The 1898 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was held to further the progress and development of natural resources West of the Mississippi River. Held in Omaha, Nebraska, the exposition opened on June 1, 1898, and ran for four months. More than 4,000 exhibits showcased social, economic, and industrial resources of the American West. The Expo wasn’t a financial success overall, but it did revitalize Omaha, a community that had been devastated by drought and depression. Over 2.6 million people attended the Expo, which featured the Indian Congress, the largest Native American gathering of its kind. The series is also referred to as the “Omahas.”
The Trans-Mississippi Commemorative stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Original plans called for the series to be printed in bi-color. However, the Spanish-American War strained the resources of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which was overburdened by the demand for revenue stamps to fund the war. The Method of printing was Flat Plate in sheets of 100 subjects, and the stamps have a Double-line watermark USPS. The stamps were issued on June 17, 1898.
The first in the set of 6 stamps, U.S. #285, is the Yellow Green 1 CENT, depicting Father Jacques Marquette preaching to a group of Native Americans - Quantity Issued 70,993,400 (unknown quantity later destroyed). US# 286, is the Copper Red 2 CENT, entitled “Farming in the West,” pictures a team of horses plowing a wheat field - Quantity issued: 159,720,800 (unknown quantity destroyed). US# 287, is the Orange 4 CENT, and its design was taken from an engraving by Captain Seth Eastman, a soldier who used his considerable artistic skills to capture scenes from the Old West - Quantity Issued: 4,924,500. US # 288, is the Dull Blue 5 CENT, depicts Captain John C. Fremont (the son-in-law of Senator Thomas Hart Benton, who championed the expansionist movement know as Manifest Destiny) - Quantity issued: 7,694,180 (unknown quantity later destroyed.) US# 289, is the Violet Brown 8 CENT, depicts a group of Federal troops escorting a Wagon Train in the West - Quantity issued: 2,927,200 (unknown quantity later destroyed.) US# 290, is the Gray Violet 10 CENT, Entitled “Hardships of Emigration,” depicts a family traveling across the prairie in a covered wagon. One of the horses has collapsed and the man is trying to revive it - Quantity Issued: 4,629,760 (unknown quantity later destroyed.)
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