Interview with Charles E. Barnhart, September 9, 1997

Interview Summary

In this session, Dr. Charles E. Barnhart discusses the history of the North American Livestock Exhibition, now known as the North American International Livestock Show, and how it came to the Kentucky State Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He states the show was started at the turn of the century (1903), where a meeting was held after the first show to discuss "building the greatest Livestock Show on the North American continent". He relates how the show was originally held at the Union Stockyards in Chicago and mentions that a separate building, show facilities, and an amphitheater were eventually constructed to handle this, including the Stockyard Inn.

Barnhart describes his introduction to the show, the process of preparing pigs for show and taking these pigs to the Exhibition while a student at Purdue. Barnhart talks about the process of getting livestock to market and how that changed during the 1940's, when packers started buying direct, building packing plants locally where there were feed lots, and downsizing operations in Kansas City, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois. He describes how, due to the decline in interest and thus the quality of livestock entries, the show was eventually moved from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky in the early 1970's. Barnhart discusses the efforts towards this of Commissioner of Kentucky Agriculture Wendell Butler, saying the original money for this show was funded by the Kentucky legislature. He mentions Robert Alexander, a native of Scotland and an early pure-bred cattle breeder, who immigrated to Woodford County, Kentucky and bought an estate which he named Woodburn.

Interview LC Subject

Agriculture. Barnhart, Charles E., 1923- Barnhart, Charles E., 1923- --Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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