Chapter 37

An elaborate game and fish display was determined upon in the Game and Fisheries Building. Every inducement was held out by the company, and an especial effort was made for this exhibit. It pledged, among other things, that pure refrigerated water would be furnished for the fish. The board consulted in this department the State game and fish chief, Mr. Samuel Fullerton, who extended all the assistance possible. Eighty-four feet of aquaria were put in, and it is indisputable that they were the best built, most practical, and best arranged in the building. At the close of the fair the Pacific Coast Association offered $1,000 in cash for them where they were, or nearly one-third of their cost. They were planned to show not only the State's trout and small fish, but the large game fish that are found there. As it was, splendid specimens were shipped to St. Louis in the fish car of the Pennsylvania commission, loaned without charge for that purpose. The fish arrived on Minnesota Day under the personal care of Mr. Fullerton and one of his wardens and of three Pennsylvanians, expert in such work. The fish were in splendid condition, and they included wall-eyed pike, pickerel, muskellunge, bass of all varieties, and great northern pike that experts said were larger than had ever before been sent anywhere for exhibition purposes. There were also rare specimens of trout, including the white trout that are a Minnesota specialty. The fish, except the trout, were successfully transferred to the State's tank that evening. By morning only three were alive, and these died during the day. The trout were not tanked at all, but were turned over to the United States authorities, who were glad to get them because of their rarity. The responsibility for this failure rests with the Exposition Company. The water supplied was not from wells, but was the muddy Missouri River water clarified by the alum process, which is fatal to fish. It was also entirely too warm, no attempt to keep the promise of refrigeration having been made. After this disaster the board refused to bring more fish until the company should fulfill its pledge, which it never did. Minnesota's experience was shared by Pennsylvania and Missouri, the only other States prepared to make large live fish displays.

The failure of the St. Louis Fair officials to provide proper water caused a difference in the board finances of nearly $2,000. The board had secured subscriptions from six different towns in the fishing regions of the State toward the payment for the aquaria, the idea being to stock the aquaria with fish from the lakes near the towns that subscribed, and to give them proper individual credit. When the possibility of keeping the fish alive was realized the board promptly released them from their obligations, but it was too late to save the appropriation made through reliance upon the plans and promises of the exposition.

The game exhibit had a large space adjoining that occupied by the aquarium. It was at the principal entrance to the building. The larger part of the space was covered by a realistic scene from the northern woods--the State game region. A pine forest was shown with a rocky embankment at the side, while opposite was a birch opening. Breaking through this opening and represented as scenting danger were three moose--two bucks and a cow--that were the finest specimens of the great game animals in the building. Elsewhere in the scene was a family of three red deer; also very handsome caribou, black bears, wolves, foxes, porcupines, grouse, prairie chicken, owls, etc. The background of the scene was a distant lake view, and with effective lighting it was conceded to be among the most novel exhibits in the building. No other scenic reproduction was more complete. Adjoining this scene was a smaller space filled with moose and deer heads and mounted fish. The walls were draped with fish nets, and a large map of the State showed the railroads, summer resorts, and lakes.

MISSISSIPPI.

In compliance with the very general demand of the press and people, the legislature of Mississippi, in 1902, appropriated $50,000 for the purpose of securing and installing the products, resources, industries, and enterprises of the State at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. This was the first appropriation ever made by Mississippi for a World's Fair. The bill providing for the State exhibits created a State exposition bureau of five members, specifying that the governor should be ex officio president and name his four associates, the following being the personnel of the bureau: J.K. Vardaman, ex officio chairman; Dr. O.B. Quinn, chairman; Frank Burkitt, secretary; L.H. Enochs; V.P. Still.

At the first meeting of the bureau Col. R.H. Henry, of Jackson, was elected executive commissioner, and was charged with the duty of canvassing the State, with a view of procuring the exhibits. He visited all parts of Mississippi, delivered exposition addresses in the different counties, and urged upon the people the importance of making the best exhibit possible at the exposition. He devoted two years to the work.

