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Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

July 19, 2007

A sesquicentennial look back

ISU and State Fair share common history

by Erin Rosacker

fair

At the 1881 Iowa State Fair, a battalion from Iowa State College performed guard duty. According to an account in the 1897 Bomb, the morning ritual of collecting tickets from fairgoers that stayed overnight on the grounds met resistance from men with revolvers and knives. The company of cadets, similar to the group pictured here (circa 1890), used fixed bayonets and jack-knives to take the renegades "prisoners at the point of bayonet." Photo courtesy of University Archives.

Iowa State and the Iowa State Fair have been intertwined for more than a century, both conceived from the state's move toward agricultural excellence and education.

In the earliest years, fair judges were plucked from the sidelines, often someone with nothing better to do at the moment and with no expertise in the field. It was Iowa State's first president, Adonijah Strong Welch, who encouraged the use of uniform standards and knowledgeable judges in exhibit competition. Welch believed the practice of awarding prizes to the fattest stock made the fair "a museum of curiosities."

According to a September 1881 issue of The Aurora, a student publication, Iowa State Agricultural College made its second annual exhibition at the State Fair that year. The college was given its own fair building, where many departments - civil engineering, mechanical engineering, physical, botanical, chemical, zoological and entomological, veterinary, horticultural and agricultural - were represented by professors and their assistants.

The publication's fair recap lauded a pair of students who won first prize with their exhibits (stamp collection and insect collection), and praised the work of the college's band and military cadets, both of which had drilled for weeks leading up to the event.

However, the question posed in Aurora's August issue preceding the fair was revisited: "Whether the College and students have been the gainers or losers by the week's work." The students argued that it took a toll upon both students and professors in the midst of the college's final term of the school year. (The winter break was very long at this time, which allowed the college students to earn money by teaching the winter terms at primary schools).

Despite the early cautionary attitude, Iowa State's connection with the fair continued and grew stronger. Professors often served as judges in their fields of expertise and, by the 1900s, the college's students and graduates shared new ideas, techniques and practices with farmers visiting the fair.

Today, more than 1 million visitors tour through the fair grounds annually, where Iowa State maintains its cornerstone presence.

Summary

The Iowa State Fair and Iowa State University share a common path throughout history. As ISU looks back at its first 150 years, the state fair remains a constant outlet for extension and outreach to the people of Iowa.

ISU 150th logo

Sesqui series

Inside is running a yearlong series of photos and articles that look back at Iowa State traditions, people and places to celebrate the sesquicentennial.