Scott County Fair

History of St Lawrence Township Part 4: The Township Continues

Rip Van Winkle

In 1987, the Prior Lake American described St Lawrence Township as “Rip Van Winkle”. While the Village of St Lawrence had floundered due to transportation concerns, the construction of Highway 169 during the 1950s brought new people and businesses to the quiet farm-focused area. Soon several restaurants sprang up along the highway, as well as some attractions. One of the early attractions, Jim’s Apple Farm, now dominates the highway as Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store. Along with these new businesses and attractions, the population of the township began to increase. 

Another prominent feature in the area is the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area. The scenic and recreational potential of the area was recognized early on, and the first park was suggested in 1939. In 1967, a bill proposing an 18,000-acre state park along the river in St Lawrence went before the Minnesota Legislature, but it failed to pass. However a bill creating the Minnesota Valley State Trail did pass in 1969. The trail was to run from Fort Snelling State Park to the town of Le Sueur and include six waysides totaling over 5,000 acres. In this roundabout way, portions of the valley were added to the state park system. The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge was authorized in 1976 and additional lands originally desired for the state park received federal protection.

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Today the Minnesota Valley State Trail runs through the recreation area with both paved and natural sections. Trails are also in place for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and snowmobiling. The landscape of the park includes wetlands, floodplain forest and blufftop oak savanna. The park also provides a home for raccoons, mink, muskrat, wood duck, beaver, white-tail deer, rabbits, squirrels, or red and grey fox. 

The Fair and the Threshers

Sunday afternoon at the 1973 Scott County Fair. Photo from the Belle Plaine Herald, August 2 1973

Sunday afternoon at the 1973 Scott County Fair. Photo from the Belle Plaine Herald, August 2 1973

Scott County has hosted a fair since the early days of European American residents. The first fair was held in 1857 with the goal of showcasing the agricultural possibilities of the county and encouraging immigrants to move to the area. Until 1885 the fair was held piecemeal, in the buildings and streets of downtown Shakopee. Then land was purchased just outside of Shakopee, allowing the fair to expand and have a permanent home. In 1915, the fair was held in Jordan for the first time. 

In the early 1970s, the Scott County Fair Board purchased 80 acres in St Lawrence Township to be the new home of the Scott County Fair. Ground was broken, and the fair was held in its new home for the first time in 1973. 

A new cattle barn, horse barn, 4-H building, sanitation facility, and concessions stand were built on site. Four other fair buildings were moved from the old fairgrounds in Jordan. The Fair Board also chartered busses that ran from the fairgrounds to neighboring communities for a cost of forty cents per passenger. 

The big events that year were the horse show, horse pulling contest, 4H auction, demolition derby, tractor pull and chuck wagon races. 

St Lawrence Township is also home to the Scott Carver Threshers and the grounds of their annual Harvest Festival. The first threshing festival held by the group was in 1964, after Ernie Morrell suggested to his nephew Ken Scott that they fire up their grandfather’s engine, hook it to the separator, and see if they could thresh some grain. 

Today, the mission of the group is “to preserve the agricultural and industrial history from the past for the enjoyment and education of the future generations.”  Their annual festival includes displays and demonstrations of steam tractors, engines, threshing, milling, printing, blacksmithing and rug making. 

Gravestones and Ghost Stories 

St Lawrence has a few unusual gravesites. A single headstone is located in Lawrence Wayside, part the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area. Before becoming park land, the property was part of the Henry Barlage Farm. The grave is for Frances N Strait who died at age 19 on Dec 21 1860. She was the first wife of George Strait, of milling fame, and the two married when she was only 16. It is unknown why she was buried at a remote, isolated location. 

There are also two gravesites on the property of railroad magnate turned farmer Frank Erikson. They are from children who died during the diphtheria epidemic that tore through the county in the 1870s. Clara Frank recalls spending time on the property with her friends in the early 1900s: “I remember when we were children we used to run and play there, but we were always careful not to step on the graves. You never knew what would happen if you stepped on the graves.”

In 2007 a ghost hunter named Kathy visited the Strait house along with a reporter from the Jordan Independent. Kathy asked some questions to any spirits that might be present, including “Are you angry that your house is now a museum”. She thought that she heard a negative response, but the reporter with her didn’t hear anything. She did leave some tape recorders running at the site, and claimed later to have picked up some “evp” or electronic voice phenomena. To ghost hunters, EVP are otherwise inaudible communications from spirits that can be picked up with a tape recorder. The messages were “Repent!”, and the names “Elizabeth” and “Andy Taylor”.

