Forestry, Fish & Game at the Fair

Forestry, Fish & Game in Eisenhower Bldg

I previously shared Isaac Werner's affection for wild birds.  (Isaac & his "Pet" Game Birds, 8-8-2013)  Early settlers failed to recognize the need for conservation of game birds, and although laws were passed to protect against unlimited hunting of game and song birds in the late 1800s, it was too late for some.  I'm sure that if Isaac could have joined me for a stroll around the fairgrounds, he would have enjoyed the display in the Eisenhower Building pictured at left. 

 

However, this blog is not really about Isaac.  In about 1940, my father went to work at the Forestry, Fish & Game headquarters near Pratt, Kansas.  At that time, most people called it The Fish Hatchery, and many people still do.  My parents had married in 1934, and when they moved to Pratt about 1940 for my father's new job, my older brother was about three years old. 



Early photograph of the Fish Hatchery

Soon, they were able to move into one of the cottages on the Hatchery grounds, and it was a happy time for them, with other young couples living there.  When the men were at work, the wives finished their household chores and gathered for coffee breaks and card games, while their children played together. 

 

One of my father's responsibilities was driving a fish display truck to fairs and other public events.  The back of the truck was outfitted with tanks displaying fish found in Kansas rivers and lakes.  Naturally, when I saw the mobile fish tanks on display at the state fair I thought of my father and one particular trip he made with the fish display truck.

 

Mobile fish display at KS state fair 

In over forty years of marriage, my parents spent only four nights apart (excluding a couple of short hospital stays), but as the employee who drove the fish display truck, my father was required to travel to a destination where he remained overnight.  Apparently, my mother had raised quite a fuss about being left at home.

 

Here's the romantic part of my story--At the end of a long day watching over the fish display and answering visitors' question, my father returned to his hotel room, exhausted.  Those were the days of overnight delivery of letters, and he knew he had better write a letter to my mother or he would be in even worse trouble when he got home.  He had brought no stationery, and there was no complimentary writing paper in the hotel room.  All that he could find was a can of Dutch Maid scouring powder under the bathroom sink.  Carefully, he tore along the overlapping edges of the Dutch Maid label, and as he had hoped, the back of label was white.  He took out his pencil and wrote my mother a love letter, explaining how sorry he was that she couldn't come with him, telling her how much he missed and loved her, and asking "Corky" to take good care of his mother.  I don't know how he managed to find an envelope and get the letter mailed to my mother.  What I do know is that when Mother went to the nursing home over sixty years later, I found that love letter in the top drawer of my mother's bureau.

Sheep Shearing at the Fair

Judging the sheep at the Ks St Fair 

Kansas is best known for several things--Cowboys and Indians, being the Sunflower State, Dorothy & the Wizard of Oz, "amber waves of grain."  However, most people do not associate sheep with Kansas.  That is unfortunate, for not only are sheep raised in Kansas today, they are also a part of Kansas history.

 

The sheep shearing demonstration



 

In the early years before there were fields under cultivation, great herds of sheep were driven across Kansas to markets in the east.  Increasing cultivation and the railroads ended that practice.  Few farmers in the area near where Isaac once lived raise sheep today, although I do know of at least one; however, sheep were being raised in this area in Isaac's time.  He mentions in his journal buying mutton from my great grandfather, Aaron Beck, a surprise to me since I had not known of sheep ever being raised by my family.  In the Blizzard of 1886 Isaac recorded in his journal that a neighbor named Blanch lost about 800 sheep and that Neelands Ranch lost a great many too, although he did not know the number.

 

There were sheep raised in Pratt County when I was young, for the Sheep Barn at the Pratt County Fair was a popular place to go when I was in 4-H.  Most of the kids that I knew raised cattle as their 4-H project, however.


 

Students watch the shearing 

A friend who was accompanying a school group that was visiting the fair mentioned that they were on their way to the Sheep Barn to watch the sheep shearing demonstration.  We decided to follow them there, and it may have been my first opportunity to actually watch a sheep being sheared, although I have seen the job done on television.  The children were mesmerized.  The task was finished surprisingly quickly, but the size of the pile of sheared wool from one sheep was an even bigger surprise. 

 



Nearly finished

After the shearing demonstration, the woman who had provided an interesting narrative during the shearing, filled with facts about sheep and wool, moved to a nearby spinning wheel for her own demonstration.  She showed the audience how the wool was spun into yarn, pausing often to answer questions from the interested audience.  Later, when we visited the Oz Gallery where antiques are judged, we saw an antique spinning wheel. 

 



Students learn about spinning wool 

You never know exactly what you might see when you go to the State Fair!

 

 



A Day at the Fair

In 1888 times worsened for farmers like Isaac Werner, and he wrote in his journal that farmers needed to use their heads as well as their backs if they were to survive.  One of the ideas that came from using his head was the plan to form a Stafford County Agricultural Society, and he went to the county seat in St. John to speak with businessmen, as well as fellow farmers, promoting the idea.  Eventually he succeeded in getting enough men interested to form the Stafford County Agricultural Society, for which he was elected Secretary.  One of their plans was to have local gatherings at which prizes were awarded for the best produce and livestock.  Other communities were doing the same thing at about this time, and as my blog of last week, "Time for the Fair!" explained, the roots of the Kansas State Fair reach back to the first Agricultural Society fair held in Hutchinson.

