Saline County, Missouri - Chapter 27: Agricultural Assocl\tions and Fairs, 1910

Saline county has had several agricultural fairs and fair associations in years past. The initial movement in this direction was made as early as 1839, when the county court ordered that a meetings of the people should be held at Jonesboro on the 17th of June, 1839, for the purpose of forming a "County iVgricultural Society." But it does not appear that a society was formed at that time, or that any agricultural fair was held in the county for many years subsequently.

An agricultural association was organized in 1856 in this county, of which ex-Governor Marmaduke was president. The stockholders, who largely lived in Miami township, located the fair grounds at Miami, and the first fair was held there in 1857, then afterwards annually until i860. Among the leading exhibitors of fine or improved stock at that time were Moses and James White, brothers, who were leading- exhibitors of both horses and cattle at these Miami fairs previous to i860. These two young men, each of whom owned a large farm in Saline county, were the sons of Capt. James White, of St. Louis, the young men being born and reared in that city, their father being a man of large wealth and an influential citizen, a brother of the distinguished senator from Tennessee, Hugh L. White. Moses White's farm was three miles west of Marshall and his brother, James, owned one of the best farms in Miami township. These brothers were large importers to this county of thoroughbred horses and cattle, the former being a leading exhibitor of his stock at the Miami fairs prior to the Civil war. He, Moses, married a daughter of the pioneer settler, XTathaniel Walker, and at his death left several children now residing in Colorado. His brother, James, never married, dying here at Marshall at the early age of twenty-seven years. These two young- men spent a great deal of money for fine stock from which the people of Saline county ultimately derived great benefit. The colts of the great stallion, "Red Fox," were well known and recognized here as superior roadsters for many years. Moses bought the premium short-horn bull at the national fair in Cincinnati in 1858, paying one thousand dollars for the animal which he brought here and kept at his farm, three miles west of Marshall, and perhaps a better animal of the sort was never brought to the county.

The Saline County Central Agricultural and Alechanical Association was org-anized in 1871 and held its first fair at Marshall, September 26th of that year. That association held fairs for several years following, owning a very handsome and well improved fair grounds northeast of the town of Alarshall, the land since having been donated to the state of Missouri as a location for the colony for the feeble minded of the state. These fairs held by this association were well attended and enjoyed by the people of the county, contributing largely to the improvement of the livestock in the county.

At the present time a new fair association has been organized and incorporated and has purchased a very desirable and suitable tract of land of forty acres lying immediately north and adjoining the town of Marshall, on which it is intended to erect all the suitable building's needed for an extensive agricultural and livestock exhibition to be held annually hereafter. The grounds are "to be provided with a good race track and all other necessan.- appliances.