The legislature of 1904 made an additional appropriation of $10,000 under the administration of Governor James K. Vardaman, who succeeded Governor Longino as president of the exposition bureau. Several counties also made appropriations, as did some of the factories and mills of the State, the total appropriation aggregating about $62,000.

The Mississippi State Building was a reproduction of the last home of Jefferson Davis, known as "Beauvoir." This home is located near Biloxi, Miss., is of old-style southern architecture, massive in construction and imposing in appearance, and from its broad porches may be seen the "whitecaps" of the Gulf of Mexico. The house was built by James Brown, a rich cotton planter of Madison County, and by him used as a summer home until the close of the civil war, when it was sold to Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey, from whom Mr. Davis secured it. It contained a large historic collection pertaining to the Davis family, much of the family furniture, the bed upon which Mr. Davis died, and the suit of clothes he wore when captured by General Wilson, in Georgia, at the close of hostilities between the North and the South; the object of the exhibit being to disprove the report that Mr. Davis wore a woman's dress when arrested. A statement of Capt. J.H. Parker, of General Wilson's staff was attached, contradicting the falsehood. The building cost $15,000 without furnishings or pictures. It was built entirely of Mississippi lumber, the contractor being J.F. Barnes, of Greenville, Miss.

In the horticultural exhibit the State showed all varieties of sweet and citrus fruits, pecans and edible nuts, together with a pecan horse.

In the Palace of Agriculture two exhibits were shown, the special cotton exhibit, including the 35-foot statue of "King Cotton," and the collective agricultural exhibit--cotton, corn, cereals, grains, hay, grasses, potatoes, peas, beans, sirups, honey, wines, cordials, preserves, pickles, jellies, canned goods, vegetables, oysters, shrimps, crabs, fish, etc.

All the merchantable timbers of the State were displayed in the forestry exhibit, which contained over 500 samples, highly polished and superbly finished, one of the largest and best collections shown.

In the Department of Fish and Game were exhibited all varieties of native fresh and salt water fish, birds, and wild animals.

In the Educational Building Mississippi showed the best work from the colleges and high schools of the State. The Agricultural and Mechanical College had a fine display in the general Agricultural and Mechanical College section.

Other displays were the following: A varied and attractive collection of building stone, cement material, clays, phosphates, mineral waters in the Mineral Building; buggies and wagons made in the State in Transportation Hall; engines, sawmills, and other heavy machinery in the Machinery Building; a rare old double plate-glass electrical machine was exhibited in the Electrical Building, the contribution of the State university.

Mississippi was awarded over 30 prizes for her various exhibits, including 2 grand prizes on cotton and timbers; 6 gold medals and 3 silver medals on agriculture; a gold, silver, and bronze medal on fish and game; 2 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals on education; 2 silver and 3 bronze medals on minerals; a silver medal on wagons; a bronze medal on machinery; a gold medal on fruits, and a gold medal on pecans.

Less than $47,000 of the $60,000 appropriated by the legislature was spent on the State building and on the collection and installation of the exhibits, and from $10,000 to $15,000 of the appropriation was turned back into the State treasury. The expenditure proved of incalculable benefit to Mississippi, and good results are already being felt.

The executive commissioner, Col. R.H. Henry, is a native Mississippian. He was born in Scott County, May 15, 1851, and received education in the schools and academies of Mississippi. He engaged in journalism in early life, has been an editor and publisher over thirty years, and is regarded as the most successful journalist of his State. As the executive commissioner and the State's only representative at the exposition Mr. Henry designed and personally supervised the installation of the different Mississippi exhibits, ten in number, and the award of over 30 medals, including 2 grand prizes, abundantly attests and amply proves the merit and value of the Mississippi products.

MISSOURI.