Something to crow about

 

 

This week my husband and I went to the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Kansas State Fair, and the entire day I thought of Isaac and wondered if he would be surprised by the continued popularity of agricultural fairs.  I took my camera, and I will be posting a series of photo-filled blogs about the fair in coming weeks.  This week I invite you to come along with my husband and me to spend a day at the fair.



Shelves of farmers' best

One of our first stops was at the Pride of Kansas Building, and just inside the door was the butter carving, an elaborate statue entirely carved from butter of a mule looking at the tractor that was displacing him in pulling machinery.  The glass-walled, refrigerated display was popular with young and old fair goers.

A school group enjoys the carving

Boys and their toys!

No doubt Isaac would have enjoyed this pavilion in which the farm crops were displayed.  The produce had already been judged, so ribbons of purple, blue, red and white intermingled with the rich colors of orange pumpkins, red potatoes and apples, green beans and watermelon, golden corn and wheat, and rust-colored milo.  There were also brightly-colored farm grown flowers and honey from farm hives.

 

No state fair could be complete without all of the implements on display.  My husband paused for a photograph beside an old John Deere tractor, and I strolled with him through several implement displays.  Eventually, I left him alone to study the fascinating characteristics (to him!) of rows and rows of machinery, while I enjoyed the delightful qualities (to me!) of rows and rows of quilts.

Silver-haired sweethearts

 

Nearly every Kansan who went to the fair as a teenager remembers riding through the dark canals of the Old Mill with their sweetheart.  There were enough scary surprises during the ride to make a girl cuddle closer for protection, and the ride was long enough for even a shy boy to work up the courage to put his arm around his girlfriend.  The braver boys found opportunities to steal a kiss or two.  As the photograph shows, some of those Kansas sweethearts are still holding hands and remembering rides together through the Old Mill long ago.

 

A patch of shade for one



 

The fair is about meeting friends, old ones and new.  Comfortable shoes and cool clothing can only help so much on fair days when the temperatures reach triple digits, so finding a shaded bench to visit with friends, or a spot away from the crowds to check your e-mails or send a text are appreciated.  We arrived mid-morning with temperatures at 87 degrees and the sun climbing in a clear blue sky, but later in the day the clouds drifted in, and it was a pleasant afternoon, with a slight breeze.

Relaxing with friends  

Of course, we had to wander through the carnival rides and the games of chance--although we boarded no rides nor took any chances!  In my youth, I confess that a day at the state fair was all about carnival rides and food, unless I wanted to impress some boy with livestock at the fair by visiting his animal.  Now, I visit the amusement section of the fair grounds only to enjoy the bright colors and the excited laughter and screams of children and teenagers enjoying the rides I once loved. 

Watch my stuff, Dad!

 

As we strolled through the carnival rides we were amused by the sight of a father, sitting on a bench waiting for his children as they enjoyed the rides.  He was nearly hidden by a collection of stuffed animals, apparently entrusted to his care by his children.  We could just imagine their departing voices calling out as they rushed off to another ride, "Watch my stuff, Dad!"

 

No fair would be complete without the commercial vendors demonstrating their products, and I could not resist snapping a quick action shot of this man.  I didn't pause long enough to risk being caught in his sales pitch, but one lady looked like she might be a prospective customer.

 

 

Our day would not have been nearly as much fun if we had not arrived just in time to watch the last heat of the 4 o-clock pig races.  Young pigs, barely more than piglets, squirmed eagerly as the announcer warmed up the crowd with his clever pre-race introductions of the contestants.  Suddenly, they were off and racing--not for the roses but rather for a pile of pig feed just past the finish line.  Pigs can run faster than you might guess! 

 

As our day wound down, we found the perfect way to relax.  A six member New Orleans style jazz band, led by the jazz band instructor from Hutchinson Community College, was entertaining in the pavilion by Lake Talbott.  We lingered to tap our toes to several numbers played by this outstanding group of musicians, but I guess their audience was too weary from a day strolling the fair grounds to let the music tempt them into dancing.

 

As the sun sunk toward the western horizon, we followed it toward our car, sweaty and foot sore, having had a wonderful day at the fair.  On our way out, we encountered two young brothers, far luckier than we in their rolling sleeping quarters. 

Be sure to return to my blog in coming weeks to read and view more of the things we saw at the fair, for I have only shared a sampling of the fun we had.  Remember, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 









Time for the Fair!

While doing research about Isaac B. Werner and his community in the late 1800s, I discovered an article in the County Capital advertising the approaching date of the Hutchinson Fair, advising farmers that cash prizes would be awarded for the best examples of local produce.  Also included among the activities scheduled for the fair was horse racing.

