Counting down the most-liked and most-shared posts on our Tumblr blog, Wisco Histo, for the month of August.
3. An iconic State Fair treat
2. Early 20th century university women
1. Works from an early Wisconsin music industry star
Composer Carrie Jacobs-Bond was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on August 11, 1862. One of the most well-known popular songwriters of her day, Jacobs-Bond sold almost 20 million copies of sheet music over the course of her career. In honor of her birthday, we posted examples of her work from the Wisconsin Sheet Music Database.
Another Tumblr blog devoted to the history of Riverside, California provided some details on the origins of one of Bond’s most popular compositions, A Perfect Day (1910).
citruscitybro: A Perfect Day was actually composed in Riverside, about a day spent here.
Jacobs-Bond was a frequent visitor to the Mission Inn in the early 1900s. The particular visit that inspired the song was in 1909. She spent the day on Mt. Rubidoux, then returned to her room at the Inn to watch the sun set behind the mountain from her balcony. She came up with the words right there on the spot, and solidified the tune during a visit to the Mojave Desert several months later.
The carillon at the Mission Inn used to play A Perfect Day at sunset every day.