The AEC helped in celebration of Oregon’s 100 years

February 22, 2023, 12:01PMANS Nuclear Cafe
A nuclear power display by the AEC was one of the exhibits at the Oregon Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair in 1959. (Photo: Oregon Historical Society)

The Oregon Encyclopedia website has posted an article about the state’s Oregon Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair, held in Portland in 1959 in celebration of Oregon’s becoming the 35th U.S state 100 years prior. The Oregon Encyclopedia is a project of the Oregon Historical Society.

Nuclear on exhibit: The fair, which lasted from June 10 to September 17 that year, featured as one of its exhibits a display by the Atomic Energy Commission, which used 5,000 square feet to laud the benefits of nuclear energy.

The footprint: In all, the fair took up 65 acres along the Columbia River north of Portland. Exhibits and entertainment, including the AEC’s exhibit, were housed in an 11-acre exposition arena. Nearby were an amusement park, the 10-acre International Garden of Tomorrow, and the 18-acre Adventureland. There was even a pool so that the International Water Follies could perform a water ballet.

Who was there? More than 200 companies, government agencies, and private and public organizations had exhibits. TV’s “Perry Mason”—actor Raymond Burr—was master of opening ceremonies, and movies and TV western actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans did tricks with Trigger, Roy’s horse. Harry Belafonte, Merle Travis, and Lawrence Welk also performed. In addtion, airing on TV from the site was "Art Linkletter’s House Party," which was broadcast by CBS.

The final days of the fair featured The Mighty Oregon Story, a show that included 700 performers and required seven stages to tell the 100-year history of the state. The show included wagon trains, motorcycles, singers, exotic costumes, a full orchestra, and the Hollywood Bowl Ballet.


Related Articles

N.S. Savannah and the American Nuclear Society

September 12, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear NewsErhard W. Koehler and Anne Jennings

The American Nuclear Society was formed in 1954 in the wake of President Eisenhower’s seminal Atoms for Peace speech. Around the same time that Congress was debating the Atomic Energy Act...

Ian Wall—ANS member since 1964

September 10, 2024, 3:01PMNuclear News

I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College, London, in 1958. Nuclear power was viewed favorably at the time, so I took a 1-year course on the subject. I was then...

Remembering William A. Anders

June 20, 2024, 7:01AMNuclear News

William A. Anders, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a former member of the American Nuclear Society, died on June 7 at 90 years of age.In a June 18 statement, the NRC...

The SNAP-10A reactor power system

April 10, 2024, 9:31AMNuclear News

Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) was an Atomic Energy Commission program with the goal of producing a portable and dependable power source centered around nuclear technology that...

Remembering Clyde Jupiter

October 31, 1928–March 31, 2024

April 4, 2024, 7:00AMNuclear News

Clyde Peter Jupiter passed away peacefully March 31, 2024, at the age of 95. Born October 31, 1928, in New Orleans, La., Jupiter attended public and parochial schools in New Orleans,...