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Clothes that document local history
The Golden Jubilee
| On May 17-19, 1935, the town of Yakima celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding. The date in 1885 they refer to is the founding of North Yakima. A town which was moved by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Originally a handful of stores and houses in 1870 called Yakima City, a majority of the buildings were relocated by the railroad to the north of the city and the site of the new depot. In 1919, North Yakima was renamed Yakima, and Yakima City became Union Gap. |
 Yakima Frontier Days Booklet |
Golden Jubilee, 1935 Gift of Khay Norris Dress is cotton with a round gathered collar, black satin ribbon trim, and a gathered flounce at hem. The matching cap has a round crown and brim. This dress was made to be worn at the Frontier Days Celebration in 1935. It has not been saved because it is especially beautiful, well-made, or historically accurate. Only its connection to the City of Yakima's 50th Anniversary festivities makes the garment important to retain in the museum collection. |
Frontier Days events included a parade, pageant, Indian village, grand ball at the Armory, and entertainments in "Old Town" (Union Gap). The Yakima Morning Herald on May 18, 1935 wrote of the streets echoing to the rattle of iron tires, "clatter of hoofs and whoops of Indians as Frontier Celebration opens." "To the thousands of visitors from hundreds of cities and towns in the state and northwest, the parade with its 2000 horses, 3000 persons, including 300 Indians, and innumerable relics of pioneer times.. The famous Longmire train, with Mett Yongmire as armed guard and B.F. Small as skinner of covered wagons, led off the prairie schooner division. Among passengers in the Longmire caravan were Merit, Guy and David Longmire and their families.
Yakima Daily Republic, 1935 |
Financing and publicising of the festivities will
be taken care of at least in part through the sale of 15,000
buttons at 50 cents each. The buttons will be yellow with black
lettering. On them will be printed, "I've Been Scalped.
Yakima Frontier Days, May 17-18-19." |