Share your vintage photos of the Oregon State Fair

The countdown to the 150th Oregon State Fair has begun, and we’re sharing snapshots from its history and snippets from its timeline.

1861: The first fair opens Oct. 1 near Oregon City on the banks of the Clackamas River. The four-day event boasted 142 exhibitors in nine classes, including sheep, swine, poultry, plowing implements and machinery, and domestic manufacturers. There also were vegetable and fruit exhibits and equestrian competitions.

To celebrate the sesquicentennial, we invite you to share your old fair photographs, the blacker-and-whiter the better. Do you have a favorite photo from the first fair you attended decades ago? Better yet, do your grandparents or great-grandparents have snapshots from fairs gone by? Here’s how to submit them:

Fill out our online form: 

Email: photo@statesmanjournal.com

Mail: Oregon State Fair Photos, c/o Amy Read, Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309-3009. (If you would like your photos returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.