 



Fairgrounds, Circa 1900-1919



This year's Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, held on September 6-15 of 2013, celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the state fair.  A century ago, the Hutchinson News carried a bold headline on September 13, 1913, which read Kansas Real State Fair Has An Auspicious Opening.  The history of fairs in Hutchinson, as I realized while reading the newspaper story in the County Capital, is older than one hundred years, however.  The 1913 headline recognized that history by including the word "Real" in its announcement.  In fact, in 1903 the Kansas legislature had given the Central Kansas Fair held in Hutchinson the license to call their event "The Kansas State Fair."  Apparently, other Kansas fairs may have contested the licensed title, with the official designation having been settled in 1913. 

Agricultural fairs in America have existed from the early 1800s as places for farmers to learn new farming techniques, view equipment, and be entertained.  While farm markets included some of the trappings of a fair, one of the first events identified as a model for future agricultural fairs was held in 1807 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  Others followed that model and expanded on it, and as settlers moved westward, agricultural fairs expanded across the country.

 

The Kansas State Fair website identifies January of 1873 as the date when Hutchinson, then barely one year old, organized the Reno County Agricultural Society, and in September of that year the society hosted a fair in a small wooden livery stable.  Hutchinson was not the only town to initiate an agricultural fair, nor was it the only county to form an Agricultural Society.  Isaac Werner was the man who initiated the formation of the Stafford County Agricultural Society in his county.  To read more about the history of the Kansas State Fair and how Hutchinson came to be the official site, visit http://www.kansasstatefair.com/.  

Fairgrounds, 1906, Hutchinson, KS



The 1906 photograph taken  at  the Hutchinson fair shows not only horses being judged but also a horse race in the background.  (Notice in the background the same building pictured above, suggesting that both images might have been taken in 1906.)

 

Horse races were a part of many agricultural fairs, but they also caused controversy.  Because farmers came with their families to the fairs, objections were raised that the races brought drinking and gambling, activities that were inappropriate to family events.

 

New York state is credited with holding the first State Fair in September of 1841.  Like Kansas, most fairs in other states originated from Agricultural Societies, and beginning in 1840, state legislators began providing funds to these societies, which led to larger and more regular fairs.  Typically, fairs were held in early fall, after crops had been harvested.

 

For many farm families, the fairs provided an opportunity to experience social changes not directly associated with agriculture.  For example, electric lights might have been on display, or early aviators might have performed for the crowds.  A woman from California described seeing "sewing and washing machines, a printing press, and stereoscopic pictures for the first time at her local county fair." (http://rickwoten.com/AgFairs.html)  Women had soon begun participating in the fairs with their cooking and sewing exhibits.  Some attempts by women to join in fair activities created scandals.  In 1854 at the Iowa State Fair, women competed in horse races, which some regarded as immodest, even immoral.  By the 1860s, state legislatures and fair boards had restricted or banned women's equestrian events.  However, women did participate in a ladies' saddle-horse contest (as distinguished from horse racing) at the 1874 Indian International Fair at Muskogee.  To read more  visit http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FA025.html. 

 

Of course, agricultural fairs in other countries pre-date those in America, and many of the practices were brought with the immigrants and adapted to their new homes.  The Stafford County Agricultural Society envisioned exhibitions of their crops and livestock, and today the Stafford County Fair, as well as the neighboring Pratt County Fair, continue those traditions begun years past and adapted from other nations.

 

Fairs change with the times, but they remain a wonderful occasion for families to enjoy.  Maybe I will see you at the Kansas State Fair in a few days.  Look for me wandering through the exhibit of amazing quilts, or admiring the exotic chickens, or enjoying one of the visiting bands entertaining the crowds.  I'll watch for you there!

Isaac Raises Chicks with a Broody Hen

Isaac's design for a new Hennery

After designing an incubator from a wooden coffee box for his first flock of chickens, (See blog "Isaac builds an Incubator," 8/22/2013) Isaac went in search of fertilized eggs among his neighbors' flocks the following year, apparently not willing to depend on his own roosters.  Fortunately, the neighbors on whom he called were not at home, and the second day he found a farmer with more "Broody Hens" and fertilized eggs than he needed.  When a hen becomes "broody," she generally stops laying eggs, becoming busy enough setting the fertilized eggs she has laid.  Because too many hens brooding means reduced production of eggs, farmers are sometimes willing to sell the "Broody Hen" with her eggs and any other fertilized eggs he can spare to tuck under the hen.

 

Even with hens to hatch the eggs rather than the chore of using an incubator, Isaac found that raising chicks was not always easy.  On August 8, 1886, he wrote in his journal:  "Having 50 little chicks to attend to now, one hen tending 25 of them, many new-comed doing poorly, feeble & die in few days peeping round."

 

He also experienced another problem in October of that year.  "Skunks & coyote around trying at my chickens. Need an iron Hennery."  He had quickly learned that hens wandered off to nest in trees and hide their eggs from him, so he designed a proper hennery.  Even then the skunks continued getting at his hens.  "Last night a skunk in Hennery.  I after him with hammer.  He killed my young pet chicken of the whole flock..."  In an effort to foil the skunks, he added a new feature:  "I busy at Hennery to make it more 'skunk proof.'  Got 6' x 6' bin up by roosting time for them to feel more safe over nights."

