Hello Nancy,
The Bolivian Indian Village exhibit was located on Tilyou Walk at the Ocean, at what would now be West 16th Street. Indigenous natives were common attractions at Coney Island at the end of the nineteenth century, and the humane treatment of the odd visitors became a cause for reformers who monitored the shows for abuses. American Indians, Philippine tribesmen, and Eskimos were were among those displayed in re-creations of their native habitats.
The Bolivian exhibit came to a sad end on August 24th, 1893 when a freak wave during a storm wiped out the entire village as the natives slept in their beachfront huts. The extent of injuries to the indians is unknown and the show did not reopen.
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I am also curious to know whether the archives are open to researchers?
Many thanks.
Sincerely,
Mary
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