The State Fair of Texas, which occurs during the month of October, has been held at the same location for more than 100 years.
The State Fair first opened in 1886 on an 80-acre tract of land. With the exception of a few years in the late ‘30s and World War II, the fair has been held each year.
A fire at the turn of the century destroyed some of the exhibition buildings. Since the property was privately owned, the fire resulted in financial difficulty for the owners. They offered to sell the property to the City as a public park with a lease-back of 30 days each fall for the fair and 30 days in the spring for horse racing.
The property was sold for $125,000 to the City, which constructed an exhibition building and coliseum.
The “public park” has been in effect since 1904, and the fairgrounds have continued to operate the same way, with the exception of horse racing.
In 1934, Fair Park was designated as the official site of the 1936 Texas Centennial. During the two and a half years preceding the grand event, the park experienced an expansion of 26 acres, construction of its splendid esplanades, and a makeover so successful it was selected as the site for the Pan American Exposition the following year.
So, there were no fairs in 1936 and 1937. There were, however, an abundance of jobs created in preparation of the Centennial and Exposition – jobs that helped bring Dallas out of the Depression.
