1904 Worlds Fair

To verify the following you can go to the basement of the University of Arkansas’ library and ask for the key to the historical archive.  To get the key is not that easy.  You must be doing historical research and have approval or dating one of the librarians.  Once in the archives you will find the history of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  One of the hallmark years for the University of Arkansas was 1904.  A few years before a senator from Missouri had suggested that Arkansas was so worthless the United States should sell it to the highest bidder.  The year 1904 gave Arkansas a chance to demonstrate its value.  This was the year of the St Louis World’s Fair. 

Arkansas was going to have a chance to show the world it true values.  As a geologist, the mineral wealth of the state was of interest to me.  After a few days of reading, the agricultural demonstrations proved more fascinating.  One famous event occurred at the mineral demonstration.  Arkansas is the only state in the union that has bauxite and manganese ore in mine able qualities.  The Arkansas mineral display included a large sample of manganese ore.  This sample weighed several hundred pounds.  It took a number of geology students and the head of the geology department to put the sample on its pedestal.  The head of the geology department was on one side of the display.  The students on the other side gave a mighty heave to get the sample to the top of the display.  Unfortunate for the departmental head the heave as a little too much and the sample went right over the top hitting the board on which the professor was standing.  The board acted as a lever and sent the professor flying over the display wall and sending him to the hospital.  This mineral sample is on display at the University of Arkansas museum In Fayetteville.  At one time, the sample was located on the lawn of Old Main and new students were told it was a meteorite that hit Farmington.

That is all good to know, I guess, but not the story.  The real story of Arkansas at the St Louis World’s Fair was in the Agricultural program.  The main attraction was a large razorback hog.  This hog called Bruce was the largest wild razor back hog in existence.  Bruce received training to do a very unpleasant job.  This job was costing cattle farmers a lot of money, and they wanted a better way to accomplish this particular job.  Having watched the native wild razorback hog in the wilds it occurred to one instructor that this might just be a solution to this age-old problem.  The wild razorback hog attacks the testicles of an adversary.  With razor-sharp, teeth they will remove said organ with little pain and blood.  This is Bruce’s demonstration for the World Fair.  He can castrate over a hundred bull calves in a day's time.  This is still just the set up for the real story.

One night a group of four Arkansas boys went out to a local bar and grill.  As good boys they went in and order eight Bar-B-Q sandwiches and four large orange drinks.  While they were eating their Bar-B- Q and drinking their orange soda six boys from South Africa came in and ordered sandwiches and beer.  Before long, the African boys start bragging about South Africa.  They claimed hey had the fasted animal on the face of the earth.  One of the Arkansas boys walked over and informed the Africans that they had an animal that could out run any cheetah.  The African boys said, "Prove it and how much would you wager on a race."  The Arkansas boys got together and discovered they had a total of $10.00 between them.   The bet was on and with help of some locals that night; they arranged a race at the South St Louis dog track.  The African boys had their cheetah, and the Arkansas boys had Bruce.  If you have never been to a dog race, you may not know how it works.  The dogs chase a mechanical rabbit.  The dogs can never catch the rabbit because it is capable of speed of over eighty miles per hour.  The event brought many people, and everyone is betting on the cheetah.  The odds for Bruce are 1/100 and for the cheetah are 1/1.    

The race starts and the cheetah take off at a rapid pace.  Everyone in the stands are laughing because they know they have just doubled their money.  Shortly, Bruce notices that this is a male cheetah.  He sees ahead of him his favorite snack.  Bruce blasted off, catches up to the cheetah, and neuters the cheetah right in front of everyone.  The change in personality causes the cheetah to pause.  Bruce continues and catches the rabbit.  The Arkansas boys walk away with ten thousand dollars.  There was a lot of side betting.  A spectator who was so amused by the events offered to pay for the rabbit.  The South African delegation was not amused.  Bruce also had an encounter with a Bengal Tiger from India at the World’s Fair.    

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