The largest appropriation for exposition purposes by any State was by Missouri, namely, $1,000,000. In every exposition building where a State could have an exhibit Missouri's exhibit was found. In every building where only exhibits by individuals, business firms, or corporations were permitted, Missourians made display of the products of their industry and skill. The Missouri State Building was among the finest upon the grounds. The displays of the State in the Agriculture, Horticulture, Education, Mining, Forestry, Live Stock, Poultry, Dairying, Fish and Game, and Woman's Work were noted for artistic beauty and comprehensiveness.

The exhibit made by Missouri at the World's Fair was the result of the labors of the board of commissioners to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, appointed by Governor A.M. Dockery, under the direction of which the $1,000,000 voted by the people of Missouri for an exhibit of the State's resources were expended. At the general election in November, 1900, the people adopted a constitutional amendment permitting the legislature of this State to appropriate $1,000,000 for World's Fair expenses. A bill appropriating the amount and providing for a commission to direct its expenditure was passed by the next general assembly and was signed by the governor April 17, 1901. The same bill was reenacted in 1903 and was signed by the governor March 24, 1903. On the 28th of May, 1901, Governor Dockery appointed as the board of commissioners: M.T. Davis, of Springfield; F.J. Moss, of St. Joseph; B.H. Bonfey, of Unionville; W.H. Marshall, of Morehouse; L.F. Parker, of St. Louis; D.P. Stroup, of Norborne; N.H. Gentry, of Sedalia; J.O. Allison, of New London, and H.C. McDougall, of Kansas City. Mr. McDougall resigned and J.H. Hawthorne, of Kansas City, was appointed his successor. When the law was reenacted in 1903 the board was reappointed. The board elected M.T. Davis president, F.J. Moss vice-president, B.H. Bonfey secretary, and W.H. Marshall treasurer. Later the ill health of Mr. Marshall caused his temporary absence from the State, and J.H. Hawthorne succeeded him as treasurer.

The Missouri State building was erected at a cost, including furnishings, of $250,000. The keynotes of the Missouri building were public comfort, culture, and social enjoyment. A golden dome surmounted by an emblematic statue of "The Spirit of Missouri" crowned the building. Over the main entrance was this inscription: "Embracing within her confines all the elements of an empire devoted to all the arts and sciences that advance civilization, Missouri, the central State of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, greets her sister States and welcomes the world." Around the building were the names of great Missourians: Thomas Hart Benton, Francis P. Blair, B. Gratz Brown, David R. Atchison, David Barton, Meriwether Lewis, Edward Bates, Lewis F. Linn, Lewis V. Bogy, Aylett H. Buckner, John S. Phelps, James S. Green. The building contained rooms adapted for various purposes, two large halls in either wing, a commodious auditorium or State hall, in which conventions were held, a handsome rotunda with brilliant electric fountain, the suite of Governor Dockery, men's parlors, women's parlors, press room, and executive offices. On the second floor were rooms fittingly furnished. The building was warmed by steam in cold weather and refrigerated by cold air in warm weather. The approaches and elevations of the building were adorned with statuary, heroic figures of Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte being placed at the main entrance. In the west hall were placed a collection of paintings by Missouri artists and the fine bell presented by the citizens of the State to the battle ship _Missouri_. The mural decorations in the rotunda consisted of four pendentives illustrating the prehistoric savage, developing and productive eras in the State's history. The decorations in the dome embodied a historical allegory, tracing the epochs in the development of the Middle West.

In the Palace of Horticulture the space allotted to Missouri was 6,600 square feet--larger than that awarded to any other State, and filled with Missouri fruits. More than 430 varieties of fruits grown in the State were shown from 84 counties.

In the Palace of Agriculture Missouri agricultural resources occupied prominent position at the main entrance of the building and on the main aisle. In the artistic facade, made, as all the decorative features of the display, entirely of grain and grasses, was shown a series of thirty pictures illustrating the marked contrast between the old and new methods in agriculture. Corn was exhibited in many forms. A corn temple, constructed of the great cereal, was in the main aisle, Missouri being chosen by the exposition to represent the great corn States.

