Echoes of Expo Synapse Studios

1974 proved a watershed year for America - the Vietnam War was on its dying breath, the Watergate scandal rocked the nation's faith in government, the Civil Rights Movement raged on, and the Cold War persisted. Episode four zooms out from Spokane to examine how geopolitical dynamics, pivotal national events, and cultural shifts shaped this global Fair.
“Expo 74 opens at this weird time. This is at a period of just rapid and drastic social change. I mean, the seventies are kind of this, to co-opt the Beatles, Helter Skelter period. There's all kinds of things happening.”
- Anna Harbine, archivist at The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

The pursuit of progress can be both noble and complex. What was lost and who was forgotten to make way for Expo ’74 and Spokane’s urgent renewal? 
“Because the buildings no longer exist, it's harder to see the history of the people who helped Spokane grow and prosper in the early 20th century. It may not have been pretty, but it was an important part of making Spokane what it was then, and therefore, what it is today.”
- Steven Bingo, archivist at Eastern Washington University

How does a relatively small and unassuming city facing economic hardships, defy expectations and host a World’s Fair? Episode 2 chronicles the remarkable journey of King Cole and the small group of locals who persisted against all odds to make it happen.
“At the time that was seen as crazy. Spokane was a very small city. It would've been the smallest city at the time to ever host a World's Fair. And for many it was seen as not doable, not feasible.”
- Anna Harbine, archivist at The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

As we delve into the origin of and context surrounding the 1974 World’s Fair, or Expo ’74, Spokane’s storied past comes into view. We learn that the story of Spokane is inextricably intertwined with the story of the Spokane River.
“Having the river, harnessing the river, losing the river in that process, having a city, losing the city through expansion into the suburbs, and then somehow with Expo, recovering the river and recovering the city, I think, is an extraordinary story in itself.” - Bill Youngs, historian and author of “Fair and The Falls”