Greater America Exposition
The Greater America Exposition was a world's fair held on North Omaha, Nebraska from July 1 to October 31, 1899.[1]
Greater America Exposition | |
---|---|
Grand Court with red brick walkways | |
Overview | |
BIE-class | Unrecognized exposition |
Name | Greater America Exposition |
Visitors | 845,000 |
Organized by | George Miller |
Location | |
Country | United States of America |
City | Omaha |
Venue | Kountze Park |
Coordinates | 41°17′29″N 95°56′21″W |
Timeline | |
Opening | July 1, 1899 |
Closure | October 31, 1899 |
Formation
After the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition exhibition a group of investors decided to retain some of the buildings and hold a second exhibition at Kountze Park in 1899.[2] President McKinley expressed support for the exhibition as an opportunity to show America's new possessions.[2]
Grounds
The grounds were refurbished with 500 staff patching and painting buildings and replanting flower beds.[1] And the concrete walkways were replaced by red brick ones.[1]
Buildings
There were agriculture,[3] apiary,[4] colonial exhibits,[5] dairy,[6] fine arts and liberal arts,[7] horticulture,[8] international,[9] manufactures,[10] and mines and mining,[11] buildings, a machinery hall,[12] a 520 by 150 feet United States pavilion,[13] and auxiliary buildings including press, fire, police and a hospital.[14]
New possessions
One March 18, 1899 the government agreed to transport agents to fetch exhibits from Cuba, Hawaii, the Philippines and Porto Rico.[2]
60 tubs of Hawaiian plants were destroyed when customs officials dumped the Hawaiian shipment,[2] and a second Hawaiian shipment went missing between San Francisco and Omaha.[2] After the exhibition some of the Hawaiian exhibits were sent to a forthcoming Paris exhibition.[2]
The Cuban village included over 700 snakes, a garrotte and the hangman Valentine Ruiz.[2]
The Philippines had planned to include monkeys, native birds and four water buffaloes. Six water buffaloes were shipped though only two water buffaloes arrived in Omaha.[2]
See also
- Treaty of Paris (1898) for the Treaty that led to the new possessions which McKinley wanted to show.
References
- Sasse. "A History of the 1899 Greater America Exposition in North Omaha – North Omaha History". Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "1899 Greater America Expo Notes". Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 8–9.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 30.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 23–25.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 22.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 26–27.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 28–29.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 10.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 11–13.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 19–21.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 14–15.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 6.
- Greater America Exposition: Map of Grounds, Diagram of Buildings. July 1, 1899. p. 18.
External links
- "Trans-Mississippi Exposition" by UNL and the University of Omaha has many images of the buildings at the fair.
- "A History of the 1899 Greater America Exposition" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com