 

Entries in his journal reveal that keeping the hennery snug and the chickens safe from skunks was an ongoing job for Isaac.

Isaac Builds an Incubator

On March 28, 1885, Isaac wrote in his journal:  "[Doc Dix]...brought coffee boxes down for making incubator."  It was the first of several entries in his journal about using the wooden boxes in which coffee was delivered for Dix's little store at their home, where the local post office was also located.  Finally, on May 9th, Isaac recorded:  "I up to Dix, put plaster into incubator."  From the entries, I assume he used the wooden box for the basic container, creating some sort of racks or trays to hold the eggs, and plastering the interior to allow use of a candle or some other source of heat to warm the eggs.  Perhaps the plastered box was placed on a shelf above the stove, but that seems less likely if Mrs. Dix were incubating eggs in late spring.  Unfortunately, Isaac provided no such details.



Eggs should be incubated at a temperature between 99 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit, with 99.5 considered the ideal.  It is unlikely that Isaac had the means to provide such specific temperature for his incubator.  In addition, eggs should not be kept in a tightly sealed container, for proper aeration and gas exchange between the embryo and the environment outside the shell are important.

 

Just the right size for 3-yr-old hands!

Chicks will generally hatch after 21 days of incubation.  During that time it is desirable to turn the eggs at least twice a day, more frequently if possible.  This will exercise the embryo and help avoid having the embryo stick to the shell.  It is preferable to incubate eggs with the pointed end down, so turning and tipping should return the eggs to that position unless they are turned more often.  When it gets close to hatching time, laying the eggs on their sides is preferable.  Of course, many modern incubators have mechanical equipment to accomplish the necessary turning, but surely Isaac would not have included such conveniences in his invention.

 

After 7 to 10 days the eggs can be examined to determine whether embryos are developing inside the shells.  The process involves using a bright light behind the egg in a dark room to get a shadow image of the developing embryo through the shell--or the absence of any such shape if no embryo has developed.  This is called candling, since a candle was the first method of providing the necessary light.  It is not unusual for about half of the eggs to fail to produce an embryo, depending on whether the rooster in the flock provided fertilization for the egg, as well as whether the incubating process has succeeded.

 

The easiest method for hatching chicks is to have a "broody hen" and let her do all the work of keeping the eggs warm and turned!  Eventually, that is the method Isaac relied upon, but his original flock was acquired by hatching chicks in his self-designed incubators made for himself and Mrs. Dix from wooden coffee boxes. 

Farmers Experiment with Co-operative Farming

As the New Year opened in 1891, Isaac Werner had struggled on his farm since 1878, and after a few years of good prices for crops, Isaac found himself overwhelmed by drought, debts with impossible interest rates, and prices for his crops inadequate to cover expenses.  He had matured both his timber claim and his homestead, but he had found it necessary to sell his timber claim to his brother and his homestead was encumbered by mortgages that he could do no more than pay the interest to avoid foreclosure.  He began studying the benefits of co-operative farming, and on January 13, 1891, he wrote in his journal:  "Morning idealized over establishing Co-operative manufacturing [and farming] ...for our neighborhood."





1873 promotional poster



 



Four days later he had organized a meeting at his home for nearby neighbors to discuss co-operative farming.  He described the evening in his journal.  "Eve had our preliminary Co-operative Meeting.  C.G. Gereke and A.A. Shoop the only 2 present instead [of] the whole 6 or 7 selected as starting members."  In fact, Isaac had also invited William Blanch, George Hall, S.J. Frazee, and W. Gouger.  Despite the disappointing attendance, he wrote:  "We spent a long and interesting evening, reading and expressing views with interest becoming the subject, preparatory before spring work may crowd.  Many realizing the necessity of such steps, but difficult to get full attendance."

 

Early promotional posters by the railroads and land agents had emphasized the abundance of prairie farms and had made exaggerated claims for how quickly a homesteader or purchaser of railroad land could achieve success.  Many immigrants and homesteaders had relied on those posters to leave their homes and establish farms on the prairie, and many had failed, either moving on West or returning to live with relatives in the East when farms failed and assets were exhausted.  Those like Isaac who remained were willing to try whatever seemed reasonable just to survive.

 

On February 4, 1891, Isaac wrote in his journal:  "Last evening W. Blanch & Frazee called to organize co-operative club.  We had a literary time by ourselves till midnight--politics, reform and Shakespeare.  Co-operative plans my main study now-a-days.  Seeing the needs to establish an influential County Reform paper on a co-operative basis and then organize County Literary and Reform Club to work as auxiliary to said paper and furnish reform Library at County Seat for editors and club members."

 

Not all of Isaac's plans for co-operative ventures were realized; however, he did provide several acres on his farm for neighbors to plant, tend, and harvest potatoes.  He believed that theirs was the first cooperative potato farming in Stafford County, Kansas.

 

Isaac and his "pet" Game Birds

Wild turkey and pheasant at Forestry, Fish & Game Museum

Isaac Werner loved wild birds.  He not only used the flights of ducks and geese to be warned of the approach of winter and celebrate the welcome arrival of spring, he also noted in his journal the return of each type of song bird.  For example, on February 17, 1890, he wrote, "Larks warbling first time for spring.  Birds livening up for spring."



