link to The Complete Chautauquan: Humanities Chautauquas
Visit The Complete Chautauquan: Scholars in Humanities Chautauquas.
Go to The Complete Chautauquan: Characters Portrayed in Humanities Chautauquas.
The Great Plains Chautauqua, originated by the Arts and Humanities Council of North Dakota in 1976, is the father of the "modern" or "contemporary model" chautauqua. The format that is used by most of the humanities council chautauquas came from The Great Plains Chautauqua. The scholar assumes the dress and character of a historic figure for a monologue on the stage of a large tent, then, while still in character, the person will answer a few questions from the audience. The final part of the evening is when the scholar puts aside the character and answers questions of the audience as the scholar. The evening is usually begun with local musical entertainment of some sort. The most interesting part is sometimes during the period when the scholar takes questions from the audience. There are six state humanities councils that have formed a partnership to support The Great Plains Chautauqua, they are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and, recently added, Iowa. TOP
The Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa Chautauqua is perhaps the best known, if not the only contemporary model chautauqua produced by a city -- most humanities council chautauquas are produced by state councils. With the 2002 program to be presented in June in a tent at the campus of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, the Council Tulsa Chautauqua has produced 11 different programs in 11 consecutive years in the city of Tulsa, and in most years, the Tulsa Chautauqua has traveled to one or two other towns in Oklahoma. The Great Plains Chautauqua was brought to Tulsa for its first chautauqua in 1992, but each year since, the Tulsa Chautauqua Committee has produced its own original program with a different theme for each year. Some of the original Chautauqua scholars from the Tulsa Chautauqua programs have gone on to participate in chautauquas and History Alive programs all over the country.
Link to the The Complete Chautauquan: Tulsa Council Chautauqua.
Winter Chautauqua, is not a new concept, but this use is to refer to two versions of winter chautauqua that are present today. The first is simply a Historic Winter Chautauqua concept that originated at Florida Chautauqua Assembly in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. It was closely modeled after the summer assembly of the original Chautauqua in New York and originally ran from 1885 to 1920. The Florida Winter Chautauqua was revived in 1996 and continues to hold an annual February weekend event. The second form is that of the Humanities Winter Chautauqua started in 2002 by Tulsa Community College Assistant Professor Suzan King and Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers Director Theresa Miller at OSU-Tulsa. The Tulsa Winter Chautauqua might be best described as a cross between the contemporary chautauqua model -- with the first person performance of historic and literary figures -- and the historic lyceum model -- with a winter schedule of lectures in public auditoriums. TOP
History Alive!, also known as School Chautauqua, is a program that takes the "contemporary model" chautauqua idea to the public schools. Children in many states have benefited from having people from history come into their schools to speak. To bring a real person into contact with students enables students to have a better understanding of history and the people who shaped it. This program is usually an individual historic figure portrayed by a scholar, as opposed to a humanities council chautauqua program that will have several scholars around a central theme.
Link to The Complete Chautauquan: History Alive!
Student Chautauquas, also known as Junior Chautauquas have become a part of the curriculum of many schools across the nation in the past few years. The children themselves become the "scholars." They study a person from history, learn about his or her life, and develop a monologue to present "in character" to other students. Some students have become very talented at this sort of program. Several of the humanities council chautauquas are auditioning the best of the student chautauqua scholars to showcase as opening cameos for their chautauqua events or even complete student chautauquas.
Link to the 2000 Young Chautauqua of the Great Basin Chautauqua; and to a 1998 press release on The Young Chautauqua Scholars at Strawberry Banke Museum.
Specialty Chautauquas have become known for emphasizing the arts and entertainment aspects of chautauquas, such as programs offered by the New Old Time Chautauqua on the West Coast. Musical Theater Chautauqua, for example, has become something of a well known program in the Great Lakes area. This form of chautauqua has revived one aspect of the circuit chautauquas -- music. The circuit chautauquas of old brought music to the people of rural America in tents, along with all the other programing. The Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua has brought musical performance and theater to the location three miles south of Bayfield, Wisconsin, in a tent each summer since 1986 -- and since 1994 with Tent Show Radio, a national network radio program that originates from the tent auditorium and is heard on Wisconsin Public Radio and other public radio programs around the country. Arts Festival Chautauquas appear to be another form of specialty chautauquas -- one such chautauqua in Madison, Indiana, has been an annual event for 30 years, which also includes a food fest and musical entertainment, and an arts festival chautauqua held its 16th Annual event in 2000.
