Term: Wisconsin state fair
Definition:
first held in Janesville in 1851, it was sponsored by the State Agricultural Society to showcase the state's advances in agricultural machinery and products, and about 10,000 people attended. From 1851 to 1885, different cities took turns hosting the fair, including Madison in 1858, 1860, 1867, 1868, 1878 and 1879. A Milwaukee fairground was the site from 1886 to 1891, and since 1892 the fair's permanent home has been in West Allis. The annual fair has only been cancelled five times: in 1861, 1862 and 1863 during the Civil War, in 1893 when the World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, and in 1945 by request of the U.S. Office of War Transportation.
An online gallery of historic photographs of state fairs is available at Wisconsin Historic Images.
[Source: WHI]