Ducks and beavers at FF&G Museum

He had a flock of quail for which he scattered corn in his peach orchard, and when the Blizzard of January 1886 froze his birds, he grieved for them as if they had been his pets.  You can only imagine his anger when he caught a neighbor poaching game birds along the edges of his property, birds which had become quite tame because of his feeding them.  Times were hard, and neighbors were sometimes hungry for meat, but that was no excuse to Isaac.  On November 18, 21, and 22, 1890, he wrote in his journal:  "...some loafing Scroundrel Stambaugh following my tree rows with buggy shooting my quails."  Continuing:  "...seemingly Stambaugh loafer shooting more quails on timber claim tree rows.  I out after him but he making distance keeping ahead of me.  I penciled 7 board notices 'No Shooting' etc. to nail up at roads and corners."  And finally:  "...nailed up Shooting notice boards, warning tresspassers."  A few years later the Kansas legislature passed laws protecting game birds--too late for prairie chickens but providing protection for other birds Isaac loved.



Bobcat scares up a quail at FF&G Museum

Recently we visited the wonderful museum at the Kansas  Forestry, Fish & Game Headquarters just   east of Pratt, Kansas.  The impressive display of native birds and animals made me think of Isaac and his love for wild creatures.  (Except skunks!)  I hope you enjoy the photographs I took, and perhaps you will want to visit there to see more of the displays at the museum.  Remember, you can click on the images to enlarge them.

Neighbor "Doc" Dix

When I was a girl, I often heard my father refer to "the Dick's Place," at least, that is what I thought he was saying.  As I began doing the research for the manuscript about Isaac B. Werner's journal, I discovered that the land to which my father referred had actually belonged to Dr. Isaac Dix, whom neighbors called Doc.

 

Dr. I. H. "Doc" Dix

Doc Dix was one of Isaac's best friends.  Doc had not only the local post office but also a small store in his home.  He and his wife Susan had lost three children in early childhood before coming to Kansas to claim both a homestead and a timber claim in the north half of a section a mile west of Isaac's claims.  Their daughter, Mabel, thrived on the Kansas prairie, and the Dix family remained on their land long enough to mature their claims.  Apparently Doc wasn't too handy with tools, as he often hired Isaac to install windows and doors in the family soddy, as well as help with outbuildings.  Isaac exchanged that labor for merchandise from their store. 

 

With his claims matured and his daughter getting old enough to attend school, Doc began thinking about moving into Saratoga to resume his medical practice.  He believed his wife would prefer living in town with other ladies to visit nearby, and he felt the year-round school in Pratt would offer Mabel a better education than she could get in a country school with the short winter and early spring sessions.  In addition, Dr. Dix thought the Pratt County seat would be a good place to resume his practice, whether Pratt or Saratoga were ultimately chosen.  (Isaac uses Pratt and Saratoga interchangeably as the location of Doc's new home, but it is certain that Doc eventually lived in a house on the north side of Pratt, near the water towers, as an old photograph identifies a house in that location as belonging to Dr. Dix.  When Saratoga lost the county seat battle to Pratt Center, many residents and businesses literally moved their houses and business structures into Pratt, and that might also be the explanation for the confusion about the location of Doc's home.)

 

Isaac was very disappointed when his friend first mentioned the possibility of moving, but he did understand the reasons Dr. Dix gave for the move.  On December 29, 1887, Isaac made this entry in his journal:  "At 7 degrees I off early to Emerson, Dix decided finally to move.  We loaded up on my hayrack, & women bedded down warm & comfortable.  Back to my place with load by noon, fed & chored.  P.M. at 22 [degrees] & up 32 thawing, but clouding up from S. made it soon colder, we off again.  Roads in places snow in ruts makes hard pulling.  By sunset passed Iuka & by 7 to Pratt Center.  I had to stop twice on road, warm up.  Unloaded our 2 loads of goods into Dix's Saratoga house.  A disagreeable cold S.E. air & wind during night, we all roosted in new house."

 

Several times I have put out the call to visitors to my blog to search old albums and other keepsakes for photographs and information relating to my research about Isaac and his community.  Imagine what a thrill it was for me when Marsha Lynn Brown at the Pratt Historical Museum sent me a photograph of Dr. I. H. Dix!  Thank you Marsha!!  For the rest of you, keep your eyes open for photographs and information that I might use.

Politician Wm Jennings Bryan as Author

 

"The First Battle" by William Jennings Bryan, pub. 1896

Our small hometown is very fortunate to have a wonderful public library.  During an Open House at the library, I noticed a shelf of books the library was selling to raise funds.  The title, "The First Battle," caught my eye, along with the author's name of W.J. Bryan.  I opened the cover to find a yellowed check-out form with not a single stamp to show that the book had ever been checked out since its acquisition by the library.  Handling it carefully because of its fragile condition, I was amazed to discover a book written by the 1896 presidential candidate of both the Democrats and the People's Party, William Jennings Bryan, and published the same year of that  failed candidacy.  I bought it to add to my research materials of the late 1800s.
 

