(Above: Newspaper ad from The Bamberg herald dating 11 October, 1906)
The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.), 11 Oct. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://tinyurl.com/ChroniclingLOC
Stock Shows in America
Stock shows in the United States were nothing new around the time of Blanche. Dating back to colonial America, stock shows are a gathering of local farmers and even normal citizens to showcase their livestock and possibly discuss new technologies and techniques within the agricultural setting. Livestock shows did not gather much attention until the early 19th century where it obtained a place in agricultural institution. As time went on, competitions began becoming common at stock shows to attract larger crowds such as plowing matches and livestock judging. Horse racing would also evolve around stock shows throughout the early 19th century and carry onwards to this day. While shows died out temporarily during the Civil War in the South, they returned throughout the Reconstruction era and continued towards the turn of the century.
Betts, John Rickards. “Agricultural Fairs and the Rise of Harness Racing.” Agricultural History 27, no. 2 (1953): 71–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3740939.
Why was Furman called a fitting school and what was done there at that time?
How much colder was it in 1906 as Blanche was able to go ice skating in October?
What types of fairs were common in the Upstate at this time? Were livestock shows a event looked forward to by common people in the Upstate?
Is Scott or Senie any way connected to Blanche?
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Below (in order of appearance):
1907 Show grounds for the National Western Stock Show "1907 Show Grounds and Tent-logo." National Western Stock Show. May 26, 2015. https://tinyurl.com/Show-grounds.
A 1909 press pass for entrance into the show
"1909, Press Pass, Front." National Western Stock Show. May 26, 2015. https://tinyurl.com/Press-Pass.
National Western Stock Show
Beginning in January of 1906, the Western Live Stock Show or the National Western Stock Show as it is currently known as, opened it's door to the community of farmers across Colorado. The idea for a large stock show in Colorado was already in the works years before such as the Denver Blood Stock Show in 1874 and The National Stock Growers Convention in 1898. The National Western Stock Show formed out of multiple associations and supported by the Denver Union Stock Yard Company and Record-Stockman, two influential companies at the time. Going off of the small start of 351 animals showcased, the show only grew in the following years with larger regions allowed to join and more classes added to showcases. Over time, rodeos, horse racing, and even dog stunt shows would be on display at National Western Stock Show. As of today, the show begins every year on the 6th of January and lasts until the 21st.
“History of the National Western Stock Show.” National Western Stock Show. https://nationalwestern.com/about/history/.
Harness Racing
Alongside stock show's growing popularity, harness racing became a side event closely associated. Harness racing, a sub-category of horse racing, consisting of horses pulling a cart (also referred to as a sulky, spider, or chariot) with a rider at a trotting pace compared to the high speeds of an average horse race. The length of the tracks for racing usually are a mile long but can divert from location to location. For the U.S., harness races are restricted to just Standardbred horses whose legs are shorter than those of Thoroughbreds, a breed of horse meant for horse racing, thus the longer legs. In the first implementations of horse/harness racing, the idea was disliked due to the belief that the races would cause competition between farmers and thus would not show up to the stock shows at all. Overtime the races gained popularity with visitors of the stock shows and branched off to become a separate event outside of livestock shows.
Betts, John Rickards. “Agricultural Fairs and the Rise of Harness Racing.” Agricultural History 27, no. 2 (1953): 71–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3740939.