Shorthorn enthusiasts---Chicago International 1912 Album discovered!!!

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oakbar

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Jan 20, 2008
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A friend of mine tracked me down at our 4-H show yesterday and handed me an "Album of Short-Horn Prize Winners" from the Chicago International of 1912.  Its an amazing publication(almost like and album of fine art) that shows all the winners from the 1912 International,  features the first association presidents/secretaries of the "American Short-Horn Breeders Association  from J.H Pickerell(1882 to 1891) up to John Groves(1901--1912).  The Manager of the Association at the time of printing was Abram Renick and the Secretary was Roy C. Groves.  There also are excerpts of articles in the "Breeders Gazette" and it shows the address of the Association as 13 Dexter Park Ave., Chicago, Ill.

The bulls look like they could be very useful in todays industry--almost 100 years later!!!  About the only real difference is that all the bulls have horns as was popular in those days.  I'll try to scan some of the pictures in later this week so you can see the winners of that time.

This album was found in the estate of Roy Hanson, who was a well noted Hereford breeder here in Worth county.  His nephew Merle was the one who gave me the book and if the Association is interested and can use it in a museum or something, I think Merle would like to donate it in the name of Roy Hanson and the Hanson family.  I feel very honored to be entrusted with such a neat piece of Shorthorn history and I hope we can find a way to let others in the breed enjoy it as well.

Lynn
 

justintime

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May 26, 2007
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Saskatchewan Canada
Lynn,
Isn't it amazing when you find these things from the past, that you have to wonder about what all has taken place in the beef industry since then? Some of the cattle I have seen from this era would definitely be useful today. It makes me stop and think sometimes about where we have been,.... and where we are going.

I have a few pieces of Shorthorn history on the walls of my office as well. One is a picture of a bull named Fond Memory who was a 1st place winner at the 1909 Chicago International. He was a son of Whitehall Sultan, who was one of the most famous breeding bulls of that day. Below the picture is printed these words" Fond Memory arouses the enthusiasm of all who see him on account of his splendid confirmation and trueness of type. His calves are in great demand for breeding animals as they are ideal in every desirable quality." Along the side of the picture are these words... " What we admire, we praise, and when we praise, advance it into notice that it's worth acknowledgement, so that others may admire it too."

One of my favorite wall hangings is a large 2'X 3' diploma that was awarded to my grandfather in 1921, for the best Beef Breeds Bull at a small fair near our farm. This diploma was presented by the Saskatchewan Livestock Board, and it has several pictures of Shorthorn, Angus, and Hereford bulls and females all around the outside of it. I look at these pictures and often think that if I had cattle as good as any of these pictures, today, I probably could easily retire. The Angus cow and the Shorthorn bull and cow are all simply amazing animals. The town where this award was won has been long gone.... as have cattle like these. I have never seen another diploma of this type, and I took it to the 100th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Livestock Association, a few years ago, and no one there had ever seen it either.

I also have a picture of a Shorthorn bull that my great uncle hitched along side a mule, to plow his homestead here. I have no idea how he got a bull and a mule to pull a plow together, but somehow he did. The bull is pretty impressive, and looks to be really thick and well muscled, but is probably a little too big framed for today. After a few years on his homestead here, he moved to Montana, where he raised 8 children. His family was very musical and a 3 or 4 of his grandchildren preformed for several years in the 50s at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville.

 

stumpy

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May 1, 2007
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Great Bend, KS
These items are of great improtance to me. One of the tings we have aquired the I hold dear is a sign that just says " Chicago International Livestock Exposition" we haven't narrowed down the year yet but it hangs behind my desk in the office and Twig Marston and Kevin Jensen drooled at it a little when they saw it. Great find Lynn I hope to see it or a scan soon.
 

r.n.reed

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That sounds like quite a find Oakbar.A couple of years ago the ASA was working on setting up a room at the office to display some of the Shorthorn memorabilia ,that might be a good option for display.
I too have an interest in the Shorthorn history.I made my first find when I was a sophmore in H.S. A friend of my father's mentioned that his father in law had passed away and that he had a basement full of Shorthorn stuff he wanted to clean out.After the first pickup load my mother put her foot down and said absolutley no more!Turns out the man who had passed away was Alan Atlason who had managed Edylln farms and later became secretary of the ASA.
By the way if you guys want to read a great story on Whitehall Sultan go to my website at www.kapercattle.com,go to the spat page and then hit the conviction title.
 