Preface to Bryan's Book, p. 11

Preface to Bryan's Book, p. 12  



 

                      In an unusual Preface to the book, Bryan's words are presented in his own handwriting.  In part, they read:  "The campaign of 1896 was a remarkable one whether we measure it by the magnitude of the issues involved or by the depth of interest aroused.  I have been led to undertake the present work by a desire, felt by myself and expressed by others, to have the more important incidents of the campaign put into permanent form for the convenience of those who have taken part in the contest and for the use of those who shall hereafter desire to review the struggle.  The amount of work done by the advocates of free coinage is beyond computation and the number of those who took an active part in the contest to [sic] great for enumeration..."  Included in the book are not only texts of speeches and other documents by Bryan but also documents of other men instrumental to the Silver issue, the primary theme of Bryan's 1896 candidacy. 

 

                      In another rather unusual decision, Bryan chose his wife to serve as his biographer, inserting her brief genealogy of his family and following that with her personal biography of her husband's life.  She recorded his birthday of March 19, 1860 and his family's move from Salem, Illinois, to a 500 acre farm outside of town when Bryan was five.  He entered public school at the age of ten and attended there for five years before entering Whipple Academy, the prep school for Illinois College at Jacksonville, IL, where he remained for eight years, acquiring a classical education.  He met his wife, Mary Baird, in September 1879, while they were both students in Jacksonville, (she attending a school for young ladies), and having graduated from college, he entered Union College of Law in Chicago in the fall of 1881.  He began his legal practice on July 4, 1883, and he and Mary wed on October 1, 1884.

 

As for his political biography, he first became interested in politics during his father's Congressional political campaign of 1872, and according to Mary, "...from that time on he always cherished the thoughts of entering public life."  It was the summer of 1887 when legal business took him to Kansas and Iowa, that he made a side trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, and was so impressed with the prairie town that he decided to move to Lincoln and begin a legal practice with a former classmate from law school.  That practice commenced on October 1, 1887, and Bryan immediately became active in Democratic politics in Nebraska.

 

William & Mary's Home

 With his handwritten Preface and his wife's biography having opened the book, Bryan begins his own text with this title to Chapter 1:  "My Connection with the Silver Question Begins."  There is no question that Bryan's political career was built on identifiable issues and skills.  Perhaps foremost was his formidable skill as an orator; without question his principal political issue was Free Silver; and underpinning his reputation was his strong reputation as a Christian man.  His career is bookended by the "Cross of Gold" speech at the Democratic convention of 1896 that probably led to his selection as the party's presidential candidate (See my blog "The People's Party Urged Silver, July 18, 2013) and it essentially closed with the so-called "Scopes Monkey Trial" of 1925.

 

Bryan was well known for lacing his oratory with frequent Biblical references and quotations, just as he did in his stirring challenge to the Republicans not to "press down upon the brow of labor a crown of thorns" nor "crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."



Darrow, left, & Bryan, right, at Scopes trial 

It was surely that reputation that influenced his selection as attorney for the state in The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes in which Clarence Darrow, the famous defense attorney, was hired to defend school teacher, John Thomas Scopes.  The highly publicized trial became a contest between those who believed the Bible took priority over all human knowledge and those who believed evolution could be reconciled with matters of faith.  The Tennessee law made it illegal for any state-funded school to teach evolution, and with two such famous lawyers representing opposing sides, the trial was covered by newspapers far beyond Dayton, Tennessee.  Bryan won, with Scopes found guilty and fined $100, (although the verdict was overturned); however, Darrow took the unusual tactic of putting Bryan on the witness stand as an expert on the Bible, and Bryan's testimony left him feeling humiliated and exhausted.


Images of Bryan selected for his book

While those two events probably bookend his reputation today, in his own lifetime he was well known for  many distinguished achievements.  Not only was he chosen in 1896 as the presidential candidate of both the Democratic and the People's parties, he was chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate again in both 1900 and 1908.  He was the Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1915), and people were willing to pay to hear him speak to the extent that he supported his family from speaking engagements for many years.  Despite his achievements, Bryan's star was never again so high as during the 1896 presidential election, and many believe that L. Frank Baum's depiction of the Cowardly Lion in the Oz book published in 1900 was intended to caricature and ridicule Bryan.

By the time of the 1896 Presidential election in which Bryan first ran, Isaac was no longer living; however, the Silver issue was the controlling question for the People's Party even before Isaac's death, and there was no greater champion of that issue that William Jennings Bryan.

Remember, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them.

 




The People's Party Urged Silver

1890 Political Cartoon from the County Capital

During the People's Party movement of the late 1800s one of the most politically divisive issues was bimetallism.  Many members of the People's Party supported bimetallism, in which silver as well as gold would support our currency.

