The Joplin Exposition of 1879 & 1880

Joplin held its first exposition in 1879. Joplin gambling room operator and former Kansas jayhawker Charles "Doc" Jennison was involved in organizing and promoting the event. It was held at the newly constructed fairgrounds on the edge of town (on the east side of present-day Maiden Lane across from the James River Church). Given Jennison's interest in betting on horse racing, horse racing was, indeed, the main attraction of that first fair. 

In anticipation of the event, the Springfield Patriot-Advertiser mentioned that about $3,600 would be given out in prizes and that the largest amount, about $800, would be awarded to the top three finishers in "a great trotting race." The winner would get $500, and $300 would be divided between second and third. The large prize money was expected to draw entries from St. Louis, Kansas City, and elsewhere, meaning that "some of the best horses ever seen in this part of the state" would make their appearance. 

However, when information was later released suggesting that the percentage of prize money going to the races was even greater than the Patriot-Advertiser first thought, the newspaper complained about the inequity. Two-thirds of the total money to be given out at the Joplin fair was earmarked for winners of the horse races, with only one-third left for everything else, including all the agricultural and mechanical categories. "This is no business of ours," opined the Springfield paper, "but it does seem as though there are several other interests in the Southwest quite as worthy of encouragement as the raising of fast horses."

Perhaps the organizers of the expo were aware of critics like the Springfield newspaper, because the next year, 1880, Joplin staged a much bigger exposition that included competition in all sorts of categories. In the lead-up to the event, an article in the Joplin Daily Herald expressed the opinion that the Joplin Exposition would be such an overwhelming success that it would "pale into insignificance all other fairs ever held in the West, save perhaps the Kansas City show."

A large crowd was expected, with people coming from all over, and the Herald promised that the ground would be "chuck full with almost everything of interest to the people of the Southwest." There would be a large collection of fruits, flowers, and plants, as well as some of the best livestock in the country. There would also be a fine arts hall with many works of art and other curiosities. Since Joplin was the center of the mining district, there would naturally be a huge display of minerals. The "speed ring" would still be one of the main attractions, though. "Some of the most noted flyers in the West will be here."

The 1880 Joplin Exposition started on September 28 and lasted into early October. Although I could not find an estimate of attendance, the Herald deemed the event a huge success, with an "admiring multitude" in attendance.