Great Northern Fair

Schedule

          Hill County’s first fair was October 3^rd-5^th, 1912, produced by the Hill County Fair and Racing Association, which had been organized in March of that year with 125 local subscribers.

          The association was capitalized for $10,000.  Buildings included an art building, which cost $500, and a grandstand to accommodate 1,000 persons, which cost $3,000.

          James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Ry., gave as his personal subscription of $1,500.

          At the first meeting of the board, the directors decided that only exhibits from Hill, Blaine and Chouteau counties would be admitted.  Livestock entries would be open to all over the world.

          December of 1915 the Hill County Fair and Racing Association  sold the property to the Great Northern Montana Stampede Company.

          The first Stampede was the following summer, 1916.  The first fair under the management of the stampede committee was July 4^th-8^th, 1916.  In June of 1916, the Stampede committee issued an official program that included pictures of all county and city officials.

          After the Stampede closed, Hill County was without a county fair until the present Hill County Fair was organized.  However, from 1917 until sometime in the mid 1920’s, C. W. Young had a circular track on his land, now the present site of the Hill County Fair, for the purpose of harness horse racing.  These races were held for three or four years and they too disappeared.

          After the closing of the Stampede, E. B. Duncan, Hill County agent, sponsored exhibits that were displayed in the Hill County Warehouse.  The premiums were paid by F. A. Buttrey.  These exhibits were held until the opening of the Hill County Fair in 1929.  Most of these exhibits were for turkeys, swine, small grain and vegetables.

          Everyone knows that the county fair plays an important part in the development of the county.  It enables the farmers and stockmen to bring their products together for display.  With this in mind a group of Havre citizens in December 1928, decided that Hill County should have a fair of its own.

          Several locations were investigated and the commissioners called for bids and selected the present site of the Hill County Fair.  With some funds left after purchasing the site, the fair board decided to make improvements that would be of great benefit to the fair’s success.  With this money it was possible the first year to grade the race track, build a grandstand, construct an exhibit hall under the grandstand, erect one racing stable, fence the grounds and pipe water from the city water main to the grounds.

          There has been only one year since 1929 that the fair failed to function, this due to drought.