Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 1 / Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties

by William Denison Lyman

The first fairs were somewhat broken and irregular.

Apparently the germ of our county fairs was the establishment of a race course on the flat west of town running around the hill adjoining what is now the Coyle place, by George H. Porter. In the Statesman of October 18, 1862, is quite a flaming advertisement of the races. They were to last four days, October 30th to November 2d. There were to be purses of $100, $50 and $150 for winners, with 20 per cent for entries. Buckley's Saloon was to be headquarters for making entries. Admission was to be 50 cents. The proprietor seems to have been somewhat on the order of a "bad man," as he later became involved in a murder case.

On July 9, 1866, an agricultural society was organized, of which the officers were: President, H. P. Isaacs; vice presidents, Anderson Cox, and W. H. Newell; treasurer, J. D. Cook; secretary, R. R. Rees; executive committee, Charles Russell, T. S. Lee and A. A. Blanchard. Under the management of this society the first county fair was held on October 4, 5 and 6, 1866.

Another organization, known as the Washington Territory Agricultural, Mining, and Art Fostering Society, undertook the maintenance of fairs in 1870. In September of that year the first of a series was held until 1873. Finding that the grounds were too far from the city they were sold and the fairs discontinued.

In 1875 C. S. Bush laid out a racetrack at the place where Watertown now exists, and there a fair was held in October of that year. That place was for many years the location of races and fairs and public gatherings of all sorts.

During that same year of 1875 the first definite organization looking to promoting immigration was organized, and a thirty-page pamphlet was published setting forth the attractions of the Walla Walla Valley for business and residence.

As years passed increasing interest in the annual meets led to an attempt to give them a permanent character, and in 1897 the Fruit Growers Association, of which Dr. N. G. Blalock was president, undertook to finance and manage the fairs with a degree of system which had not hitherto prevailed. The first fair under the auspices of the Fruit Growers was held in the courthouse. The two succeeding were held in Armory hall. In 1900 a pavilion was erected on Second Street and for several years the annual fairs were held at that place. As an illustration of the character of the fairs of that stage of history we are incorporating here an account of the fair of 1900, taken from the October number of the Inland Empire magazine:

"The Fourth Annual Fruit Fair of the Walla Walla Valley was held in the City of Walla Walla October 1 to 7 inclusive, and was in every way the most successful and satisfactory exposition ever attempted in Southeastern Washington. This was true as to the financial aspect of the fair, as to the attendance and as to the quality of fruit on display.

"Nature was responsible for the latter feature of the success of the fair, as she is responsible for much that goes to make up the category of the virtues of the Walla Walla Valley. Give our agriculturists and horticulturists a year with a well regulated rainfall, and frost which considerately stays away when not wanted, and they will with diligence and careful culture produce grapes, pears, apples and most every kind of fruits and vegetables of such quality and size as are seen in no other part of the Union.