publications

The 1874 State Fair: A Time to Show Off (Updated August 2018)

These days, fairs promote entertainment, but when Nebraska was a new state, fairs were mostly seen as a way to promote Nebraska by demonstrating its potential for agriculture.

In 1874 the state fair was held in Omaha. Earlier that year J. Sterling Morton (future US Secretary of Agriculture and founder of Arbor Day) sent an appeals to newspapers around the state. As printed in the Nebraska Herald (Plattsmouth) on May 21, 1874, Morton described the coming fair as “a complete demonstration of the wonderful fertility of Nebraska soil, and its perfect adaptability to the production of all cereals, root crops and fruits incident to this latitude.”

He wanted to Nebraskans to get involved. “Every citizen has an interest in helping to the best of his ability, and each farmer in the State will certainly have some product worthy of exhibition.”

He wanted people to make a point of producing examples that could serve as bragging points.

“If without especial effort seventy and eighty bushels of corn is frequently raised upon an acre of ground, why not by extra tillage, produce an hundred bushels, and even an hundred and forty of the same grain upon the same breadth of land?”

The fair would showcase these agricultural wonders, but this was about more than the fair itself. Morton and others believed that by demonstrating the upper limits of the land’s productivity, prize-winning farmers would generate publicity to entice more people to settle in Nebraska and invest money here.

This wasn’t just about blue ribbons, in other words, though Morton promised that the “premiums [cash prizes] offered by the State Board of Agriculture are liberal and will be promptly paid.” The railroads, too, were offering “special inducements, as purchasers, at rich and remunerative rates, of specimens and samples from all premium or extraordinary large and fine crops.”

Unfortunately, 1874 was a bad year for Rocky Mountain locusts. They descended in huge swarms across the Great Plains, darkening the skies and eating up everything wherever they landed. The state fair went on as scheduled, but you can bet the fair’s promoters had nothing to say about it. That wasn’t the sort of record bounty the fair existed to promote.

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...
About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast.

Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.