The Oregon State Building was built of logs and was a reproduction of Fort Clatsop, the fort in which Lewis and Clark and their companions resided during their stay in Oregon in the winter of 1805-6. Two square wings stood diagonally from each front corner of the building like the old fortress abutments used in the days when it was necessary for pioneer settlers to maintain such defenses against the hostile Indians.
The cost of the erection and maintenance of the building was $9,000, of which the Lewis and Clark Exposition Company contributed $3,500.
Not including the exhibits in the Oregon Building, the State made
exhibits in six exhibit palaces, as follows: Agricultural Pavilion,
Horticultural Pavilion, Educational Pavilion, Forestry Pavilion, Mining
Pavilion, and Fish and Game Pavilion.
In the Educational Department a very interesting display was made by the State board of education and the public schools of approximately all the towns in the State.
In the Forestry, Fish, and Game Building were exhibits by large lumber corporations of the State and a very interesting display of mounted specimens of fish and game, furs and rugs, also cannery displays from the fish-canning concerns. The Oregon State experimental stations at Corvallis and Union made very interesting exhibits of grains and grasses in the Palace of Agriculture. The same classes of products were exhibited by about 60 individual exhibitors, residents of the State of Oregon. While grains and grasses formed the largest exhibit, there were also interesting displays of wool, mohair, hops, milling stuffs, evaporated cream, and vegetables and fruit, both evaporated and in jars.
In the Horticultural Building about 50 exhibitors displayed specimens of the fruits of Oregon. Apples, pears, and prunes were shown in interesting variety and unexcelled quality.
Four exhibitors made exhibits in the Live Stock Department.
In the Mines and Metallurgy Building there was a very unique and interesting display of mineral specimens, many of which were loaned to the State of Oregon for use at the exposition. Among the specimens there were collections of gold quartz and nuggets from the various gold mines of the State. Besides the gold, there were shown collections of polished pebble, copper ores, native silver, including cobalt and antimony ores, crystals, opals, marble, jasper, asbestos, limestone, kaolin, asphaltum, and tellurium ores. There were also displayed Indian curios, ethnological, geological, and other specimens, all found in the State of Oregon. The total value of the exhibit in the Mines and Metallurgy Building was estimated at $35,000.
The cost of installing and maintaining the exhibits in the several palaces were as follows:
Agricultural Building …………….. $7,117
Horticultural Building ……………. 6,148
Educational Building ……………… 3,800
Forestry Building ………………… 3,200
Mines and Metallurgy Building ……… 5,000
Fish and Game Building ……………. 2,300