There seemed to be no definite answer. It was more than likely to have happened, but the proof I was looking for was just something I wasn't going to find. I had accepted that. I had come to terms with the idea that this piece was going to be more about my journey than the destination. Then I got the email. “Ha! I just found the answer.”
Attending the Utah State Fair is older than Utah itself, having started in 1856, when it was called the "Deseret Fair,” and yet, although I was born and raised in Utah, I had never felt any sort of pull to go. Walking into the Utah State Fair last month, I was greeted by an array of food stands and local vendors selling bracelets, belts, and more. The food stands offer traditional fair foods like pretzels, corndogs, and funnel cakes, along with less traditional options like Boba drinks, horchata, and even Mark Walberg’s Wahlburgers. Modern Utah culture is highlighted with a stand offering dirty sodas and Crumbl cookies being sold as well. When you make your way further in, you’ll find traditional carnival rides and games. The Ferris wheel, the pirate ship, and the games where you try to throw rings around in hopes of winning a giant stuffed animal. None of these things, of course, were there at Utah’s first state fair 169 years ago.
Utah’s State Fair roots are still recognized, of course. There are baking and textile competitions. And tucked into a back corner, you can find the livestock. It may seem disappointing that the animals and their owners who have always had a place in the State Fair have now been exiled to the back, but once you get about ten yards away from said animals, your nose will remind you why it's best to keep them there.
Getting into the fair did prove a little challenging, considering we were trying to get in as media with no clue how to receive our media passes. After asking for some help at a ticket station, they pointed us to the head office building on the east side of the fairgrounds. While waiting for our media passes, we met Larry Mullenax. In hopes of stalling us while someone tracked down some passes, he showed us books with the history of the fair with different artifacts, pasted onto pages detailing the history of the fair. During the exchange, he gave a quick anecdote of how Brigham Young’s horse won first prize at the first Utah State Fair. I found this interesting.
A quick Google search about Brigham Young’s horse winning first prize won’t give you much. It’ll give you a couple of articles using this fact as an anecdote, but no concrete evidence on whether this did or did not actually happen.
As a member of Generation Z, who knew how to find Taylor Swift music videos on YouTube before she knew how to tie her shoes, not finding an answer on the first page of Google made me wonder if this was all just an urban legend. It also made me wonder how I could find the answer to that question.
The search began at the BYU library. I figured if anyone was going to know anything about Brigham Young‘s horse, it would be the institution named for Brigham Young. This led me to L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Though I couldn’t find any records from the actual first Utah State Fair, I could find a magazine from 1917 with an article about the first Utah State Fair, after being given a book with several magazines bound together. The two-page spread did mention Brigham Young in reference to him being given a first-place prize. Which, though interesting, wasn't necessarily what I was looking for.
So I returned to the Utah State Fair offices, where I first heard the story. I met back up with Larry Mullenax. I had explained to him that I was interested in learning about the history of the Utah State Fair, especially when it came to Brigham Young’s horse winning best stallion.
Upon arriving, Larry handed me a stack of papers consisting of a written history of the First Utah Fair, timelines of important dates, and pictures of artifacts from the fair. My visit consisted of looking through scrapbooks and digital photos of the Utah State Fair throughout the years, talking to Larry about what he knew about the Fair's history, and then a look at the artifacts that were on display in an upstairs office. It wasn’t just the Utah State Fairground office that had value for the objects. Larry had printed out several different artifacts from the fair that had been posted for sale online. Among the artifacts were posters, pins and trophies.
While visiting the Utah State Fair offices, what I found myself interested in was the Fair's place in the history of the state. The first fair was held only nine years after the arrival of the pioneers. The Utah State Fair was held at the Desert Store and Tithing Office and ward meeting houses. It finally found its home when the Utah Fairgrounds was purchased in 1902.
The Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society created the Deseret Fair as a result of Brigham Young’s desire for the Utah territory to become sustainable. The Utah State Fair keeps true to its roots. Larry explained to me that the goal is always going to be to educate people on where their food comes from.
I left the Utah State Fair offices with my packet of papers, which, after reading, I realized had noted Brigham Young’s award but had no concrete proof.
This is where I pivoted to a more digital-based search. I was able to find a diploma awarded to Wilford Woodruff for “Best Wheat” at the first fair. I had also begun sending in requests to different places to see what they would know, among them the Church History Library.
So there I was, having found a lot of people saying it happened, but nothing more than that. I had been emailing the Church History Library and was given links to Utah Digital Newspapers, and I was about to sit down to search through them.
I then revived the email. “Ha! I just found the answer.” Emily Crumpton, a church history consultant for the Church History Library, sent me along with a newspaper clipping.
Of course, the answer came from the state's other long-standing institution—the Deseret News, which is six years older than the Utah State Fair. On October 22, 1856, about 20 days after the first fair, the Deseret News published a “List of Prizes Awarded by the Committees Appointed by the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, at its First Annual Exhibition, held in G. S. L. City, Oct. 2, 3, and 4, 1856." First on the list? "1 stud horse" raised by Brigham Young. First prize was $25, equivalent to about $950 today.