In the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy a display was made of the mining resources of the State. Missouri's space was at the main entrance. The exhibit consisted of typical products of Missouri mines and quarries--coal, lead, zinc, iron, copper, tripoli, building and ornamental stone, clay, sands--and mineral waters, crystals of all types, mining machinery at work, laboratory specimens and equipment from the School of Mines, and photographs of 1,200 mining views in a brief comprehensive showing of all the mineral wealth of the State. Every district was represented by adequate specimens. An outside mining exhibit was made by Missouri in the Mining Gulch, where mining machinery was shown at work and a Missouri mine. Special features were a zinc and lead concentrating plant, model of shot tower, illustration of process of making Babbitt metal and solder. A Scotch hearth furnace for smelting lead ore was also in operation.

Missouri was represented in several places in the Palace of Education and Social Economy. Here was made the general exhibit of Missouri schools. The main school exhibit consisted of showings of grades of the work done in the twelve regular grades of the public schools and in the kindergarten, of the work of the colleges and normal schools, of the schools for negroes, and of special schools. Aside from the high school and grade exhibit, private institutions had separate displays. The public school exhibit was intended to show the work of the entire system of the State public schools, each grade being represented by photographs of typical children and school scenes by representative work of the pupils. Over 300 photographs were shown. Mutoscopes presented in moving pictures scenes upon the school grounds. By means of cabinets, tables, and winged frames the exhibits were presented in compact form. Every kind of school--city, town, village, and rural--was represented in the exhibit, and the work of more than 200,000 children was on exhibition.

The State University exhibit showed what that institution had been and what it is doing. Bird's-eye views of the university at different periods of its existence and a fine model of its present buildings and grounds were shown. The various departments made exhibits of their work.

In social economy were shown the work of the Industrial Training School at Boonville, the School for the Deaf and Dumb at Fulton, the School for the Blind at St. Louis, together with photographs of the Colony for the Feeble-Minded at Marshall, the St. Louis Hospital, the Hospital for the Insane at St. Joseph, the work of the Missouri board of charities and correction, and other eleemosynary institutions. The work of the Industrial Manual School was shown by an exhibit of the products of the school--wagons, clothing, shoes, bricks, and other results of the industry of the boys. In addition to an exhibit along similar lines of the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf and Dumb, showing the pupils' proficiency in industrial training, classes from these schools were at different times shown actually at work in class rooms in the building.

In live stock Missouri offered premiums supplementary to those offered by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company. The list of animals for which prizes were offered included cattle, horses, asses, mules, hogs, sheep, goats, and all domestic animals. The aggregate appropriation for live stock was $93,000.

In poultry, prizes for Missouri poultry of all kinds were offered on the same lines as for other live stock, the total of $7,000 being set aside for the purpose.

The fish and game exhibit, located just outside of the Forestry, Fish, and Game Building, was the only exhibit of live game at the exposition. It was arranged in cages around a lake, the waters of which were stocked with fish. A commodious hunter's lodge, furnished in rustic style with the paraphernalia of the sportsman, was conspicuous upon the lake shore. The exhibit showed live deer, wild cat, mountain lion or panther, coyote, gray wolf, red fox, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, beaver, rabbit, fox and gray squirrel, mink, wild turkey, wild geese, wild duck, quail, black wolf, bald eagle, horned owl, and four varieties of pheasants, all the varieties of game to be found in Missouri forests. As showing the chief varieties of fish, were exhibited rainbow trout, lake trout, brook trout, large-mouthed black bass, crappie, channel cat, buffalo, sunfish, perch, eel, and carp.

In the Agriculture Building was shown a model of the St. Joseph stock yards, setting out all the buildings and grounds of that section of St. Joseph. A working model of one of the great packing establishments was exhibited, displaying the actual process of preparing cattle for the market.

