Ice Palaces and Airplanes for Santa
The Start of a Tradition
In 1929, the Wausau Retail Merchants Association invited Santa Claus to visit Wausau. It appeared as though Old St. Nicholas had finished making all the toys a few weeks early that year, and so he responded (by sending a “flying Eskimo”) that he would be coming to visit Wausau. When he arrived on the morning of December 3rd, Santa and his reindeer were greeted along the parade route by crowds that were so excited to see him that apparently the police had some difficulty “keeping the traffic lane clear for the sleigh as Santa Claus passed by.”
Santa then visited students at Central School and at Citizens State Bank, where the gathered children were allowed to pet his reindeer.1 Later in the day, Santa made visits to sick children at St. Mary’s Hospital and several homes, before heading back to the North Pole to make preparations for Christmas.
Children Visit Reindeer Team
--
Little Arctic Animals Petted by Children at Reception Last Night
--
Santa Claus and his reindeer entertained a large crowd of Wausau children at the Central school auditorium last night and those who were not able to see the little reindeer because of the crowds at the noon parade, were able to pet the deer last night and talk to Santa Claus.
Yesterday afternoon Santa Claus and his deer met many boys and girls in the lobby of the Citizens’ State bank. The reindeer Santa Claus brought are very tame and children were able to stand about them in the bank lobby.
When Santa Claus started for Wausau he was driving four reindeer, but the little deer from the North Pole are not happy in the United States and before Wisconsin was reached one died.
Then at Marshfield a few days ago another one of the reindeer injured itself so badly that it was not able to parade in Wausau yesterday.
Santa Claus enjoyed his trip to Wausau. He is grateful to the merchants of the retail division of the Wausau Chamber of Commerce for inviting him to come and he is also grateful to the many children who greeted him here.2
The visit by Santa Claus, his reindeer, and “Eskimo helpers” in 1929 was a big hit. And so the Retail Merchant Association of the Chamber of Commerce, who had sponsored the visit, decided to invite St. Nick back the following year.
Santa's Ice Palace
While Santa Claus' visit to Wausau in 1929 was for less than 24 hours, new preparations were made in 1930 so that he could remain in town for a nearly a week. For this, the second annual holiday parade honoring Santa Claus, the “Red-Faced Gent” decided to leave his reindeer to recover at a barn on the outskirts of town.3 Instead he was picked up in an automobile provided by the Retail Merchant Association, from which he toured through Wausau to greet the assembled crowds. Finally, St. Nick was brought to the courthouse square, where the Chamber of Commerce had built a tremendous Ice Palace.
^ Santa's home-away-from-home in Wausau, 1930.
“Santa Claus is so accustomed to the cold weather of the North Pole where he lives most of the year, that he would be uncomfortable if he stayed in a warm place for long. This ice palace will be built so Santa Claus will be comfortable while he stays here to find out what to bring Wausau children on Christmas Eve.”
-“Cherry Ice Palace Promised as Home for “Santa Claus.” Wausau Record Herald, (25 Nov 1930), 13.
The Ice Palace, which was said to be “the first of its kind in the state,” was lit with close to “200 electric lamps” that necessitated some 2,000 feet of electric wires. It was flanked by two “beautifully lighted” Christmas trees were placed at the corners, and green cuttings were placed on the roof. The spectacle of the Ice Palace attracted attention not only from local children, but from visitors from “all the cities, towns and villages in this section.”
As the papers reported the case the previous year, Santa had evidently finished all his preparations well in advance of the holidays, as he remained in Wausau for the next six days, right up to Christmas Day. Each afternoon, any children who wanted to meet Santa in person could come to the Ice Palace in the afternoon and evening, to tell him what gifts they hoped to receive.
