View source for Trans-Mississippi Exposition

{{Short description|World's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska}}
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{{Infobox World's Fair
| box_width       = 
| class           = 
| category        = 10
| image           = Trans-Mississippi Canal.jpg
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| caption         = East portion of Lagoon. Gondolas and Swan Boat with passengers. Machinery & Electricity Building, Twin Tower Restaurants, and Colonnade visible to the northeast
| year            = 1898
| name            = Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition
| motto           = 
| building        = 
| area            = 180-acre
| invent          = 
| visitors        = 2,613,508
| organized       =
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| cnt             = 
| org             = 
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| country         = United States of America
| city            = Omaha
| venue           = [[Kountze Park (Omaha, Nebraska)|Kountze Park]]
| coord           = {{coord|41.2914798|-95.9391403|format=dms|type:landmark}}
| cand            = 
| award           = 
| open            = June 1, 1898
| close           = November 1, 1898
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The '''Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition''' was a [[world's fair]] held in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], from June 1 to November 1, 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West from the [[Mississippi River]] to the [[Pacific Coast]]. The [[Indian Congress]] was held concurrently. Over 2.6{{nbsp}}million people came to Omaha to view the 4,062 exhibits during the five months of the Exposition. President [[William McKinley]] and [[William Jennings Bryan]] were among the dignitaries who attended at the invitation of [[Gurdon Wattles]], the event's leader. A hundred thousand people assembled on the plaza to hear them speak. The Expo stretched over a {{convert|180|acre|km2|adj=on}} tract in [[North Omaha]] and featured a {{convert|2000|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} lagoon encircled by 21 classical buildings that featured fine and modern products from around the world.<ref>{{usurped|1="[https://web.archive.org/web/20061115223519/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/trans_miss_expo_parade.htm Trans-Mississippi Exposition Parade]."}} Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 2/6/08.</ref><ref>Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B. (1997) ''The Gate City: A History of Omaha''. University of Nebraska Press. p. 43.</ref><ref>"[http://www2.ops.org/OOE/govern3.htm When the World Came to Omaha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104030511/http://www2.ops.org/OOE/govern3.htm |date=2007-01-04 }}."</ref>

One reporter wrote, "Perhaps the candid Nebraskan would tell you in a moment of frank contriteness that the prime object of this exposition was to boom Omaha."

== Timeline ==
[[Image:Joseph Bird Head with handcrafted club c. 1898.jpg|thumb|A young [[Sioux]] boy poses with a club while part of a "living display" at the Exposition]]

The decision to hold [an] Exposition was made in late 1895 by a small committee of Omaha businessmen determined to hold the Expo, led by banker [[Gurdon Wattles]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.civilwarmuseumnc.org/TMbuilding.html |title=Trans-Miss Expo Construction Timeline |access-date=January 28, 2007 |archive-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720082050/http://www.civilwarmuseumnc.org/TMbuilding.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In making their decision, the committee set aside several sites for consideration, including an area near 16th Avenue and Pershing Drive in [[East Omaha]], near the now-dry Florence Lake. It was the preferred site for the Exposition early in 1897.<ref>(1989) [http://www.omaha.lib.ne.us/transmiss/secretary/locating.html ''Locating the Exposition''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926105842/http://www.omaha.lib.ne.us/transmiss/secretary/locating.html |date=September 26, 2006 }} Omaha Public Library.</ref> {{convert|400|acre|km2}} surrounding the tract that became [[Miller Park (Omaha, Nebraska)|Miller Park]] was considered the strongest contender towards the middle of the year. However, both sites ended up losing out to a site in [[North Omaha]] later in the year when Omaha banker [[Herman Kountze]] donated land in his [[Kountze Place]] development to the City of Omaha. After the Expo some of that land would become [[Kountze Park]].

