110 years ago, the Minnesota State Fair hosted a camp for farm boys
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The State Fair is stacked full of history, and a century ago it was all about farm life.
Fairgoers aren't strangers to all the animals and attractions, the food and the fun. But tucked away, far on the north side of the fairgrounds, is an inconspicuous, little house that's chock-full of history.
The house is actually a model farmstead built more than a century ago. Now, it serves as a phone center, but back then, it was used for photos.
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"What's really cool is every year there's over 100 of these kids, and they would have a panorama photo taken of them," said Keri Huber.
Huber is a State Fair archivist. She said the kids were part of a farm boy camp. And their price of admission was an essay. Two boys from each Minnesota county were lucky enough to have their essays selected, and that meant a free trip to the "Great Minnesota Get Together." One boy got selected because he wrote about composting in 1912.
"They stayed on the Fairgrounds. They got an outfit to wear, a hat, and the only thing that they really had to do in return is either be an usher at the Grandstand or at the Hippodrome," said Huber.
Often, it was their first time out of the country, first time riding a train, and first time seeing fireworks. In 1916, the farm boy camp was joined by a farm girl camp. The boys stayed in a building that looked a lot like the Hangar. The girls stayed in dorms at the University of Minnesota. One of the camp-goers, Henry Crovanoft, became a State Fair legend.
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"In the 1960s we did these things called 'Illustrated Feature Stories,' and he was called the Hay King because he had over 1,000 award ribbons from entering things at the State Fair," said Huber.
These days, the North End Events Center stands where the farm boys used to stay. But a State Fair walking tour helps fill in the blanks about a time that was, and in many ways, still is. 4-Hers and FFA students are working hard to carry on that farm kid legacy.
"It's really cool to see what they have been working on all year, and they should be proud of what they're doing, and hopefully they continue and invite friends to be a part of it as well," said Huber. "There's a lot of history that you still don't know about, and I learn things all the time."
The history of the farm kids camp is part of a walking tour at the State Fair.
