1904 St. Louis World's Fair

Oxford Show

The St. Louis exhibition of Oxfords was one of the most memorable and successful of the breed.  There was tough competition with many sheep having good bone structure, muscling, depth of flesh, as well as great distinction in gender traits.  However, with all the wonders of the show, came written and verbal protests against the judges of several breeds including the Oxfords.

Oxfords Under Examination

The majority of the awards  were given to exhibitors and sheep from the United States. However, there was heated competition from several Canadian sheep.  The Oxford classes were considered very competitive, with a large number of type variations. This presented some difficulty in judging.

A strong Oxford class

The entire breed showed great improvement from the Oxford sheep of the past, and was hailed for their “…massive rotundity.”  “No breed shown was perhaps of a higher standard of quality than the Oxfords.”  Dr. B. F. Miller of Flint, Michigan acted as the single judge of the breed.

 Winners

• Aged rams—Kelmscotian 51; W. A. McKerrow; Pewaukee, Wis.
• Senior yearling rams—Bryan’s 9; R. J. Stone; IL
• Junior yearling rams—Hampton Squire 2d; H. Arkell; Ontario
• Senior ram lambs—Kelmscotian 56^th; H. Arkell; Ontario
• Junior ram lambs—Nimrod; H. Arkell; Ontario
• Aged ewes—Our Lassie 22d; W. A McKerrow; Pewaukee, Wis
• Senior yearling ewes—Royal Queen; W. A. McKerrow; Pewaukee, Wis
• Junior yearling ewes—Royal Queen 2d; R. J. Stone; IL
• Senior ewe lambs—Royal Queen 5^th; R. J. Stone; IL

References: Breeder's Gazette, October 19, 1904, pg 657-658; American Sheep Breeder, October 15, 1904, pg 597-598

Photos from American Sheep Breeder.

This page was designed by Kerry Daly and is maintained by Lyndon Irwin. 

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