King's Fair, a precursor to the Minnesota State Fair, was held in South

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

from 1877 through 1882. Since 1979 the name has also been used for a biennial gathering in the Seward neighborhood.King's Fair, Minneapolis
''placeography.org''. Retrieved: February 11, 2013. The 19th century fairgrounds ran from 24th Avenue in the west to 30th Avenue in the east and from Franklin Avenue in the north to 24th Street in the south. They included a racetrack, amphitheater and exhibition halls for agriculture and industry. Two highlights of the fair were an 1878 appearance by President Rutherford B. Hayes and the 1881 ascent of a hot-air balloon en route to the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

. Despite an impressive launch, the flight ended a few miles away in Ramsey County. The businessman and civic leader

William S. King William Smith King (December 16, 1828 – February 24, 1900) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Representative, U.S. Representative for Minnesota from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877. He was a journalist and bu ...

was a sponsor and organizer of the expositions. King's Fair is today remembered with a celebration at Matthews Park, which is located on the site of the original fair. The event takes place in September of odd-numbered years.

Glossary

* King Field: neighborhood in South

named after

, whose borders extend from Lyndale Avenue in the west to Interstate 35W in the east and from 36th Street in the north to 46th street in the south.Kingfield, Minneapolis.
''placeography.org''. Retrieved: February 11, 2013. *King's Highway: section of Dupont Avenue in South

honoring

. *King's Hill: popular sledding hill at Lyndale Farmstead Park.Lyndale Farmstead Park
''minneapolisparks.org''. Retrieved: August 10, 2018. *

Lyndale Avenue Lyndale Avenue is a major street in the U.S. state of Minnesota that traverses the cities of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Richfield, and Bloomington. A noncontiguous portion also exists in Faribault, part of Highway 21. There are several com ...

street taking its name from Lyndale Farm, a 1,400-acre estate owned by

. *Lyndale Farmstead Park: recreational area at 39th Street and Bryant Avenue South that was part of a vast farm belonging to

and named for his father, Rev. Lyndon King. * Northrup-King Seed Company: prominent

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

business, whose founders included

and his son Preston.Northrup, King and Company.
''mnopedia.org''. Retrieved: February 11, 2013.

References

{{reflist

External links

Matthews ParkKing's Fair 1877-1882
Posters
Seward 2015Seward 2017Seward 2019
Photos
Seward 1880King's Fair 1880King's Fair 1885King's Fair 01
at the

Hennepin County Library Hennepin County Library is a public library system serving Hennepin County, Minnesota, US. The current iteration of Hennepin County Library was formed by the merger of urban Minneapolis Public Library and suburban Hennepin County Library on Ja ...

.
King's Fair 02
at the

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King's Fair
at the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

. Articles
King's Fair
at Placeography.
King's Fair
at Seward Profile.
King's Fair
at the

. Historic American Newspapers
King's Fair
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. Video
The History of King's Fair
Festivals in Minnesota History of Minneapolis Festivals established in 1979 September events Minnesota State Fair 1979 establishments in Minnesota