Chris Bingham

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Sep 25, 2008
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Chickasha, Oklahoma
At the OSU purebred center they have the set of horns of Royal Jupiter. I believe it was one of the first calves that they raised that went on to win NAILE (I think it was that national show). I know that it is more part of the colleges history, but I thought I would share!
 

justintime

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May 26, 2007
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Saskatchewan Canada
I really don't consider myself a collector, but I seem to have trouble throwing some of this stuff out. Our home is a 3 story home with the 3rd floor being a full attic. A few years ago, i was running out of places to keep my Shorthorn magazines and sale catalogs, so I built a large book case in the attic. I think my Shorthorn magazines go back into the 50s and i have almost all Shorthorn World, Shorthorn  Country,  Canadian Shorthorn News , and Canadian Shorthorn Report since that time. There are a few issues that go back into the late 20s and 30s, that were left here by my grandfather. I think I have almost 50 years of sale catalogs, and if I ever find time I really need to sort them and file them properly. I have a complete set of Canadian Shorthorn Herdbooks, starting in 1876 to 1954 when they quit making them. These are leather bound books which list every animal registered in the year along with their pedigree, breeders and owners. Some of these books are close to 500 pages. I also find interesting that the annual meeting minutes are printed in these herd books from 1876 to about 1915. I find it amazing that most of the things that were discussed a hundred years ago, are the same topics discussed at today's meetings.  Most of my family considers most of this stuff " junk" ( their words not mine!!) Each year I trek up to the attic to look up a pedigree or find a picture or just to look back and see where were have come from. I think sometimes to know where you want to go, you need to see where you have been.

In the late 1880s the Canadian Annual Meeting decided to send a load of Shorthorn bulls by train to Western Canada, which was just being settled at the time. A group of breeders travelled with the bulls and stopped at numerous small towns that the railway went through. They were successful in selling all the bulls and averaged $62 per bull. In the report given to the annual meeting, it was reported that they felt this was a very successful venture, and a great way to promote the breed in the new world. ( Western Canada). A few years later, there are reports of sales that would be considered great sales today, especially if you were to calculate the dollars into today's currency values.
 

TMJ Show Cattle

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May 11, 2008
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Fond memories come to mind when memrobilia surfaces from the past. Although i grew up in the Angus world,some of my dad's greatest friends were shorthorn breeders.Too many names to mention,most all are gone now,but the memories will live forever. I only experienced from the 50's until today and not many of today. The olden, golden era of the 50's and 60's hold my fondest memories. Chicago,Kansas City,Eastern National,Cow Palace,Iowa State and Missouri State fairs,Texas and Oklahoma,along with Tulsa,Mid South at Memphis,Tn. Jackson, Miss.Phoenix and tuscon Ariz. Kansas SF at Hutch,Mid America fair at Topeka Ks. Little fairs such as Salina ks,Belleville,Ks. Fairbury Nebr. and of course Lincoln,Nebr.Sioux Falls,Billings Mont. These old magazines and other relics from the past,takes me back to a quieter time in life,a place i miss sometimes very much,where most of my knowledge was formed,good and some not so good.I remember in 1968 at the American Royal winning two classes with our Angus heifers and thought we were on cloud nine. Next day at the shorthorn show I showed a heifer for a man that had two in same class. Heifer had one broken horn,the fella didn't think she would do very well. Won her class,was Junior champion, I convinced the owner she could win the show,which she did. I was more proud for that owner and that heifer than anything we won with our own cattle. That began my affection for shorties,my brother became a breeder,and although we have but a small handful of them,there will always be room for a couple to play with.What a tremendous find Oakbar ranch,will be eagerly,impatiently awaiting anything you can post of the greatest breed ever brought to the U.S.A.
 

mark tenenbaum

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Mar 23, 2009
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Virginia Sometimes Iowa and Kansas
I HAVE TWO ORIGINAL BOOKS WHICH I FOUND IN ENGLAND, THE FIRST IS 50 YEARS AMONG SHORTHORNS,PUBLISHED BY ROBERT BRUCE AND PUBLISHED IN 1907, WITH A FAIRLY COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THE BREED IN ENGLAND,SCOTLAND AND EXPORTS TO THE US. SOME OF THE ANIMALS ARE ILLUSTRATED AND THERE ARE SOME OF THE FIRST PHOTOS OF SHORTHORNS, SOME SURPRISINGLY CLEAR. THE SECOND,IS SHORTHORN CATTLE BY ALVIN SANDERS, PUBLISHED IN 1918, WITH MANY COOL PICTURES, AND A CHAPTER ON WHITEHALL SULTAN, AND HIS BEST SONS. EARLY PHOTOS SHOW CATTLE FITTED WITH CURLED HAIR LIKE THE 1950S HEREFORDS, AND MODERN (1903) INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS.THE HISTORICAL DATA GOES BACK TO THE EARLIEST RECORDS OF THE BREED IN BOTH BOOKS. O0 :)))
 

new comer

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Jun 27, 2009
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Good stuff!

Anyone have a copy, or ever read the book which I believe is called, "Red, White, and Roan"? 

 

TMJ Show Cattle

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From what  I have heard, Catherine Sloan Williams from down Boling, Texas way via;V8 shorthorns has several old publications of shorthorn country and other relic material of shorthorn cattle.
 

M-n-M Cattle Company

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May 4, 2009
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At the silent auction at the Shorty jr's they sold 2 sets of sale catalogs from the 1950's. they were really cool to look at. I forget who got them though.
 
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