Rose Festival Parade at NW corner of 10th & Madison in Portland, Oregon (1908).

In 1905, when Portland Mayor Harry Lane addressed a crowd at
the Lewis and Clark Exposition, one memorable phrase emerged
from his otherwise-forgotten speech. Lane, who served as mayor
from 1905 to 1909, told the audience that Portland needed an
annual "festival of roses."

Two years later, Portland hosted its first Rose Festival, and in
1908 local businessmen, including C.E.S. Wood, organized the
Portland Rose Festival as a nonprofit civic organization (now
called the Portland Rose Festival Foundation) to plan and fund
the annual event.
(From The Oregon Historical Society)

Harry Lane (1855 – 1917)

Portland Rose Festival float entry in 1910.

The Rosarians made their first appearance at the 1912 Rose Festival, wearing their signature white wool suits and straw
hats.

The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550
varieties. The roses bloom from April through October.

In 1917 a group of Portland nurserymen came up with the idea for a rose
test garden. Portland had a group of volunteers and 20 miles of rose
bordered streets left from the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition, and was
already dubbed "The City of Roses".  Between Portland Parks & Recreation
and the American Rose Society, the garden idea soon became a reality.