Many important developments happened throughout the city before the opening of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. They included the opening of the [[Burlington Station (Omaha, Nebraska)|Burlington Train Station]] in downtown [[Omaha]].<ref>Peterson, J. (1999) ''Omaha railroad Stations.''</ref>

During the Expo, on August 31, 1898, the committee declared "Cody Day" in honor of [[Buffalo Bill]] Cody. Cody brought his "world-famous" [[Wild West Show]] back to the [[Omaha Driving Park]] where it was formally founded several years earlier.<ref>''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061004232050/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/markers/texts/buffalo_bill.htm Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898]}}.'' Nebraska State Historical Society.</ref>

October 12 was "President's Day" at the Expo and featured a speech by President [[William McKinley]] focused on international affairs and the necessity of not being [[isolationism|isolationist]].<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/10/13/102528228.pdf "Mr. McKinley on the war"], ''The New York Times.'' October 13, 1898. Retrieved 4/21/08.</ref>

The total attendance was 2,613,508, and the total receipts were $1,924,077.<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Trans-Mississippi Exposition|short=x}}</ref> The following year after the Expo some members of its managing committee decided to host another Expo-type event, which became the Great American Exposition in summer 1899.<ref>(n.d.) [http://www.civilwarmuseumnc.org/GAEnotes.html Great American Exposition Notes]</ref>

== Construction ==
[[File:Night illumination, Grand Court, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, Omaha, Nebraska, 1898.jpg|thumb|Night illumination, Grand Court, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, Omaha, Nebraska, 1898]]
Many temporary buildings, structures, and features were installed for the Exposition. [[Thomas Rogers Kimball]] and [[C. Howard Walker]] were named co-architects-in-chief for the event. The two men were responsible for the overall site development, including perimeter buildings. They designed several major buildings, some smaller structures and the Arch of States, which was a main entrance.

All these structures were temporary by design, built at about half the cost of permanent buildings. The lower cost allowed the construction of larger structures. The construction of the hundreds of temporary buildings at the Expo was notable because of the almost exclusive usage of a new, cheap and pliable building material called [[Staff (building material)|staff]]. It allowed Expo designers to construct visual reproductions of Grecian and Roman temples, fine European buildings, and more. The buildings were constructed of strips of wood covered with staff.<ref>[http://www.nebraskasocialstudies.org/notable/kimball.html Thomas Rogers Kimball]. Nebraska Social Studies Association. Retrieved 4/8/08.</ref>

The Grand Court of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition was located on the current site of [[Kountze Park]].

==Commemoration==

[[File:293Essay.jpg|right|thumb|230px|{{center|Bi-color essay for the $2 stamp (note: the Harvesting in the West vignette was ultimately reassigned to the 2¢ stamp and retitled "Farming in the West").}}]]
[[File:USA 1898 postal card RE20584.jpg|230px|thumb|US 1898 1¢ postal card for the Trans-Mississippi Exposition]]
The [[Post Office Department]] issued a series of nine [[postage stamp]]s to mark the Exposition, each depicting a Western scene. Now known as the [[Trans-Mississippi Issue]] and considered among the finest stamps produced by the US, they are highly prized by collectors; a complete unused set is worth about US$5,000.  The stamps were reissued in 1998 for a limited time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kenmorestamp.com/3209-98-1-2-trans-mississippi-set-57486|title = #3209 - 98 1¢ - $2 Trans-Mississippi Set - sheet of 9}}</ref> 1¢ postal cards were also issued.

A monument to the exposition was placed in Omaha's [[Kountze Park (Omaha, Nebraska)|Kountze Park]], the former site of the exposition, during a Centennial celebration of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in 1998.

== See also ==
* [[Richard Bock]] - World-famous sculptor who designed several buildings at the Expo.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://trans-mississippi.unl.edu/ Trans-Mississippi & International Exposition] University of Nebraska-Lincoln's collected Digital Archive on the event
* [http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/transmiss/ Trans Mississippi & International Exposition] The Omaha Public Library's Page on the Exposition
* [http://www.historicomaha.com/transmis.htm Trans-Mississippi Exposition Omaha, Nebraska, 1898]  Trans-Mississippi Exposition Omaha, Nebraska, 1898

{{North Omaha}}
{{List of world's fairs in The United States of America}}
{{List of world exhibitions}}

[[Category:Trans-Mississippi Exposition|*]]
[[Category:1898 in Nebraska]]
[[Category:1898 festivals]]
[[Category:19th century in Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:World's fairs in the United States]]
[[Category:History of North Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:American frontier]]
[[Category:Culture of Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:Presidency of William McKinley]]