The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (A-Y-P) is considered to be Washington’s first “world’s fair.” The A-Y-P was mandated by the Washington State Legislature to provide a venue to display the advantages of living in this region. It brought prosperity and riches to the Pacific Northwest and Washington state had much to be proud.
The A-Y-P was held on the University of Washington campus between June 1 and October 16, 1909, and hosted nearly 3 million visitors and tourists. Exhibits were presented by foreign nations, western states, and numerous business, scientific, artistic, and social organizations.
Every day at the fair was special! Olga Carlson came with her family from what is now Happy Valley, Redmond, for Swedish Day. She kept a diary and the following is her entry for the day:
**Swedish Day was celebrated July 31st and had up to 40,352 admissions. Festivities began with a parade in Swedish national costumes.
Resources:
Eastside Heritage Center, Lester Olson Collection
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition : A Timeline History: Alan Stein, Paula Becker and the HistoryLink Staff, 2009
University of Washington Special Collections
4Culture AYP Curriculum Project 2009