St Lawrence Township Today

Today St Lawrence Township covers 14.9 square miles and has a population approximately 550 people. The township’s board meetings are typically held on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the St. Lawrence Town Hall, 7500 Old Highway 169 Boulevard. While the area is still home to farmland, it also has become a place for homeowners who want to live in a rural area and don’t mind having a commute to neighboring towns or the Twin Cities. 

The Scott County Fair: An Old Institution

Written by Marge McNeil

Fairs have been held in Shakopee since 1857 when an agricultural society was organized by Major R. G. Murphey and D. L. Howe. It was under the auspices of this society that the fair was held in 1857. It is recorded that some fine samples of produce, wheat and corn were exhibited and that the fine hogs show caused recently arrived immigrants to marvel at the possibilities of the new land.

Trapeze artist at the Shakopee Fair, 1905. Photo from the SCHS collections. 

Trapeze artist at the Shakopee Fair, 1905. Photo from the SCHS collections.

In 1872 the Scott County Agricultural Society was organized. Fairs were held annually by this society until 1898. In the 1870s few farmers in Scott County were able to produce anything worthy of exhibition purposes, as they were lucky to raise enough to eke out an existence for themselves and their families. Everybody could raise giant pumpkins though, and there was considerable rivalry among farmers in this respect. Horse racing was then the sport of kings and no county fair was complete or of any consequence without a racing card. Among the amusement features of these early fairs were balloon ascents, tent vaudeville shows, and magic acts.

Trapeze artist at the Shakopee Fair, 1905. Photo from the SCHS collections. 

Trapeze artist at the Shakopee Fair, 1905. Photo from the SCHS collections.

In September of 1912 three days of fun, frolic and frivolity marked Scott County’s Agricultural Fair and Street Carnival. Shakopee was the lotus for thousands of pleasure seekers after progress in agriculture. Domestic arts, fine arts, music, dancing, free shows and carnival antics were presented creating an atmosphere of neighborly good fellowship. The Shakopee Street Fair and Carnival offered two open air exhibition stages, one at Lewis and Holmes and the other at Bridge Square. Adding to the festivities were ballgames, dancing until 3am, and of course…politicians.

In 1915 a decision was made that a County Fair would be held in Jordan in September to replace the mid-winter fair that had been held annually for a number of years. The acreage known as Schultz & Hilgers park was leased for a term of years to serve as the fairgrounds. The crowd for the three-day event was estimated to be seven thousand and it was considered to be successful. Entries in the agricultural department totaled 355. Friday’s livestock parade was the hit of the fair. For the second year of the fair a new women’s building was built. Attendance was estimated at 21,000 with 1607 exhibits in all departments. Entertainment included band concerts in the afternoon and evening, trained animal acts, entertainers, free movies, parades and a Grand Ball with two orchestras.

Livestock auction at the Scott County Fair, 1955. Photo from the SCHS Collections 

Livestock auction at the Scott County Fair, 1955. Photo from the SCHS Collections

There were several other fairs of note.  The 1927 fair was a record breaker in the department of 4-H club work, which was growing in importance throughout the county. Sadly, no fair was held in 1947 because of September’s rampant polio epidemic. Finally the Sunday afternoon parade was canceled in 1962 when the cost of engaging parade units became higher then the county merchants could support.

During the 1960s the fair board began to feature more local talent for the grandstand entertainment rather than pay professional acts. Tug-of-war contests were scheduled with teams made up from people from throughout the county, tractor pulls became popular, and in the 1970s demolition derbies were featured which are still a main grandstand attraction today. For fifty-seven years the fair was successfully staged in the park in Jordan

Demolition derby, Scott County Fair, 1980

Demolition derby, Scott County Fair, 1980

In 1970s, the Fair Board purchased 80 acres in St Lawrence Township as a site for the future fairgrounds. New buildings were erected with additional ones added each year for several years. For three generations the residents of Scott County have enjoyed an annual fair. This gala event has brought competitive exhibits, thrills, entertainment and recreational activities, along with ever-present food. Who, young or old, doesn’t have great memories of the fair?

Originally published in the Scott County Scene, summer 2018