Despite the austerity of the Great Depression that was starting to grip the Country in the 1930s, the holiday visit from Santa Claus became an annual tradition. The Ice Palace returned in 1931, although the warm winter nearly caused organizers to cancel its creation for worries about its structural integrity. Another palace was built in 1933, due to the public pressure after one wasn’t built in 1932. But by 1934, the pageantry of Santa’s annual visit to Wausau had moved away from the ice palace to other novelties.4 In the mid 1930s, the holiday parade’s organizers tried to add some variety by having Santa accompanied by other children’s characters, such as Mother Goose in 1936 and Cinderella in 1937.
Airplane Travel for Santa
^ "Santa Practices Flying" from 1949 (partially colorized by MCHS). "The bearded gent" is shown here being helped out of the biplane by Norman De Tienne, Raymond H. Bohl, and Elmer Sippl.
But the tradition introduced in 1937 that would become a staple of Wausau's holiday season turned out not to be Cinderella, but the way that Santa Claus arrived in town; by airplane.
In 1937, Santa's airplane (decorated “in true Christmas fashion” with “the bright, gleaming colors of the season”) circled the city before landing at Alexander Municipal Airport. Then he got on a special float prepared for him, which took him through the streets of Wausau on the parade route, before finally ending up at courthouse square.
“Several hundred children and older friends of Santa, as well, are expected to throng Alexander airport this evening as the time approaches for St. Nick’s visit. All boys and girls who can possibly get there are urged to be on hand to bid him welcome.”
-“Christmas Lights to Inform Boys and Girls of Santa’s Arrival” Wausau Record Herald. 10 Dec 1937.
Airplanes were still new enough that there was an element of excitement and maybe even some suspense to watch one come in for a landing. But by the late 1930s and through the 1940s, airplane travel was becoming more common, and by having Santa arrive by air (unfortunately without the reindeer-pulled sleigh), it had the added benefit of highlighting the city's municipal airport.
^ Santa greeting his gathered fans at the airport.
The tradition of inviting Santa Claus to Wausau via airplane for his parade and to meet local children continued for several decades. Some years he would mount a float decorated for the holidays, other years he traveled by sleigh pulled by "reindeer" or dogs. But generations of children took advantage these visits to tell St. Nick what they wanted for Christmas.
Over the years, Santa's parade changed its final destination. Sometimes it led him the courthouse, other years it ended at Marathon Park or the YMCA. In some years, Old Saint Nick left to head back to the North Pole, other years he had time to greet children, maybe with a radio broadcast being made for anyone who could not come and see Mr. Claus in person.
^ Santa holding court from his throne, at the Public Service's auditorium, early 1950s
The tradition of local children greeting Santa Claus at the airport at the start of a parade, had came to an end by the early 1980s. But though Santa no longer arrives by airplane to Wausau, he has been known to make appearances at the Holiday Parade, which continues to be an important part of the winter season today.
^ Footage of the 2019 Wausau Holiday Parade, from Wausau Area Access Media.
See Also: Letters to Santa Claus
Notes:
1- Interestingly, it is unclear whether Santa brought actual reindeer for this event. Over the years, you often saw common, domesticated deer that were native to Wisconsin, which were dressed up as Rudolph and company. But the accounts of Santa’s 1929 visit specifically call them “Alaskan reindeer” (a notable species of North American caribou), and reporters took care to address the disappointment of some spectators by clarifying that they were exactly the height mature reindeer should be.
2- From December 4, 1929; It is also interesting to see how newspapers went about creating explanations for Santa's visits over the years. The writer of this story for example, could easily have explained the fact there were only two reindeer (rather than the four promised) by saying Santa sent two of his friends home... but instead they decided to report that one had been gravely injured while the other straight up died. Clearly the reporter felt a professional obligation to provide true explanations of the fate of the reindeer, but this sort of explanation (which popped up from time to time) was perhaps not the most child-friendly explanation.
3- In reality there probably were no actual "reindeer" that year, considering the mortality rate of the animals from the previous year.
4- Other ice palaces were built over the years, such as one in 1954 constructed on the tennis courts of the YMCA. But these were one-off additions and not regular parts of the annual parade.