The woman's-work exhibit had booths in the Varied Industry Building and the Manufactures Building. In the first were shown specimens of fancy embroideries, laces, and needlework by Missouri women. In the second were displayed china painting, pyrography, and paintings in oil, water color, and pastel, all by Missouri women.

The forestry exhibit, located in the Forestry, Fish, and Game Building, showed the woods of the State available for commercial use rather than a mere botanical display. More than 60 varieties of Missouri woods were shown. The forestry exhibit was shown in two booths--one devoted to gum, the other to Missouri woods. The gum booth showed furniture of black, red, and tupelo gum wood. In the booths were shown hand-carved mantels, tables, and chairs.

The dairy interest of the State was represented in an exhibit in the Palace of Agriculture. In this exhibit samples of the butter and cheese products in Missouri were shown tastefully arranged.

The Kansas City Casino showed a municipal exhibit attractively arranged in a commodious building erected for that purpose. The casino consisted of two wings, each 24 by 58 feet, and connected by an open court 62 by 67 feet, and located on the model street of the exposition. In the casino were a relief map showing Kansas City in detail, a map of the United States showing Kansas City's location with reference to the great productive region, railroad map, assembly room, rest rooms, and library.

MONTANA.

On May 20, 1903, the governor of Montana, Joseph Toole, appointed the following-named commissioners from the State of Montana at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition: Lee Mantle, Butte; Martin Maginnis, Helena; Paul McCormick, Billings; C.W. Hoffman, Bozeman; B.F. White, Dillon; William Scallon, Butte; F.A. Heinze, Butte; D. McDonald, Butte; Conrad Kohrs, Helena; J.H. Rice, Fort Benton; W.G. Conrad, Great Falls; T.L. Greenough, Missoula; C.J. McNamara, Helena; D.R. Peeler, Kalispel; H.L. Frank, Butte, and William C. Buskett, special representative.

The commission met and appointed the following officers:

Lee Mantle, president; Martin Maginnis, vice-president; Paul McCormick, secretary; C.W. Hoffman, treasurer.

The legislature of the State appropriated the sum of $50,000 on May, 1903, and at the same time made appropriations of $7,300 and $14,290.99, which could be utilized by the commissioners for the purpose of Montana's participation in the exhibition at the World's Fair. Besides the amount appropriated by the State, the sum of $20,000 was contributed from private sources.

The State building was erected at a cost of $20,000, and was maintained throughout the period of the exposition at a cost of $6,000, $1,000 additional being spent for entertainments.

The Montana State Building was of fancy Doric design, and was universally admired by the exposition visitors. One of the prominent features in the interior of the building was the famous painting by Paxton of the Custer Massacre. An onyx mantle from Montana was also greatly admired. The State shield, in gold, copper, silver, and Montana sapphires, was one of the most interesting features of the interior decorations.

The commission appointed as hostess to look after the personal welfare of the visitors from the State of Montana Mrs. Addie McDowell, who was ably assisted by an auxiliary committee consisting of Mary A. Cruse, Mrs. W.W. Cheely, and Mrs. T.R. Carson. State officials and some of the most prominent residents of the State were entertained at various times in the building.

Montana was represented in the following departments: Mines and Metallurgy, Palace of Agriculture, Horticulture Pavilion, Forestry, Fish, and Game Building, and the Educational Palace.

In the Mines Building the grand prize was awarded to Montana. In the Agricultural Building the State received 209 medals, and the exhibits in all the other exhibit palaces were remarkably good.

NEBRASKA.

On April 8, 1903, the Nebraska State legislature voted for the appointment of a State board of commissioners by the governor and for the appropriation of $35,000.

The following-named commissioners were subsequently appointed by the governor:

Gurdon W. Wattles, president; Peter Jansen, vice-president; Matt Miller, treasurer; H.C. Shedd, secretary.