Wisconsin State Fair: A Brief History

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Photo Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at the Wisconsin State Fair, 1958

The Wisconsin State Fair returns to Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis for its 2019 run from August 1-11. Dreaming of cream puffs? Looking forward to that can't-miss concert? Interested in the visual arts events at the fair? The Shepherd Express Wisconsin State Fair Guide has you covered! This special section is brought to you by the State Fair.

It was not all cream puffs and racing pigs in the early days of the Wisconsin State Fair. The Fair turns 168 years old this Summer, and it has seen some changes. The Fair’s archives provide a wealth of historical information. Here is a sample.

The Fair debuted in 1851 on a six-acre plot along the Rock River in Janesville. Admission was 10 cents and attendance reached between 13,000 and 18,000. It was the largest reported gathering in Wisconsin history at the time.

Scheduling Problems

In 1861, the Fair was set to be held in Madison but was cancelled due to the Civil War. It was also cancelled the following two years when the fairgrounds, known as Camp Randall, was used for training volunteer troops.

In 1893, the Fair was cancelled for presumed loss of attendance due to the World’s Columbian Exposition, set to be held in Chicago. The Fair was cancelled again in 1945 due to World War II.

An August 4, 2000 power-outage forced the evacuation of 60,000 attendees.

Location, Location, Location

In 1892, the Fair was first held at its permanent location at Wisconsin State Fair Park. Previously, it moved from city to city, including Watertown, Fond du Lac, Madison and Milwaukee.

The inaugural Fair had receipts totaling $570.31 and expenses of $484.86, but by 1871, the Fair brought in $27,747. The first statewide dairy show in the nation, held in cooperation with the Dairymen’s Association, took place in 1875. President Rutherford B. Hayes spoke to fairgoers at Camp Randall in 1878.

Special Attractions

In 1939, more than 32,000 fans witnessed the Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Giants 27-0 in the seventh NFL championship game, held at the Milwaukee Mile. The “Dairy Bowl” stadium was dedicated at halftime with the breaking of a bottle of milk.

Mille’s Italian Sausage, the first permanent food stand opened in 1932, still remains a Fair favorite. In 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records certified the Fair as creating the World’s Largest Cheese Sculpture and the World’s Largest Cream Puff.

On September 11, 1903, the track hosted its first dirt-track automobile race. This makes the Milwaukee Mile the oldest operating motor speedway in the world. In 1954, the Milwaukee Mile track was paved with asphalt, and in 1966, Mario Andretti won the 100-mile Indy Car Race.

In 1948, driver Duke Dinsmore was thrown from his car, and fellow racer Rex Mays ran from his car onto the race track to pull Dinsmore to safety. The race was known as the Rex Mays Classic from 1950 to 1987.

In 1972, the distinctive “snowflake” logo was introduced symbolizing the year-round use of the Fair Park. A temporary outdoor ice rink was later constructed for figure skating shows and appearances by the Milwaukee Admirals hockey team.

The 1992 Centennial Celebration celebrated the 100-year mark at the Fair Park. During the opening ceremonies, a time-capsule was filled. Big name acts that year included The Beach Boys, Alabama and Martina McBride. In 2000, the Reserve Grand Champion Steer was sold for a record-breaking $29,000 and 376,550 Original Cream Puffs were sold.

Return Engagements

Déjà vu? Several of this year’s headliners have appeared at the Wisconsin State Fair before. The Cowsills appeared in 1968; Rick Springfield appeared in 1982 and Jefferson Starship appeared in 1983. Many of the performers from the 2018 Turtles’ Happy Together Tour return this year.

Through the Turnstiles

In 1894, a smallpox scare kept Fairgoers away, yet by the early 1900s, several new facilities had been built at the Fair Park, and electric lighting allowed for extended hours. The 1904 Fair had an advertising budget of $4,000.

In 1910, President Howard Taft addressed fairgoers in the Grandstand, and in 1958, 112,936 people attended Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ shows in the Grandstand.

The past six years’ attendance numbers have surpassed one million, breaking overall attendance records as well as single day attendance records, in part thanks to Main Stage headliners.

In recent years, the Fair has presented country superstars Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire, pop sensations Shawn Mendes and Demi Lovato, Christian bands Casting Crowns and Hillsong Live and rock legends John Mellencamp and Foreigner. Past performers of note include Frank Zappa, Neil Young, Whitney Houston, Alex Chilton and the Box Tops and the Texas Tornadoes.

The new millennium brought many updates to the Fair Park. By the start of the 2003 Fair, updates included a new Exposition Center on the south end of the park, a new Grandstand at the Milwaukee Mile and several new structures in Ag Village.

For more historical information, check out the Wisconsin State Fair History Display in Exploratory Park on the south side of the Fair Park.

Read more of our coverage of the Wisconsin State Fair and enter to win a pair of tickets here.