In 1905 the railway company that operated The Oaks benefited from the Sunday closures along the Trail, the amusement section of the Lewis and Clark Exposition. Sunday's excitement-seekers turned to The Oaks when they did not find the thrills they were looking for at the Fair.

The exposition organizers decided to close the Trail's commercial attractions to accommodate a growing national preference among the elite for Sunday closures.

Visitors to the Fair on Sundays attended church services and enjoyed peaceful walks on the landscaped grounds.

The decision to close angered concession owners, who claimed that this marked the first time in the U.S. that exposition grounds were open while commercial amusements were closed.

After a pleading attempt to the Fair’s president failed to open the Trail, two concessionaires filed suit against the Exposition’s operating corporation.

Much to the dismay of the religious community, the state court sided with the concessionaires.

The Oaks did not escape from criticism about being open on Sundays. In fact, in August 1905 Portland’s police chief forced the shooting gallery at The Oaks to close on that day of the week.

Up until that point the police did not enforce the ordinance governing the Sunday closure of shooting galleries. Letters of complaint compelled the police chief to begin enforcing the ordinance.

During its first two years of operation, sermons delivered in various Portland churches targeted The Oaks. Religious leaders criticized the railway for opening the pleasure park on Sunday. They also criticized patrons for attending during the holy day.

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