Longacres Park racetrack in the Green River Valley near Renton was the home of thoroughbred racing in western Washington from 1933 to 1992, and was the longest continually operated track on the West Coast. Designed by famed Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca (1889-1971), the track took advantage of soil composition favorable to racing due to regular flooding by the river. The thoroughbreds that raced at Longacres set numerous speed records because the track itself gave them an advantage.
This pamphlet for Longacres contains information about the park as well as the racing dates for the 1990 season, April 4 - September 24. At the time the track boasted "8,000 fans and over $1 million in wagering each day." The track closed after the 1992 season and the land was sold to the Boeing Company. Three years later the Emerald Downs track opened in Auburn as the new home of horse racing in western Washington.
Caption information source: "Longacres racetrack opens in Renton on August 3, 1933," by Paula Becker, HistoryLink.org Essay 7394.
Physical Description: 1 folded leaflet ; 4 x 9 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
