1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition

What career path led J.T. McCready to be a hotelier?

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Postcard of the American Inn

Fun Fact #80 Isn’t it fascinating to discover the unexpected paths people take in life?

Today’s fun fact dives into the story of Mrs. J.T. McCready, the woman who ran the only official hotel of the 1905 Fair right here in Portland! What surprising career journey led Mrs. McCready to become a hotelier for such a significant event? Was she a wordsmith, a culinary artist, a show business mogul, or something else entirely?

A) Poet B) Pickle Maker C) Restauranteur D) Impresario

Image on a hotel (postcard) refection on the lake notes the hotel
Mark Borckardt Numismatic Postcards courtesy: NNP at Washington University in St. Louis


The answer might just leave you in a bit of a pickle of surprise!

Answer: B) Pickle Maker/Relish Maker

That’s right! Before she was welcoming guests to her hotel, Mrs. J.T. McCready was renowned for her delicious pickles and preserves. Let’s dig into the fascinating story behind this unexpected transition:

A clipping below from an October 31, 1885 article reveals that Mrs. McCready opened a shop specializing in preserves, jellies, and, of course, her famous pickles. Her father was a politician in Buffalo, but her foray into the culinary world began more organically. She started “in business” by making preserves for a friend who was busy caring for a sick father. Her knack for creating amazing pickles quickly garnered attention and demand grew, leading her to open her own shop.

Fast forward to the Pan-American Exposition (World’s Fair) held in Buffalo, New York in 1901, and you’d find Mrs. McCready as a successful vendor. Her entrepreneurial spirit and proven ability to manage a business were exactly what fair organizers were looking for. Following the negativity surrounding President McKinley’s assassination at the Buffalo fair and lingering safety concerns from the horrific H.H. Holmes murders at the 1893 Chicago Fair, the need for strong and capable leadership with a women’s touch was paramount.

While Ellsworth Statler had successfully managed fair hotels in Buffalo and St. Louis, Portland had a different vision for their 1905 event. They wanted a woman at the helm, and Mrs. McCready’s track record as a successful entrepreneur, who had already navigated the complexities of a World’s Fair as a vendor, made her the perfect choice to take the reins of the official hotel.  (We have another post that goes into the history, preservation and relocation of the hotel   American Inn Fun Fact #30.)

It’s a testament to Mrs. McCready’s adaptability and business acumen that she could transition from crafting delectable pickles to managing the accommodation needs of a major international event. Her story reminds us that sometimes the most unexpected paths can lead to remarkable achievements.

What do you think of Mrs. McCready’s journey? Did you see that answer coming? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Fun Fact #79 Which equine autobiography was first published in Portland, Oregon?

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Trixi in Sioux City 1904 with her "master" man with mustash behind picture has cursive writing "Princess Trixi doing her mathimatical problems" there are levers her mouth can reach numbers 1-9.

Which equine autobiography was first published in Portland, Oregon?

A: Black Beauty (1877)

B: Strider: The Story of a Horse (1886)

C:  Princess Trixie (1905)

D: War Horse (1982)

Answer Princes Trixie: Queen of all Educated Horses Autobiography: an accurate account of the sayings and doings of the wisest and most highly educated horse in the world. Free link to the entire book: Link to Book

 

The animal autobiography as a genre is problematic. Princess Trixie: Autobiography: an Accurate Account of the Sayings and Doings of the Wisest and Most Highly Educated Horse in the World is an account of a Grey, ½ Arabian mare who worked internationally as vaudeville entertainer.

The first edition of the book was sold to her fans at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition and Oriental Fair. Her initial repertoire of bowing, playing the chimes, and simple math grew along with her talents. Now that she was able to count and multiply she was used to market the cash register for National Cash Register Company by demonstrating making change and keeping accounts in check. She performed alongside the two diving elk in Portland. Trixi was an advocate for the humane treatment of animals and was an honorary member of humane societies. Her death in a train wreck was national news in 1909.

 

Fun Fact #50 Nonsensical Concrete Pads

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Fun Fact #50 Nonsensical Concrete Pads

 

Image of two massive joined cylinders (old water towers) A E Doyles Largest Log Cabin Forestry Center is in the back ground. The water tower is covered with perhaps ivy
Cropped image of Water Towers with Ivy Forestry Center in background on the left.  Image Courtesy Norman Gholston

Were the Concrete Pads on NW 28th and Thurman the Footings of the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition Water Towers? The Final Verdict. (updated 8/18/2025 text rewritten for clarity as the pads are no longer)

Noman standing on a patch of cement next to a fence the rest of the area has grass. Norm in in shorts a tshit and a baseball hat.
Image of Norman Gholston standing on top of one of the cement pads June 2019.

History is a puzzle, and sometimes the most interesting discoveries are made when a piece doesn’t fit. For years, a small cluster of concrete pads at the corner of NW 28th and Thurman had sparked a persistent rumor among neighbors: were these the lost footings of the massive water towers from the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition? Indeed, it was a compelling theory, connecting a forgotten corner of the city to a landmark historical event.

On our walking tours, we’re dedicated to uncovering the real stories behind the City’s landmarks. Therefore, when a construction fence went up around the vacant lot, we saw our last chance to play historical detective. We had to know the truth before this little piece of history was paved over.

