SEATTLE - One hundred years ago this month, something very special happened that made the rest of the world sit up and notice the Seattle area.

It happened long before the Space Needle and the 1962 World's Fair, and it really put Seattle on the map.

It was the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition - or AYP - which was the World's Fair of its time.

Back in 1909, the exposition's location was considered to be way out in the sticks - a ferry ride away. Now the same area is home to the University of Washington campus.

"Between June 1 and October 16 (of that year), 3.7 million passed through these gates," says historian Dr. Lorraine McConaghy of the Museum of History and Industry.

The museum is celebrating the centennial of the AYP - and showcasing the official fair photographs, taken by Frank Nowell.

One photo shows Pay Streak, which was named for that streak of gold dust that a prospector would see in his gold pan.

Another photo shows the midway - sideshows, rides, the fun part of the AYP.

Yet another photos shows Parrington Hall - the same Parrington Hall that still exists today on the UW campus.

"The Fair came alive at night, it turned into a fairyland," says McConaghy.

The exposition's main gate was at 40th Street and 15th Avenue. Although the gate doesn't exist any longer, the entrance to the campus is still there.

Just around the corner is the current Architecture Building, which was the Fine Arts Building during the exposition.

And right across the street was the Womens State Building. It's now the Women's Center - showing that it hasn't strayed far from its roots.

An overpass bridge for the Burke Gilman Trail was a railroad bridge in 1909.

And you can still visit what was the centerpiece of the AYP 100 years ago. Then, it was called the 'Arctic Circle' pond. The same spot today is now the centerpiece of campus we know as Frosh Pond.

You can literally spend all day rediscovering evidence of Seattle's first World's Fair a century ago. And all you have to do - is go to college.

To help visitors find some of these lost pieces of the past, the UW has erected some special signs around campus.

Also, you can stop by the Museum of History and Industry and pick up your own map and make your way around campus yourself.

Some of the treasures are not so obvuious, so you'll have to look hard. Others, like Frosh Pond, are pretty easy to spot.