Clothes that document local history

Objects acquired by a museum can sometimes illustrate a community-wide event or story. The clothing exhibited in this section was created and worn at the 50th, the 75th, or the 100th anniversary of the founding of the City of Yakima. These celebrations were called, respectively, the Golden Jubilee (1935), the Diamond Jubilee (1960), and the Centennial (1985).

Frontier Days, the 1935 event, was the most elaborate of the three anniversary celebrations. It included a parade, a pageant, the construction of an Indian Village "replica", a grand ball at the Armory, and entertainments in "Old Town" (Union Gap).

All three celebrations were designed to celebrate the city's "pioneer" past, and both men and women were encouraged to dress in "pioneer" fashions. The garments displayed here are among those made for one of the three celebrations. None is a historically accurate reproduction; rather, they are romantic and simpler versions of what people actually wore in 1885. Nevertheless they are documents of a time and an event that spoke of community pride-a concept cities throughout the Valley continue to promote with festivals, fairs, and other community-wide events.