In 1898, following the financial panic of 1893 and the droughts of 1894-95, a world-class

exposition was held in Omaha under the guidance of Gurdon W. Wattles and other civic leaders.

The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition emulated earlier “world's fairs” such as at

Chicago in 1893. Twenty-nine states, three territories, and eleven foreign countries were

represented.

Exhibits illustrated the “Progress of the West” after the presumed closing of the frontier. The

government authorized a congress of more than 500 Indians from thirty-five tribes, whose

presence exhibited cultures seemingly doomed to extinction. Notable guests included President

William McKinley, statesman William Jennings Bryan, and showman William F. (Buffalo Bill)

Cody.

The exposition occupied a 184-acre tract encompassing present Kountze Park at 20th and

Pinkney streets. Centered around a lagoon, the Grand Court was lined with monumental, though

temporary, buildings constructed in the popular Neo-classical revival styles under supervision of

architects C. Howard Walker and Thomas R. Kimball. The fair attracted over 2.5 million visitors

from June through October and helped propel Omaha's development as a progressive commercial

center in the twentieth century.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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