I quite enjoyed The World's Columbian Exposition: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, by Norman Bolotin & Christine Laing as it was rather like an early version of a virtual tour! There was even a photo where figures had been added in ... just like something being "photo-shopped" these days, right? ;-) This was a huge undertaking, so big there is no accurate accounting of every display and exhibit. It boggled my mind when I then considered how far many of them had to travel to come, and what travel was like in 1893. There were camels for the 'Wild East Show', and mule teams as part of Uncle Sam's "Corps of Kickers" (although these were just statues). The Washington building was cited as being one of the most interesting, while the 'street in Cairo' was considered rather scandalous because of the belly dancers. Great pictures, interesting read! (For other books on the Columbian Exposition, see the post for February 14, 2015).

Less than two decades later there would be something closer to home: Alaska-Yukon -Pacific Exposition: Washington's First World's Fair: a Timeline History, by Alan J. Stein, Paula Becker & the HistoryLink Staff. The UW campus was determined as the best site (close to transportation, electricity, etc.) ... however ... due to the law stating that there could be no alcoholic beverages with two miles it would make the AYP the only dry world's fair in history. Once again there were wonderful displays and exhibits from all over the world. A team of sled dogs pulled the first log of the Arctic Brotherhood Building into place on November 10, 1908. There was an exhibit of the new incubator, featuring real babies that were swapped out on a regular basis. There was an airship fraught with problems but in spite of this Seattle became a center for air transportation. The suffragists used the fair to promote their goal of votes for women. (Washington became the fifth state to grant women the vote in 1910). And, my favorite story, the widow of AYP executive director John Chilberg, Anna, was the unofficial first lady of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair! (She thought her husband would have loved it).

Reading Hermit With Dog