Link to The Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua; and visit the New Old Time Chautauqua. Visit the The Complete Chautauquan: Arts Festival Chautauquas. TOP
Democratic Education at CAL, is a popular education organization that one might find linked to the word "chautauqua," because for the first few years of operation from 1981 to 1984 it was called "Chautauqua -- A Center for Democratic Education." Read Berkeley Professor John Hurst's article on adult education called Popular Education, which also has information about the Highlander Research and Education Center, an adult education institution in Tennessee that has been working in the rural areas of the Appalachians and the deep South since 1932 with such former students as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. TOP
Disney Chautauqua, known as Disney Institute, was inspired by Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Michael D. Eisner 's family vacation to the Chautauqua Institution in New York. Link to an article called Return of the Chautauqua. TOP
Senior Chautauqua takes form in such programs as Elder hostel, and the Southern Baptist Chautauqua. One organization, the Southern Baptist Convention, has bible study, crafts, and other special interest programs included in their Chautauqua -- as well as a golf tournament (greens fees not included in the Chautauqua fee). Link to Southern Baptist Chautauqua. Link to Spurgeon's College Summer Chautauqua, of London, England.
Cyber Chautauquas have stretched the use of the word to its limit, but I feel it must be included in this list of the meanings of chautauqua since they have kept education and the arts and sciences as their main focus. The "chautauquas" found on the Internet take two forms, the Continuing Education Chautauqua Seminar and the Virtual Chautauqua. Continuing Education Chautauqua Seminars are a part of adult education on the Internet. However, many are for the training of educators in certain fields of study, to prepare them to go back to the classroom with new information and technology, such as the program of the National Science Foundation Chautauqua. We live in an age where numerous professional members of a political, scientific or business community can come together in an instant, without the long train ride to a lakeside resort. And individuals who want to benefit from such a gathering can "log in" from their rural Iowa towns without having to wait for the big tent to arrive with the circuit chautauqua railroad cars. In some ways the chautauqua of the Internet, and, even better, the emerging National Computational Science Association Alliance Access Grid, which is better at connecting people than the World Wide Web, have turned cyberspace into the big top tent for the chautauquas of the future. Virtual Chautauqua has become a part of the Internet, where Web surfers can download music and other recorded arts and humanities performances. It is a trend that is likely to grow with the use of online services.
Link to The Complete Chautauquan: Cyber Chautauquas.
TOP Index for this page:
Chautauqua, New York
The Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC)
Chautauqua University
The Chautauqua Press
Independent Chautauquas
Jewish Chautauqua Society
Circuit Chautauquas
Chautauqua Movement
Chautauqua Stamp
Humanities Chautauqua
Great Plains Chautauqua
AHC Tulsa Chautauqua
Winter Chautauqua
History Alive!
Student Chautauqua
Democratic Education at CAL
Disney Chautauqua
Senior Chautauqua
Cyber Chautauquas
Pages on This Website:
Chautauqua Introduction
Lyceum and Chautauqua
Chautauqua History
The Lyceum
The CLSC
The Independents
Independents by Name
Independents by Town
Ottawa, KS,
Winfield, KS,
Siloam Springs, AR
DeFuniak Springs, FL
Independents by Meeting Dates
The Chautauqua Circuits
The Chautauquans
Chautauqua Talent Bureaus
Chautauqua Platform Talent
Who's Who in Chautauqua History
Chautauqua in Kansas
Chautauqua in Oklahoma
Chautauqua Today
The Historic Model Chautauquas
Camp Meeting Assns
Revival of Ideals
The Modern Model Chautauquas
Chautauqua Scholars HOT!
Tulsa, OK, Chautauqua
1999 Tulsa Photos
2001 Articles and Photos
Chautauqua Reference
The Complete Story
Chautauqua Collection
Chautauqua Postcards
Chautauqua Bibliography
Chautauqua Links
THE COMPLETE CHAUTAUQUAN HOME PAGE
Page Created 06/24/00