Sec. C Pg 25 Missoulian Centennial Fair Is Reopened In October 1914
10 – Year Lapse
Fair Is Reopened In October 1914
The Western Montana Fair – now the Missoula County Fair – moved from the fairgrounds west of the city to the present site of the fairgrounds south of the city in 1912 after a lapse of several years.
Apparently the last fair staged at the grounds west of the city where the American Crystal Sugar Co. plant now is situated was about 1904. It was that year when the first carnival made its appearance in conjunction with the fair. This carnival was billed as “high-class vaudeville.”
Present Site
In 1912 a bond election was run off for re-establishment of the fair with $50,000 the goal. The site selected for the fairgrounds covering 40 acres, is the site of the present fairgrounds. Included in the bond election were a combined grandstand and exhibition hall, two stock barns and two horse barns. The fair was opened to the public again in October in 1914, drawing an attendance of 6,000 on the opening day. Fair commissioners were George Beckwith, James Walsh, F. A. Elmore, Jim Newcomb, W. H. Rock of Lolo and F. M. Lawrence, secretary.
County commissioners at that time were J. J. Flynn, Dan McQuarrie and Frank Nelson, who took an active part in operation of the fair.
Special Event
A special event at the time of the 1916 fair was the unveiling of the Mullan Monument on North Higgins avenue on opening day, Oct. 5.
In the 1920s some of the interesting features were boxing and fireworks, gala evening attractions, a big charleston contest and the year an alligator suffered from the cold. The reptile was taken into the fair office for application of hot water bottles and sacks the better part of one day, then returned to his stand. The fair board in 1926 consisted of Charles M. Reardon, W. M. Rock of Lolo, Fred Watson, L. M. Felton, Ralph P. Scheffer of Huson and W. C. Peat, secretary.