* PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION OF 1901
Buffalo's gift to the world in the summer of 1901 was the Pan-American Exposition, a collection of the world's treasures and feats in technology, architecture, art, music, cuisine, and everything else one could think of. The Expo was trying to rival the fame of the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893.


The President of the Exposition, John G. Milburn, was quite proud of his accomplishment for the city of Buffalo and the country. When the McKinley's arrived in Buffalo on September 4th, Milburn led the huge group of people to welcome the President and show him the grounds. He also the housed the McKinley party. McKinley arrived in the late evening and, after greeting the crowds, took a brief tour of the Exposition's grounds. The day of the 4th was hot and humid, the temperatures rising in the 80s, but by evening Buffalo was beginning to cool.


Milburn and Exposition Director William Buchanan showed the president the highly decorated buildings, mostly in Spanish Renaissance architecture with some buildings in the Ancient Greek and Roman styles. As night fell the half a million electric lights ripped through the dark night. The paramount structure of the festival was the Electric Tower which scraped the sky at 389 feet, covered in numerous lights. The 5th of September was President's Day at the Exposition, and upward of 50,000 people jammed through the gates to get a glimpse of the president and to see all the sights which could take days to absorb.


"Expositions are the timekeepers of progress. They record the world's advancements...." These words among many others are part of McKinley's September 5th speech, a speech that some considered his greatest. He spoke of a country without conflict, at peace, and a country that could not afford isolationism any more. The crowd howled and cheered, often drowning out his words. The men and women attempting to gather a quick look or a few words were packed into the court before McKinley, surrounded by diplomats, government officials, and Marines with National Guard. Swirled into the crowd that day was Leon Czolgosz, the young anarchist, unable to move let alone manuever close enough to realize his dream.**

That evening, Henry Pain displayed one of his world renowned fireworks extravaganzas. Pain was known as The Fireworks King and that evening he outdid even himself. That night the Pan-American Exposition, underneath Henry Pain's pyro masterpiece, with President McKinley looking on reached its peak. It would never shine so bright. Darkness was about to be cloaked over it and take it into history as a place of tragedy and death.

****THE ELECTRIC TOWER AT NIGHT
**McKINLEY'S SEPTEMBER 5TH SPEECH
***ELECTRIC TOWER DURING THE DAY

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