Walla Walla County's Showcase for the St. Louis World's Fair
Fruit Inspector Morse scours the county for the finest grains, produce, and fruit to put Washington on the map in Missouri.
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Walla Walla county's portion of the state exhibit at the St. Louis exposition, which is being collected by Fruit Inspector Morse, will be a representative display of the county's products. The inspector has been at work for the past month, gathering a handsome display of fruits, vegetables, grasses, and grains. Yesterday he obtained a collection of apples in the southwest part of the county, including Roan Beautys, Wolf River, and Arkansaw Blacks. Handsome collections of prunes and fruit on the limb have been forwarded to the commissioner's office in Tacoma for preservation. In grasses and grains, the inspector has secured corn from the Gose farm measuring 14 feet, broom corn from Phillip Yenney's place measuring 27 inches, and bunch grass from the foothills measuring three feet four inches.
“A large box of apples has been forwarded to State Commissioner Von Holderbeke to be placed on exhibition at the state fair at North Yakima together with a 40-pound box of onions.”
In 1903, the St. Louis World's Fair was the premier stage for regional economic promotion. Today, Walla Walla's agricultural reputation has shifted from massive specimens of corn to its world-class viticulture, but the booster spirit of exporting 'the best of the valley' remains a core part of the local identity.
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