9/23/2012:
In the late 1880s, entertainment was often hard to find and mostly centered around weddings, opera houses and productions at the local high school. However, there was one event with roots going back to the ancients – horse racing.
On this date in 1892, the Hillsboro Driving Park announced plans for a two-day racing event to be held in October with a total purse of fifteen hundred dollars to lure some of the best horse breeders in the state. There would be eight events including trotters and pacers, each with a prize of two hundred dollars and even a pony event with a fifty dollar cash prize. But it was more than entertainment, as good horses sold for large sums.
Dakota Datebook written by Jim Davis
Source: The Hillsboro Banner