Oct 4, 2023 - Culture
This week in Washington state history: Oct. 1–8
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Here are a few notable events that happened this week in Washington state history, according to the online encyclopedia HistoryLink.
Oct. 4–6, 1900: A group of Puyallup Valley farmers, business people and residents produce an agricultural and livestock fair designed to highlight local products.
- The Valley Fair ultimately turned into the annual Western Washington Fair Association's Puyallup Fair.
- By the end of the 20th century, it drew more than 1 million people each year, the fifth-highest attendance of any fair in the country.
- It has since been renamed the Washington State Fair, but many locals still use the former name.
Oct. 5–15, 1942: More than 500 Mexican nationals arrive in the Yakima Valley under the Emergency Farm Labor Supply program to alleviate the farm labor shortage during World War II.
- The Emergency Farm Labor Supply program, nationally known as the Bracero program, lasted in the Pacific Northwest from 1942 until 1947.
Oct. 3, 1945: Betty MacDonald publishes her first book, "The Egg and I," recounting her adventures as a farmer's wife in Chimacum Valley, near Port Townsend; it becomes a national bestseller.
- Years later, she published a series of children's books with enduring charm featuring Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and her magic remedies for misbehavior.