Washington Wheat and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
During the Time of the 1909 Seattle Worlds Fair, wheat was the life blood to the economic life of Grant and Lincoln counties of Eastern Washington. Teams of twenty or more horse’s or mule’s were used in the heading or harvesting. From Eastern Washington the wheat was transported to the banks of the Columbia River where in places along the northern shore mile long slides were used to lower the sacked wheat from the plateau of the farm lands to the waiting barges or Stern-wheeled Steamers that would carry the loads to Portland and Astoria.
Where the Columbia was not accessible mule and horse teams hauled the wagon loads of wheat filled gunny-sacks to the Union Pacific and Great Northern Railways that transported them over and through the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound and the mile long wheat warehouse in Tacoma.
There in the worlds deepest port, a forest of masts waited as the conveyors delivered the individually loaded sacks over the side. A longshoreman’s haven, one by one the sacks were loaded into the ships hold for delivery around the Pacific Rim.
The post cards on this page highlights those activities.
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| W.S. Bowman Photo, 141,000 Sacks of Wheat, 4 miles east of Pendelton, Oregon |
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| “Compare Washington. With other small grain producing states by the following figures from the year book of the Department of Agriculture for the year 1907 especially on the high-priced lands of the Central States and see how we lead them all. Then compare the price of these productive lands with a fine climate thrown in, with your high-priced lands, where you are subject to hail, tornadoes, lightning and all the destructive elements”. |
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| Three Lincoln Products. Lincoln County Lands are World Famous for the Production of Wheat and Barley. Compliments of Lincolm County A. Y. P. Exposition Commission |
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| Heading Crew at Work Lincoln County Lands Are World Famous for the Production of Wheat and Barley. Compliments of Lincoln County A.Y.P. Exposition Commission. |
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| Scene of Overflow at Warehouse, Sprague, Wash. Lincoln County Lands Are World Famous for the Production of Wheat and Barley. Compliments of Lincoln County A.Y.P. Exposition Commission. |
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| Big Bend Threshing Scene, Are you going to the Seattle Exposition? If so, stop off and see our lands. If not, come on purpose to do so. Compliments of The Big Bend Land Co., 3 Washington St., Spokane, Wash. |
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| Wheat in Sacks, Waiting Shipment, Are you going to the Seattle Exposition? If so, stop off and see our lands. If not, come on purpose to do so. Compliments of The Big Bend Land Co., 3 Washington St., Spokane, Wash. |
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| Wheat in Sacks, Waiting Shipment, Are you going to the Seattle Exposition? If so, stop off and see our lands. If not, come on purpose to do so. Compliments of The Big Bend Land Co., 3 Washington St., Spokane, Wash. |
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| Combined Harvester at Close of Season Compliments of Lincoln County A.Y.P. Exposition Commission. Lincoln County Lands are World Famous for the Production of Wheat and Barley. |
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| Card Back, All Grant County Cards. Back of card tells where to write for information. A comparison table is given comparing Washington with other states. Henry A. Tritt, A-Y-P Commissioner, Wilson Creek, Wash, Stamp on back of most cards |
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| Combined Harvester and Thresher At Work. We also Grow to Perfection Oats, Barley, Potatoes, Fruit and Vegetables. Compliments of Grant County, Wash. A.Y.P. Exhibit. |
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| Heading Wheat in Grant County, We also Grow to Perfection Oats, Barley, Potatoes, Fruit and Vegetables. Compliments of Grant County, Wash. A.Y.P. Exhibit. |
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| A Grant County Threshing outfit, We also Grow to Perfection Oats, Barley, Potatoes, Fruit and Vegetables. Compliments of Grant County, Wash. A.Y.P. Exhibit. |
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| Wheat in Sacks Awaiting Shipment, A Common Scene at Railway Points. We also Grow to Perfection Oats, Barley, Potatoes, Fruit and Vegetables. Compliments of Grant County, Wash. A.Y.P. Exhibit. |
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| Between the walls of 100,000 sacks of wheat. |
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| A view inside the mile long warehouse on Tacoma's water front. |
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| The Railway Tracks and the beginning of the mile long warehouse is shown in the lower left. |
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| Water Front of the Worlds Deepest Harbor, Tacoma Washington. |
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| The mile long Grain Warehouses and a forest of masts along Tacoma's Water Front. |
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| A row of sails and masts on Tacoma's Water Front |
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| Conveyors loading wheat in Portland, Oregon. |
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| A thousand acre wheat farm in Eastern Washington |
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