 

 

A map that shows the entrance to the 1905 Fair. Each building is labeled with its use and the footage is included for each structure and the map is color coded for material types which are important details for insurance companies to access when writing policies.
Zoom and cropped image from June 1905 Color Portland Sanborn Map

The Problem with Pretty Maps

Unfortunately, the artistic rendering map of the 1905 “Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair” created a false narrative. These maps, much like a modern-day subway map, were not intended to show accurate distances or true scale. They simply offered a directional guide for fair attendees. This lack of precise detail gave generations a poor sense of the fair’s true layout, a problem that grew worse after the Forestry Center burned down in 1964. With that official landmark gone, people no longer had a physical reference point to help them visualize the space, and the inaccurate maps compounded this loss of a sense of place.

The breakthrough came with a deeper dive into the archives. When we consulted a detailed June 1905 Sanborn map, the answer became clear. The map showed that our exact location housed the western end of the Museum of Art (the “Fine Art Building”), not the water towers. The towers were located much farther north, in the middle of what is now the intersection of NW 28th and Upshur. The “souvenir map” had led us astray—a great example of why primary sources are so crucial.

Always seek out the owner

The real ending to this story, however, came directly from the source. We tracked down the former owners of the property, who finally revealed the true origin of the pads. Their response was simple and direct: “They were footings for a mixed-use building (commercial and residential) that we were going to build in the mid-1990s… there is no interesting historical story behind the vacant lot.” Pouring the cement simply kept the permit open.

Pretty Propaganda poster "map"
Marketing Materials lead us astray, but it was a fun history hunt.

Fun Facts that go deeper into actual elements of the the 1905 Fair:

#73 Water Tower Moved to St. Johns

#76 Trixie The Horse

#47 Infant Incubators

#30 The American Inn

#26 Monkey Puzzle Trees

Link to Carl Abbot’s wonderful post for the Oregon Encyclopedia about the Lewis and Clark Exposition.

Fun Fact #47 Where was the first use of an Infant Incubator in Portland?

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Fun Fact #47 Where was the first use of an Infant Incubator in Portland?

Hint:  It was not in a hospital.

” Side Show Baby” Image Courtesy: Norman Gholsten

The first use of incubators in the Pacific Northwest was as a carnival attraction on “The Trail” arcade at the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exhibition and Oriental Fair.  Admission was 25 cents for what proved one of the most popular exhibits at the Fair—premature babies benefiting from the latest technology.

Ticket sales covered the daily cost of $15 per child—the parents were not charged for the care.  Visitors to the exhibit viewed the babies and medical team through plate glass as the preemies were skillfully treated.  Half a dozen skilled nurses and two doctors cared for the babies, who averaged 2.5 pounds.  New arrivals were bathed in water and mustard and dosed with two drops of brandy.  Milk was provided by wet nurses. 

“Ten ingeniously constructed incubators hold the world’s little weaklings”, according to notices in local papers, which called the incubators “Rest and Assurance for the Tired Mothers”. 

The Morning Register of May 28, 1905—the month before the Fair opened—contained a glowing article about the “artificial mothers”.  “They are such delicate, frail tiny cherubs that they are not yet ready to begin their struggle for existence…the Infant Incubator forms one of the most interesting and thoroughly scientific features at the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition. “

Infant incubator exhibits operated for at least four decades and reunions of the children helped to market the lifesaving efforts and carnival attractions of Dr. Martin A. Couney, who created and ran incubator-baby exhibits on Coney Island from 1903 to the early 1940s.  Although he died in relative obscurity, he was one of the great champions of this lifesaving technology and is credited with saving the lives of thousands of the country’s premature babies.  The children were returned to their natural parents when they were healthy enough to live outside the miracle machines.

Fun Fact #26 The seedlings of Portland’s Heritage Monkey Puzzle Trees citywide can trace their origins to what Slabtown Event?

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Fun Fact #26 The seedlings of Portland’s Heritage Monkey Puzzle Trees citywide can trace their origins to what Slabtown Event?

Context Monkey Puzzle Tree:

Tour Guide Dr. Tanya March pointing to the Monkey Tree at Kennedy School
(Photo Credit Jen Dawkins March 2016)

Monkey Puzzle trees look like a Dr. Seuss illustration of a tree come to life.  In 1993 there were at least 150 trees of this variety in Portland—at least a third of those had “roots” in Slabtown.  The Monkey Tree (Araucaria araucana) is native to Chile, and like our historic homes its numbers are dwindling.  The males have oblong cones and the females have round cones—all of our city’s heritage trees of this type are male.  In their native Chilean mountain habitat they can reach a height of 100 feet and can live for 2,000 years.

Chile’s national tree, which dates back to the dinosaur era, is listed as ‘endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Global Red List of Conifers.  In their native habitats these trees have suffered from climate change and massive fires in 2001–02 and 2014 have reduced their numbers by 50%.  There are a number of active online groups mapping the locations of the trees in our city and a Facebook Group “Monkey Puzzle Trees of PDX“.

Question: 

The seedlings of Portland’s Heritage Monkey Puzzle Trees citywide can trace their origins to what Slabtown Event?

Answer:

The 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, where seedlings were given away by a representative from Chile and planted by their recipients citywide.  Three Monkey Puzzle Trees from the Fair are protected heritage trees standing at 419 NE Hazelfern, 415 NE Laurelhurst, and 446 NE Fargo.  Link to map of these trees in Oregon created by Carol Studenman:

 

(The two best 1905 examples of Monkey Puzzle Trees are in Laurelhurst.)

Fun Facts are produced monthly by Tanya Lyn March PhD owner of Slabtown Tours to join our mailing list simply e-mail: slabtowntours@gmail.com.