World’s FairsFound, not built?
Portland 1905Investigate

1905 · Portland, United States

Investigate this fair

5 clues in 5 photos, strongest first. Tap a photo to zoom in on each clue.

Case file

The Hypothesis

Portland's Forestry Building logs point to an old-growth scale of timber, and the filled lake and the 1964 fire left little to check.

Portland's Forestry Building used logs that look 4 to 5 feet across, and then the lake the fair was built around was filled in. The building burned in 1964.

What the photos and records show

  • Log ends appear roughly 4 to 5 ft across against a crowd of about 60.
  • The record says Guild's Lake was filled in after the fair.
  • The record says the Forestry Building burned in 1964.
  • A pre-opening drawing of the Idaho Building shows a timber design.

Open questions

  • Where did trees that size come from?
  • Why fill in the lake?
  • What lies under the fill?

What would settle it

  • Logging records for the logs.
  • Survey under the Guild's Lake fill.
  • Fire investigation reports from 1964.

Photo 1

Forestry Building at Lewis and Clark Exposition

Forestry Building at Lewis and Clark ExpositionZoom in

Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

  1. 1ScaleLogs several feet acrossThe Forestry Building's log ends appear to be roughly 4 to 5 ft across against a crowd of about 60 people.The questionWhere did trees that size come from, and how were they moved and raised with 1905 equipment?

Photo 2

Lewis and Clark Exposition at night

Lewis and Clark Exposition at nightZoom in

Photo: Ashford Lewis · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

  1. 1Other details · whole photoThe lake at nightThe night photo shows lamp clusters and a lit domed bandstand along the shore, with a long lit bridge across the lake to a twin-towered building. The record says Guild's Lake was later filled in.The questionWhy fill in the lake the fair was built around, and what lies under the fill?

Photo 3

Forestry Building during the Lewis and Clark Exposition

Forestry Building during the Lewis and Clark ExpositionZoom in

Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

  1. 1Other details · whole photoBurned in 1964A postcard shows the Forestry Building's log walls and deep porches with visitors for scale. The record says the building burned in 1964.The questionWhy do so many of the survivors end in fire?

Photo 4

Idaho Building, Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, 1905

Idaho Building, Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, 1905Zoom in

Photo: Wayland & Fennell, architects · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

  1. 1Other details · whole photoA plan printed before the openingThe Idaho Building appears as a drawing with a first-floor plan, dated before the fair opened. It is a timber chalet design.The questionDo the plans match what was built, and are the plans for the big palaces as easy to find?

Photo 5

Lewis and Clark Expo Portland Oregon ballon at entrance

Lewis and Clark Expo Portland Oregon ballon at entranceZoom in

Photo: International Stereograph Co., copyrighted by C.L. Wasson · Public domain · via Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

  1. 1Other details · whole photoA balloon at the entranceA balloon floats over a twin-towered building on the lake, and a long causeway runs across the water.The questionWhat do the edges of the grounds show, and what was there before 1905?

Hypotheses this fair feeds

Patterns where this fair, its buildings or its photo clues are part of the evidence.

Moderate19 entriesA second clearance: the 1930s and the 1950s–60sThe surviving giants of the fair era didn't fade out evenly. Five great fair halls were lost to fire or demolition between 1931 and 1937, and then a second wave of grand stations, city halls and banks came down between 1950 and 1968. Common sense: if these buildings were simply old and costly, losses would be spread out. Bunched losses suggest a policy, a fashion, or a reason to remove a particular kind of evidence.

All hypotheses →

Related clues at other fairs

#10Scale · St. Louis 1904Twelve men and a tripod to plant one treeIf one tree took this much effort, what did the palaces take?Scale · London 1851Carriages for scale along the north-east frontAt that scale, what did the hauling and erection really require from a horse-powered city?Scale · Philadelphia 1876Crowds give the scaleHow many stone-setters and teams would a hall like this need on the timeline recorded?Scale · Paris 1889The Galerie des Machines at true scaleHow was a span that size raised for a single season?Scale · Chicago 1893The Court of Honor with crowdsAt this scale, what were the crew and horse counts needed for about 200 buildings in about two years?Scale · Atlanta 1895A horse and wagon unloading cratesHow many wagon trips would it take to supply a whole fair this way?

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