 

Initially, both gold and silver were legal tender of the United States, first with a floating exchange rate that was fixed at a 15:1 ratio in 1792 by Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury.  During the Civil War money was needed to pay soldiers, and "Greenbacks" were issued, but the bonds to pay for the War were redeemable in gold.  This was pointed to by the People's Party as an example of the wealthy getting their bonds repaid in valuable gold while the soldiers were left with the deflated paper money.  It was in 1873 that the free and unlimited coinage of silver ended, putting the country on a gold standard.  When the Panic of 1893 struck the nation, the schism between the wealthy and the working classes intensified, particularly regarding the continuance of the gold standard.

 

1890s Political Cartoon from the County Capital

Membership in the People's Party consisted largely of farmers, laborers, and miners, and the majority believed that a return to silver would inflate the money supply, giving more cash to everybody.  Farmers especially saw a double benefit from inflation--higher prices for their crops and repayment of their outstanding loans with deflated dollars.  Bankers and other investors obviously opposed the idea of accepting deflated dollars in payment of the notes they held.  Politically, this translated into Republicans supporting candidates and policies that adhered to the gold standard while Democrats and the People's Party supported candidates and policies that supported bimetallism.

 

The political cartoon at the start of his blog shows rich men in top hats, holding government bonds as they cheer for President Cleveland, who is struggling to compete on a unicycle representing the single metal gold standard.  The common man, on a 2-wheeled bicycle representing bimetallism, stays in the lead.  The political cartoon just above uses a one-wheeled bicycle, showing how impossible it is for Uncle Sam to make any progress toward prosperity when the rear wheel, labeled "silver" has been removed.

 

Abandoned silver mines near Creede, Colorado

The prosperity of  silver mines declined as an oversupply of the metal caused the market to fall.  In an effort to prop up the market and appease those calling for a return to bimetallism, the government agreed to buy a certain amount of silver each month at a fixed price.  Naturally, this caused silver mines to reopen and increase operations, driving the silver market below the government price to the extent that the government program was ended.  When we visited Creed, Colorado, we saw the evidence of that tumultuous period for miners in the form of abandoned mines.

 

In 1896 the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan, and the People's Party also nominated Bryan, believing that the combined votes of the two parties would defeat the Republican candidate and put a "Free Silver" president in the White House.  Bryan's focus on the silver issue was apparent at the Democratic Convention, where he delivered his famous "Cross of Gold" speech, declaring:  "The gold standard has slain tens of thousands."  He contrasted "idle holders of idle capital" with "the struggling masses, who produce the wealth and pay the taxes of the country."  

 

Regional voting in 1896 Election

 Bryan's speech takes its familiar title from his rallying challenge to the Republicans:  "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."  (To read the full text of this speech you may go to http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5354.)

 

Disagreements about the silver question resulted in groups splintering off from both of the major parties, but on election day Bryan swept the rural South, the heartland states, and the upper Northwest, areas where farming, mining, and lumbering were dominant.  However, McKinley held the banking, railroading, and manufacturing states and gained the presidency with 51 % of the vote.

 

The push by the People's Party to join with Democrats to gain the White House and put a Free Silver President in office failed.  (For a good explanation of the 1896 Currency Question you may visit http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/currency.html.) 

Next week's blog will share more about William Jennings Bryan from his own book published immediately after the 1896 campaign and titled "The First Battle."

If Isaac Could Only Imagine



Isaac's arm stabilizer



The margins of Isaac's journal contain many sketches of his ideas for improving or inventing machines.  As a young druggist he designed and built an apparatus to stabilize a man's sore elbow enough to allow it to heal.  As a farmer in Kansas he designed and built a 3-horse cultivator, the first of its kind, for which he sought a patent.  He rarely bought a piece of equipment without modifying it in some way to improve its performance.  With his inventive mind, how he would have loved to attend the exhibition we know as The Chicago World's Fair!

 

The proper name was the World's Fair:  Columbian Exposition, organized to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World.  When it opened to the public on May 1, 1893, it covered 600 acres, with about 200 buildings and pavilions containing exhibits from around the world.  Isaac would have loved all of it, but the single thing that might have impressed him the most was the amazing invention of George Ferris.

 

George Ferris

Born on Valentine's Day 1859 in Galesburg, IL, Ferris attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and earned a degree in civil engineering.  By the late 1880s he had opened G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with their principle business being building tunnels and rail lines.

 

Although Ferris made a good living from what he was doing, he was ambitious, and the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Exhibition of 1889 inspired him to consider what he might build that would exceed the famous Paris landmark.  He imagined an observation wheel, and when plans were announced for the Chicago World's Fair, he believed he had found the perfect venue for his invention.

 

Unfortunately, when he presented his idea to the committee in charge of accepting or rejecting entries to the Fair, some regarded it as impossible to build, some saw it as too dangerous for riders, and some even called him a "crackpot."  Ferris enlisted endorsements from other engineers, and the committee changed its mind and accepted the concept of George Ferris for a giant observation wheel.  Their delayed approval resulted in the Ferris Wheel being incomplete when the fair opened, but when it was finished and open to customers, people lined up in great numbers to ride the new invention.  In fact, ticket sales for the Ferris Wheel are credited with keeping the fair from indebtedness.

