This article is submitted by the Logan County History Center.
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By: Mary E. Mortimer
In December 1930, 4-H boys and girls from Logan County traveled to New York City via the New York Central Railroad for the first annual Baby Beef Show.
On December 8, 1930, members of the Logan Co. 4-H Steer Feeding Club, along with the calves they had been taking care of for a year, competed in an exhibition in Bellefontaine. The steers were first brought to the Sparks & Hamilton Auto Garage on S. Detroit St. and placed in temporary stalls made with lumber and lined with sawdust. At 10:00 am, the Bellefontaine High School Band, 100 members of the Farm Bureau, the 4-H kids, and their steers gathered for a parade. When the band started playing, some of the steers became frightened and ran off. Some of the steers were found in front of the Logan Hotel, while others were located a short distance away. Once all the steers were caught, the parade proceeded on to Columbus Ave. and then to Main St,. where a large crowd had gathered in front of the Courthouse to watch the steer judging.
LeRoy Shroyer of Bloomfield Township won best steer in the competition. He was presented with an 18-inch silver loving cup and a leather-fitted traveling bag. Viola Bell of Union Township won second place, and Donald Nelson of Huntsville won third place. Bell was presented with a 15-inch silver loving cup and a smaller leather traveling bag, and Nelson a 12-inch silver loving cup. The National Bellas Hess Company donated the silver cups, and the New York Central Railroad donated the leather bags. Each club member was presented with a cash prize of $10.00. That evening, the steers were shipped by the Big Four Railroad to New York City for the first annual Baby Beef Show. Three days later, an estimated total of 225 people, which included members of the 4-H club, their friends, and families, boarded the train in Bellefontaine for New York City. Each member club was presented with a silk ribbon to wear throughout their trip that read, “Logan County 4-H Steer Club 1930.”
The delegation first traveled to Buffalo, New York, where they visited Niagara Falls, and then on to New York City for two days. When they arrived in New York City, they were greeted by Mayor James J. Walker at Times Square. The top three prize-winning steers were taken to City Hall in trucks draped with American Flags. Mayor Walker placed ribbons on each of the steers and congratulated the owners.
The livestock auction was held the next day with Col. W.O. Downing of Bellefontaine as the auctioneer. The opening bid on LeRoy Shroyer’s 1,090 lb. grand champion steer was 20 cents a pound. After much bidding, his Hereford was sold to the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. for 85 cents a pound.
After the sale, sixteen-year-old LeRoy Shroyer was asked to speak over the NBC radio network. He spoke for five minutes about his steer, “It takes elbow grease besides feed to make prime steers. His real name is “Pete”, although the boys around the yards call him “Rufus”. He was a good animal to start with. He came from the Eagle Ranch, Eagle, Colorado, with 74 other white faced Hereford calves last March. When the calves arrived, they were chosen by a lottery. Each of the club members had a number that matched a calf. When I started to feed him on March 8th, he weighed 470 lbs., but to see that he had good care, I got up every morning at 4:30. I brushed him regularly at 5:00 and fed him regularly three times a day. I fed him shelled corn, oil meal, and mixed hay for 270 days.
When Pete won the championship prize in Bellefontaine, I was awfully glad. I knew my steer was pretty good, but I knew some of the other boys had dandy steers too. He cost me $72.78 when I got him, and I signed a note to borrow the money. The feed bill was exactly $56.58, making his gains cost an average of $9.12 a hundred pounds. I’m going to save the profit I made on him. Maybe I’ll want to go to college, but I think I’ll stay on the farm. New York doesn’t strike me as a very good location for stock-raising.”
While in New York City, they visited many attractions, including the National Broadcasting Co., Grant’s Tomb, the Aquarium, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway, Wall Street, Battery Park, the stockyards, and packaging plants, and had lunch at the J.C. Penney & Co., where they met Mr. J.C. Penney who gave the principal address. Penney told about being born and raised on a farm, and that he started in business by purchasing one pig. His hog raising business was the start of his financial success.
Win H. Kinnan of DeGraff, General Chairman of the 4-H Steer Feeding Club, was given much credit for the successful culmination of the New York trip. Kinnan worked with the Farm Bureau, Livestock Association, and Earl Reed, livestock agent for the New York Central Railroad, in making the tour possible. At the time, it was the largest project of the kind ever participated in by 4-H Clubs anywhere in the United States. For the members of the Logan County 4-H Steer Feeding Club, their families, and friends, the once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York City was an honor and cherished memory they held their entire lives.
The next year, the Baby Beef Show was moved to Buffalo, New York. Once again, 4-H members from Logan and other Ohio counties traveled by railroad to participate.
Visit the Logan County History Center to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History. The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
