Lewis and Clark Exposition
Balloon over Guild's Lake at the Expo
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| Official name | |
|---|---|
| Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair | |
| Details | |
| Dates | June 1, 1905 to October 14, 1905 |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Coordinates | 45°32′16″N 122°42′26″W / 45.537813°N 122.7073395°WCoordinates: 45°32′16″N 122°42′26″W / 45.537813°N 122.7073395°W |
| Attendance | 2,554,000 |
| Theme | Lewis and Clark Expedition |
| Motto | Westward The Course of Empire Takes Its Way |
| map |  |
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the centennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. While not officially considered a World's Fair by the Bureau of International Expositions, it is often informally described as such; the exposition attracted both exhibits and visitors from around the world. During the exposition's four-month run, it attracted over 1.6 million visitors, and featured exhibits from 21 countries. Portland grew from 161,000 to 270,000 residents between 1905 and 1910, a spurt that has been attributed to the exposition.
Since its founding in 1845, Portland had evolved into a major economic center, largely fueled by the arrival of the railroads. Three transcontinental railroads used Portland as their Pacific coast terminus – the Northern, Southern, and Union Pacific Railroads. Meanwhile, Portland’s wheat and flour industries were growing at an amazing rate, and Portland held “the largest flour mill on the Pacific coast.” The unparalleled timber industry continued to grow, as “Oregon is second [in wooded area], with 54,300 square miles” and “in quantity of standing lumber, Oregon leads the Union, with 300 billion feet…” Oregon’s shipping was growing, too, fueled by a $1.5 million project to dike and dredge the Columbia River. During this time, Oregon's population grew from 13,294 in 1850 to 413,536 in 1900, a 3,000-percent growth, compared to the 1000-percent growth of the nation as a whole.
Despite all these positive factors, though, Oregon was not unaffected by the nationwide Long Depression, which had particular effect in 1893. Jobs were lost across the country as railroads grew too fast on a weak banking system and agricultural values fell. The state’s elite business leaders all attempted to devise plans to boost the economy. Dan McAllen, a dry goods merchant, suggested in 1895 “that Portland mark the new century and pull itself out of its economic slump by holding some sort of international fair.” Since the area’s focus was on other issues, his proposal went unnoticed for a few years. The idea of a fair came up again occasionally, but no concentrated effort was made for various reasons. It was not until mid-1900 that this sort of action began, when “J.M. Long of the Portland Board of Trade put together a provisional committee” to begin planning some sort of fair.
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