Agricultural History Series

 Missouri State University

 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair

Clydesdale Horse Show

A relatively small number of Clydesdales were presented in the Horse Shows of the 1904 World’s Fair.  This particular breed fell short of everyone’s expectations. However,  even though several high-quality Clydesdales were present, some well-known ones were missing.  Two firms from Canada made great preparations for this event.  One firm even went  to Scotland to purchase a dozen of prizewinning Clydesdales, specifically for showing in St. Louis.  This firm's imported Clydesdales, however, never made it to the fair.  This was unfortunate since their Clydesdales had done so well in past years.

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Exhibitors included the McLay  Bros.,  Janesville, Wis.;  Ed Hodgson, El Paso, Ill.; T. L. Wibray, Tremont,  Ill.; A. G. Soderburg, Osco,  Ill.  The   judges were H.  von Biedenfield, of Illinois and Alex. Galbraith, of Wisconsin. 

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In the Group competition,  the McLay Brothers held the dominant position in most classes, obtaining many first prizes.  The mares, however, obtained the most prizes due to the fact that they were the largest class present for the Clydesdales. The Universal Exposition offered  prizes amounting to $6,205  to the winners of the Clydesdale exhibition, despite the unexpected low turnout.

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In the Livestock Forum

Clydesdale First Place Winners

Reference: The Horse Show Monthly, 1904; World's Fair Bulletin, July & October 1904; The Breeder's Gazette, August 31 & September 7, 1904; St. Louis Republic, August 21, 1904.

This page was designed by Piper Wilson and is maintained by Lyndon Irwin.

Photos from the Lyndon Irwin collection.

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