Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/341

 HISTORY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 333 Shirley, R. P 1 Stevens, Thomas 2 Smith, B. P 5 Stevens, Mrs. Thomas 3 Smith & Beckly 1 Sutherland, Fendel 2 As already hinted, the foregoing summary of the organiza- tion of county fairs has been given in order to lay the founda- tion to a considerable extent for the organization of a State Fair, as it was believed by many that if such an institution could be perfected it would result in great good to the pro- ducing interests of the country. The organization of a State Fair in California probably had something to do in creating a desire on the part of Oregon farmers for a kindred body here, as it had been the practice for several years for a number of our farmers and stockmen to visit that State and compete for prizes, and frequently win them. At the fair at Sacramento, which closed on September 23, 1859, William Meek, of Clackamas County, then doing business at Milwaukie, was awarded the first premium for the greatest number of varieties and best specimen of fruit. Seth Le welling, of Milwaukie, received the second premium. J. W. Walling was awarded the first and second premiums for the best forty varieties of fruit. William H. Rector was awarded first premium for iron ore, and the Willamette Woolen Mills, Salem, was given a premium for cloth. The exact date of the first California State Fair cannot at present be given, but it is believed to have been in 1855; but some years prior to that date the California Agricultural Society was organized, and in the year 1853 it held a fair in San Francisco, and among other awards a silver medal was given to Morton M. McCarver, of Oregon City, for the best display of fruit. As a result of the advent of the Oregon Farmer, the first agricultural paper in Oregon, the first issue of which ap- peared in August, 1858, the question of a State Fair began to be agitated with vigor. In that number of the Farmer the following appears : "To California belongs the honor of instituting the first agricultural fair on the Pacific Coast. This reminds us of