Chautauqua County's annual tradition of fireworks along the shores of Chautauqua Lake on Independence Day dates back nearly 100 years and was once considered a new and inspiring experiment. That's according to County Historian Norman Carlson, who recently documented an account from July 5, 1934 about the now-traditional red flare display along the lake.
Carlson writes that "the feature of the Fourth of July display hereabouts was undoubtedly the red flare showing along the shores of Chautauqua Lake, timed between ten and ten fifteen o'clock in the evening." He described the scene as "beautiful and truly inspiring to those who made it a point to see it from vantage points on or about the lake."
Even in its early years, observers saw the possibility of something enduring. Carlson noted that the display "may well be made an annual custom" and could eventually create "a Chautauqua Lake significance such as the famed Chautauqua salute," drawing visitors "just to see it." He also wrote that credit for the idea was given to Earle Hultquist, with execution led by the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce, which "sponsored it and used its influence to sell the idea to cottage owners and others about the lake."
He also pointed to the community effort behind the display, suggesting that with broader participation -- including “hotel managements, groups of Boy Scouts or other workers to fill in the vacant spots and make the placing of the flares uniform and general” -- the event could grow in both beauty and scale.
According to Carlson, the entire effort was accomplished "with very little expense to any single individual and probably a total expense of no more than $350."
He closed with a simple acknowledgment of the collaboration behind the tradition, stating: "We commend the originator of the idea, the sponsor and all who had a part in it."
Photo from Chautauqua County Government
