click to enlarge

First Veishea
Postcard from 1922

Held May 11-13, 1922, the first VEISHEA brought together the celebrations previously known as Excursion Day, May Day, College Day, Ag Carnival, HEc Day, and the engineers’ St. Patrick’s Day parade into one festival.  Frank D. Paine, a professor of electrical engineering, chose the name for this student run festival from the first letters of the five divisions at Iowa State College;  V from Veternary Medicine, E from Engineering, I and S from Industrial Science, H and E from Home Economics, and A from Agriculture.  In the photo above, the  decorated vehicle is traveling south on the road that today is called Farmhouse Lane.  Ag Hall (Curtiss), Botany Hall (Catt), and Farm House are seen in the background.

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Before there was Veishea

1908 Excursion Day Celebration on central campus

On Excursion Days, railways offered special rates to Iowans to visit the campus. - more -  This photo was taken from the top of Central Hall (Beardshear). Botany Hall (Catt Hall) is seen in the distance at left.  The shadow of Morrill Hall is visible in the left foreground.  The Dairy Building is in the distance at right.  Click image for a wider view.

1912 ISC Pushball Game between Freshmen and Sophomores

Postcard view of the 1912 Ag Carnival on Main Street Ames

This view faces east down the north side of Main Street from the Burnett Street intersection.  The back of the 1906 Armory (on Fifth Street) is visible at left.  The tallest building is the Odd Fellows Hall (site of today's Legion Building).  Wood buildings and billboards at the site of today's Sheldon-Munn Hotel include the Frank Morris Livery and a laundry.

Postcard view of the 1913 May Day Celebration
May Day was sponsored by the Women's Athletic Association
to honor ISC senior women beginning in 1907.

Tug-of-War in Briley's Pond west of campus directly north of Oakland Avenue (about 1913)

1914 St. Patrick's Day Celebration scene at the corner of Main and Douglas - more -

More information and photos of early ISC celebrations may be found in "Green Hills..." An Album of Iowa State Memories, published by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, 1975.