Originally published 12/9/2020
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 offered Seattle a unique opportunity for growth and visibility on the World stage. Folks heading north to make their fortune in the Alaskan goldfields bought their supplies and boarded ships in downtown Seattle which had eight years prior been totally reduced to ashes by the Great Fire of 1889. Successful prospectors returning by ship disembarked at those same docks and left much of their new wealth with local businesses.
Twelve years later, in 1909, Seattle hosted Washington’s
first World’s Fair in order to promote growth by highlighting the connections
between the city and local resources, riches to the north and the entire
Pacific Rim. It was called the Alaska,
Yukon, Pacific Exposition or AYPE. The
event ran from June 1st through October 15th.
During that 4 ½ month period special events were staged to draw fair-goers from far and wide, in part, by highlighting other cities and states. On “Kansas Day,” Kansans were issued sunflower badges and treated to a giant picnic. “Oregon Day” featured a performance by the “Portland Festival Chorus” a promenade and a dance. On “Bellingham Day” souvenir postcards, fresh Whatcom County cherries and sample bags of rich soil the cherries had grown in were given out.