288 DAYSSan Francisco · 1915 ⌕
Gazetteer › States & Nations
Grounds · States & Nations

Live Stock Section

The model stock farm at the west end of the grounds: eight big barns around an oval show ring where livestock competed for $426,950 in premiums.

The Department of Live Stock planned its section as a working exhibit in itself. Instead of scattering small barns, it built eight large ones around an oval stadium or 'Forum,' so animals could walk straight from their stalls into the show ring. The Guide says the barns themselves could be 'regarded as a working exhibit of this industry,' with model drinking troughs, dipping tanks and seven great silos. The dairy barn stood apart so its milk could not absorb stable odors. Nearby, Congress Hall, a bungalow with a 500-seat audience hall, housed the department offices and breeders' meetings.

Prize money came to $426,950: the exposition's own appropriation of $175,000 plus $251,950 from breed associations, not counting $227,000 in harness-racing purses (Official Guide). An international egg-laying contest ran from November 1, 1914 to November 1, 1915. The big breeding shows came in October and November, but a livestock quarantine kept most of the cattle away. Only 699 beef and dairy animals were shown, out of 1,834 original entries (Todd).

At a glance

  • 992 stalls in the barns around the Forum plus 132 under the Forum grandstands made 1,124, not counting the dairy building; the Forum stands seated 2,680 (Todd vol. 4).
  • Todd gives the cost of the stock buildings as about $151,646 (vol. 4).
  • McSheehy Bros. built the eight barns and the Live Stock Forum; the Western Building and Engineering Co. built the dairy barn, poultry building, Congress Hall and office building (Todd vol. 2).
  • The Fadgl trains ran out to the Live Stock section by way of the Avenue of the Nations and the Marina (Todd vol. 2).
  • Exhibitors could sell animals under restrictions; unsold animals were returned free over the same route (Official Guide).

Afterward

The dairy barns and their appurtenances, on government land, were taken over by the Army as a remount station (Todd vol. 5). The area is now part of the Presidio near Crissy Field.

The site today

Present-day photographs and video of this spot are being made for the film. You can stand there yourself: it is a stop on the self-guided walk.

On the walk: S25 The racetrack oval, the Crissy Field airfield lawn

Today · photograph to comeThe racetrack oval, the Crissy Field airfield lawn

The middle of the grass airfield at Crissy Field (walk in from the promenade)

Have a photo of this spot? Email it to hello@288days.com with code S25 and up to 50 characters of credit. It appears here and in the film.

Where it stood

Live Stock Section stood at about 37.80042 N, 122.46369 W on today's map. The whole fairground over the city →

Sources