The Elks Carnival that opened Aug. 18, 1902 was the first successful effort hereabouts to run a multi-day — in its case, 13-day — summer party, featuring parades practically every day, special contests (including one for the best-looking 2-year-old baby boy), camel rides and a carnival with many stages. More than 130,000 paid admission to the carnival and sideshows held on the old downtown University of Washington grounds.

Decorated booths were set up down the center of Third Avenue south from Union Street, where a platform was raised for speeches, coronations and concerts by Wagner's Band, who for more than 20 years were Seattle's most popular musicians.

Although the three monumental street arches raised for the fair were strictly temporary, they looked as if they could test eternity. An arch at Third and Union served as a gate to the carnival grounds. Another at James and Second was a striking backdrop for parades. The largest of the three was this one: the Welcome Arch. It was set at the center of the intersection of First Avenue and Columbia Street and within a stone's throw of the Elks' Seattle headquarters in the Colman Building, the corner of which appears on the left in both photographs. Here, the arch's two thick legs bear the white mass of a Beaux Arts body. Both streetcars and parades passed between the legs.

P.S. Donald Oaks Tennant won the beautiful-2-year-old contest, disappointing the parents of 35 other baby boys. Prudently, the judge left town for the weekend.