Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration

1. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009

2. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Centennial1909-2009 A curriculum project developed in partnership with HistoryLink.org and Heritage 4Culture.

3. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 On June 1, 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific (A-Y-P) Exposition opened in Seattle. It brought more than three million people from around the world to the University of Washington campus to look at exhibits and enjoy amusements. There was so much to see that many people visited the fair over and over. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg . UW27926z)

4. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. Nowell x1275) So here’s your chance to learn all about it.Now, grab a ticket…

5. . . . and come along for the ride Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x2998)

6. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW9452) Seattle had come a long way since pioneers first began to arrive in this land inhabited by the Duwamish in 1851 to build homes and businesses.

7. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. SEA0232) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 It had grown from a remote settlement . . .

8. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. SEA2220) . . . to a bustling city in just 54 years. Improved transportation to and from Seattle for people and freight made it possible for the city to grow. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009

9. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Oceangoing ships connected Seattle with Alaska, Asia, and the rest of the world. Many smaller boats connected Seattle with ports on Puget Sound and Lake Washington – so many that they were called the Mosquito Fleet, like a swarm of mosquitoes. Courtesy Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society (Neg. No. 695-3 and (Neg. No. 1741-104))

10. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. A. Curtis 05612) The Great Northern Railway opened the first transcontinental railroad terminal in Seattle in 1893.

11. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. SEA2190 and SEA1345)

12. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Wilse 102C) The muddy roads in and around Seattle began to be improved to allow for smoother traveling conditions for horse-drawn wagons and buggies.

13. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 But the main reason for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest’s sudden growth was the discovery of gold in Alaska and along the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. To get to the Yukon you had to go through Alaska. Courtesy Museum of History & Industry (No. 2002.3.459)

14. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Seattle was the gateway to Alaska and to the Klondike goldfields. Canada required hopeful gold miners to take a ton of provisions with them when they undertook the arduous trip from Alaska into the Yukon. Most miners purchased the necessary food and supplies here in Seattle. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No WAR0400), (Neg. No ADV0448), (Neg. No ADV0244)

15. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Seattle businesses prospered when miners set out and prospered again when they returned home. Many returned empty handed. But the lucky ones who found gold in Alaska bought gifts for their families at local shops and some even decided to start businesses here. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW1758) and (Neg. No. 1983.10.7669.3

16. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. A. Curtis 13395) Seattle was quickly becoming an important city. City leaders hoped that if they could encourage more people to come to this area to find jobs, buy homes, and start businesses, that Seattle could become the principal city on the West Coast.

17. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 At the turn of the century, world’s fairs were a popular way to showcase industrial advances and the special resources and advantages of different regions.

18. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Why not hold a world’s fair in Seattle? It would be a great opportunity to inform people about the wonderful resources of the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska. Many Seattle people were connected with Alaska.

19. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Organizers named the event the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition because they wanted to promote the resources of Alaska and of Canada’s Yukon Territory. They also wanted to promote the importance of trade with Pacific Rim countries. Countries from around the world reserved space to exhibit their resources. Some even built entire buildings. The A-Y-P was set to be a truly international, multicultural event. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW18947)

20. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The A-Y-P needed the perfect location. It would need enough land to construct buildings for exhibits. It also needed to be in an area of Seattle that could be reached from downtown.

21. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Situated on the shores of Lake Washington, it had a beautiful view of Mount Rainier and a large forested area mostly empty of buildings. Courtesy UW Special Collections (UWC0044) They selected the wooded campus of the University of Washington.

22. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 People who lived in the Pacific Northwest quickly became excited about the upcoming A-Y-P and what it could mean for continued growth in the region. On June 1, 1907, they broke ground, which officially started the A-Y-P construction project. You can see by the huge crowds that the A-Y-P was a highly anticipated event. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW26865)

23. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW27548)  A-Y-P officials used a gold-colored pick and shovel on Groundbreaking Day. A man in the crowd asked them to let one of the locals lend a hand in the digging ceremony.

24. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 As soon as he was handed the gold-colored shovel, the man darted into the crowd and disappeared. The golden shovel was never seen again! The crowd then realized that it would like to have a souvenir of this important day too. People grabbing the small flags and other decorations destroyed the stage! Courtesy UW Special Collections, (Neg. No. AYP452)

25. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW 11729) Before long, workers began clearing trees from the University of Washington campus.

26. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Digital ID No.PAM0151) A-Y-P organizers chose the Olmsted Brothers to design the grounds. They were the most respected landscape designers of that time. Views of Mount Rainier, Lake Washington, and Lake Union were used as focal points for the design.

27. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowellx170 Some of the structures designed for the A-Y-P were built to be used as university classroom buildings after the fair.

28. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Other huge buildings, like the Government Building, were designed to be torn down after the 4½ month A-Y-P ended.

29. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Publicity for the fair was very important. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW24311) People sent postcards to all parts of the United States to spread the word about the upcoming A-Y-P.

30. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Courtesy United States Postal Service School children helped by writing letters to schools across the United States telling other children why they should convince their parents to come to the A-Y-P and bring them along!

31. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 There were articles written in newspapers all over the world. According to this one, a French writer did “not seem to be very well informed of the exact location of Seattle although he knows that it is somewhere along the Pacific Coast."

32. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 A-Y-P organizers asked artists to submit ideas for an official A-Y-P logo that could be used for all publicity, official publications, and fair souvenirs. The winning design was created by Adelaide Hanscom, an artist and photographer who moved to Seattle after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed her studio there. She won $500 for first place. Courtesy UW Special Collections

33. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The local streetcar system and the Northern Pacific Railroad helped advertise the A-Y-P and how to get to Seattle and to the fairgrounds. Courtesy UW Special Collections

34. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW23379) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Local businesses created small-scale advertisements featuring their products and passed them out at the A-Y-P as souvenirs.

35. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Some ads were more creative than others. This was a fold-up ad that promoted a way to get to the A-Y-P fairgrounds aboard the Flyer, which was one of the Mosquito Fleet steamers.

36. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x2833) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Finally it was opening day and the ticket takers at the main gate were ready for the huge crowds expected to attend.

37. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW28094) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 More than 80,000 people attended the A-Y-P on that first day.

38. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x1040a) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The A-Y-P grounds were spectacular — just as the event planners had hoped!

39. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x1990) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The south entrance was designed with a mixture of Asian and Native American influences. Light bulbs in the totem poles’ eyes could be lit up at night.

40. The Government Building was located at the head of the Court of Honor. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009

41. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The Government Building featured educational exhibits from the Smithsonian Museum that included the desk on which the Declaration of Independence was written, a replica of a Pony Express rider, and General Sherman’s battle wagon from the Civil War. ) Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x2344) and (Neg. No. AYP1191 Courtesy MOHAI (Neg. No. 1990.73.176)

42. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The Agriculture Building was one of the most popular of the educational buildings because it featured an exhibit from every county in Washington state and showcased their unique natural resources.

43. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 Wenatchee showed off its famous apples. Snohomish County filled its exhibit with samples of rock from mines around its towns. Courtesy UW Special Collections,(Neg. No. UW8308) and (Neg. No. Nowell x2009)

44. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009  Alaska had its own special building at the A-Y-P.

45. Alaska was well- known for its unusual but convenient mode of transportation – the dog sled. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 But of course, Alaska’s most impressive display was the one filled with gold nuggets! Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. AYP002) and (Neg. No. AYP658)

46. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The Forestry Building featured the amazing lumber resources located here in the Pacific Northwest.

47. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. AYP313) Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 There was a pair of huge dice. Each one was made from a single piece of wood.

48. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 People marveled at the length and width of the logs found in the forests here. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. AYP312) and (Neg. No. Nowell x2980)

49. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 The New York Building was built to look just like William Seward’s home located in New York State. William Seward was the man who arranged for the United States to purchase Alaska. This building was used to host dinners for important dignitaries who visited the A-Y-P.

50. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration 1909-2009 California promoters wanted the world to know that it had the perfect climate to grow fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Their building had an elephant made entirely of walnuts… and a huge lemon made up of individual lemons. Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. Nowell x1741) and (Neg. No. Nowell x1730)