County fairs are a longstanding tradition within the United States. These public events showcase everything from equipment to animals, sports and recreation, and are generally associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. Originating back in the Middle Ages, fairs primarily served a religious or commercial purpose. Around the 1810s, Americans used fairs to meet and discuss crops, livestock and land use. And although prizes were often handed out for top ranking crops and animals, the main purpose was, and continues to be, to educate farmers.
Fairs proved popular from the jump, and drew families from all over the region to socialize, discuss livestock and admire new equipment, especially farming families who were often isolated the majority of the year.
Indian Territory also had a large amount of agricultural organizations. In 1845, the Cherokee Agricultural Society held its first fair. The Cherokee Farmers’ Club revived the fair tradition in 1870, inviting both men and women to exhibit homemade goods and agricultural products. Contemporary accounts in the Cherokee Advocate described the exhibitions as evidence of the Cherokee Nation’s progress and prosperity.
After the Land Run of 1889, agricultural fairs became a fall staple in Indian Territory. The first Oklahoma Territorial Fair was held in 1892 in Oklahoma City, while Cleveland County held its first fair in Norman in 1893. Other cities that held fairs in the 1890s include El Reno, Newkirk, Cloud Chief and Payne County.
The Tulsa State Fair began in the late 1890s as a street fair, later being named the Tulsa County Free Fair in 1903, still four years away from Oklahoma gaining statehood. It remained at the Western Association baseball park off Archer and Boston in downtown Tulsa until 1915, when the Oklahoma Free Fair Act was passed, allowing for a 15-acre tract of land to be purchased for future events.
In 1923, a land donation from J.E. Crosbie, a Tulsa oilman, meant that the fair could relocate to what is now the present-day Expo Square.
It is here that it evolved into the Tulsa State Fair.
The state was racially segregated until the 1950s, so Black communities had to organize their own events. In 1915, Black attorney and oilman J. Coody Johnson helped start the Negro State Fair, held in Muskogee. This ran for several years and drew state level support.
Regardless of the size of the fair, most generally included educational offerings with livestock and crops, as well as arts, crafts and homemaking competitions. Entertainment included midways, rides, food, shows, and special events. Although the main purpose remained educational, over the years, fairs have become far more entertainment-based. One of the first large-scale attractions at most fairs was horse racing, later replaced by automobile racing.
In 2002, the Oklahoma County Free Fair Enhancement Fund was created. The State Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry allocated money to county fairs, matching state funds for facility improvements, construction and awards. This also allows agricultural and 4-H programs (youth development hands-on programs focused on kids and teens ages 5-19) to remain free to the public.
