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Tulare County at the Pan-Pacific International Exposition
Tulare County at the Pan-Pacific International Exposition
Words & Photos Provided by Terry Ommen
One of the biggest and best celebrations in California history was the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915. Sometimes called the San Francisco World’s Fair, it was created to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but also gave the city of San Francisco a chance to show off its recovery from the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire.
The grounds used for the world-class event stretched for about three miles along the city’s north waterfront in what is now known as the Marina District. Some of the site had been marshland, sand dunes, and tide pools, and had to be filled in.
The exposition took about four years to build, and when it was finished, the site included 635 acres of ornate buildings, beautiful gardens, impressive sculptures, several grandstands, athletic fields, and wide boulevards. There was even a large amusement park called “The Joy Zone.” The grounds seemed to sparkle, not unlike a precious gemstone, so it became known as the “Jewel City.”
Artists, athletes, and craftspeople from all over the world were invited to show off their talents, and each county in California was offered display space in the California Building; Tulare County took advantage of it. The exposition opened to the public on February 20, 1915, for a nearly 10-month run, and had something for everyone.
Tulare County’s exhibit was not ready on opening day, but Arthur E. Miot, Secretary of the county’s Board of Trade had big plans. He began his display design with some rough sketches, then had a Los Angeles artist turn them into detailed renderings. The final drawings were described as “artistic and comprehensive.” Miot was secretive and did not share his plans as “there is a great deal of rivalry among the California counties in the matter of attractive displays at the exposition and ideas are closely guarded…”
In March, the Tulare County exhibit was completed with the formal dedication set for Saturday, March 13th. As the day approached, Tulare County newspapers encouraged residents to attend the event to show county pride, and they responded. As the crowd gathered at the exhibit, everything was in place and it looked spectacular! The displays were neatly organized on tables, stands, and in cases with agricultural products dominating the space. Many dairy products and fruit—especially oranges—were showcased, as were canned fruit, like peaches.
As the 200 or so people gathered at the Tulare County exhibit, speaker after speaker addressed the crowd. J. Sub Johnson, a former president of the county Board of Trade was the speaker of the day and praised San Francisco’s recovery from the big earthquake. He spoke of Tulare County’s abundance of food, and closed by saying, “We want everyone who visits the exposition to come to Tulare and see what we have to offer,” and added proudly that visitors should especially see the “42,000 acres of citrus lands.” Secretary Miot pointed out the educational aspects of the exposition, and Edward Rainey, representing Mayor James Rolph of San Francisco, welcomed the Tulareans on behalf of the city’s leader. The kickoff ceremony ended with each in attendance receiving an orange from groves near Porterville or Lindsay.
After the event, a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner newspaper shared his thoughts of the county. “Tulare County literally tops the United States,” he wrote, then clarified his comments by saying that Mt. Whitney was the tallest mountain in the United States and was in Tulare County. He went on to call the county a land of superlatives, noting that Tulare Lake, even though it was dry, was once the largest body of water in the state, the Giant Sequoia trees were some of the biggest trees in the world, and the county had the largest acreage of oranges in the state. It was even mentioned that Tulare County at one time had “the most famous train robbers in the world,” an embarrassing reference to the exploits of the notorious bandits Chris Evans and John Sontag.
The Pan-Pacific International Exposition continued until December 4, 1915, and ended with a bang, literally. The most dramatic part of the finale was a pyrotechnic display described as the “heaviest and most elaborate” ever attempted. More than half a ton of powder was used to hurl rockets, bombs, and “star shells” into the air.
During the exposition’s 288-day run, close to 19 million visitors from around the world experienced its glory. Thirty-nine countries took part and about 80,000 exhibits had been on display. It was clearly a success and early estimates showed a net profit of more thanz $2 million.
Tulare County obviously benefited from the exposition publicity, and it also benefited in other ways: Fair officials were under contract to clear the site within four months of its closing, so workers began to dismantle all evidence of it quickly. Many of the 15,000 pieces of sculpture displayed throughout the grounds needed to be disposed of, and a large number were destroyed. Other statues were made available free of charge to organizations, who were charged only crating and shipping costs.
In 1916, Tulare County requested and received approval from fair officials to get Solon Borglum’s “The Pioneer.” In 1919, “The End of the Trail” statue sculpted by James Earle Fraser was also acquired by Tulare County. For many years, both stood proudly in Mooney Grove Park.