 

The Ferris Wheel at the Chicago Fair

Imagine a bicycle wheel with the axle of the wheel set on two steel pyramids, with the wheel spokes consisting of heavy steel beams.  Now, consider the engineering genius of the construction.  The axle was the largest piece of steel that had ever been forged in the United States, weighing 46 1/2 tons!  The wheel itself was 264 feet high, and the towers supporting the wheel were 140 feet high.  There were 36 passenger cars outfitted to impress Victorian tastes and capable of carrying 40 seated passengers or 60 standing.  Two 1,000 horsepower steam engines turned the wheel, and a huge air brake stopped it.  George Ferris had indeed created a marvel to equal or exceed the Eiffel Tower!

 

Sadly, the Chicago World's Fair was only a temporary site, and the location to which the Wheel was moved was not successful.  In addition, when others attempted to use Ferris's ideas, he became involved in many patent infringement lawsuits.  He gained his fame but died in 1896 at the young age of thirty-seven.

 

The above image of the Ferris Wheel was taken from a wonderful book of photographs of the Chicago World's Fair published in 1893 that is now part of the archives of the Stafford County Historical Museum.  In the background of the photograph may be seen some of the buildings said to have inspired L. Frank Baum in his depiction of the Emerald City.  If you happen to be in Stafford, KS, on a weekday, stop by and ask Director Michael Hathaway to see the wonderful book of photographs from the Chicago World's Fair.  

 

Today there are taller Ferris Wheels in the world.  The London Eye towers 400 feet above the River Thames, dominating a fairly flat city and altering the lovely, traditional skyline.  The tallest Ferris Wheel, however, is the Singapore Flyer, that pierces the sky at 541 feet!



Isaac and the Sunflowers--Part 2

Roadside Kansas Sunflower

 

Having shared the information about commercially grown sunflowers and their history in last week's blog, I must admit the fact that most farmers, like Isaac, regard the common sunflower as a weed.  Although the sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, and visitors admire the golden blossoms growing along roadsides, the plants are a nuisance in corn, wheat, and soybean fields, having the potential to reduce crop yields.

 

Since its introduction to the Old World, the popularity of the sunflower has spread.  Germans make a popular bread called Sonnenblumenkernbrot (literally, sunflower whole seed bread) by combining the seeds with rye flour.  During the 18th century the popularity of sunflower oil expanded in Russia because it was one of the few oils allowed by the Russian Orthodox Church during Lent.  Using data compiled by Monfreda, C.N. Ramankutty, and J.A. Foley from 2000 production figures, the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment compiled the map below showing how far the production of sunflowers has spread across the world, far beyond its native American roots.  Indicative of its popularity and importance, the sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine.

 

The sunflower is a popular symbol.  In the late 1800s, during Isaac's lifetime, the sunflower was used as the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement.  Artists and writers of the Aesthetic style believed that art should be appreciated for itself, without any association with morality, sentimentality, or usefulness.  The purpose of art was beauty, not utility.  Perhaps the best known among its practitioners are Oscar Wilde, A.C. Swinburne, James McNeill Whistler, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  When Oscar Wilde made his American tour during Isaac's lifetime, he was often lampooned by cartoonists who drew Wilde wearing a sunflower as a boutonniere or carry a sunflower as a bouquet.

 

The flower is also a common symbol for green ideology, as well as for the Vegan Society.  It was chosen as the symbol of the Spiritualist Church because "Spiritualism turns toward the light of truth" and the sunflower turns toward the sun.  Spiritualism has its origins in the mid-1800s and while the societies and churches vary in their practices and beliefs, in general they are described as believing that when humans die it is the physical life that ends, but the personality or mind survives on a spirit plane.  Mediumship is the method through which spiritualists seek to reach these spirits.  As for their choice of the sunflower as their symbol because it follows the sun, science offers a less spiritual explanation.

Worldwide sunflower production



 

 



 

Scientists have concluded that the alignment of sunflowers is the result of heliotropism, and their movement is a circadian rhythm, synchronized by the sun.  Tests have shown that turning the sunflower 180 degrees will cause it to turn away from the sun until resynchronization by the sun over the period of a few days realigns the movement.  Whether one accepts the Spiritual or the Scientific explanation, seeing a large field of sunflowers identically aligned to face the sun is an awesome sight. 

 

One summer we had three urban, non-farming couples visiting our farm, and we hosted a supper on the lawn, inviting several of our farming neighbors.  As I worked that afternoon getting things ready for the meal, my city guests asked if I had containers they could use for wild flower bouquets for the table.  I gathered some interesting antique containers to use as vases, and they went in search of wild flowers.  That evening the tables looked lovely with the old dishes and tins holding the charmingly arranged flowers.  As the meal concluded and we lingered around the long table to visit, one of the farmers leaned back in his chair and studied the floral arrangements.  "You know, those weeds are kinda pretty," he said.

 

I cannot help but wonder if one evening after chopping sandburs and sunflowers with his hoe in the hot prairie sun all afternoon, Isaac didn't reach down and pick up a few of the slaughtered blossoms to take back to his house and put in a vase to decorate his kitchen table that evening.