The educational exhibit was collected by Miss May Scott, State superintendent of public instruction, installed at State expense, but maintained at the personal expense of Mrs. S.M. Harris, of Silver City, and Mrs. C.J. Johnson, of Pocatello. The Boise exhibit showed the work of all grades, elementary, secondary, and high school pupils doing themselves and the State credit in comparison with other States. Lessons, drawings, photographs, and maps were displayed in 37 bound volumes, besides 5 volumes of district school work and 33 card mounts of lessons, embracing the 8 grades of the primary schools. Silver City exhibited graded work from the first to eighth grades, inclusive, very attractively mounted on cards. Credit is due the Weiser schools, also, for all-around good work. The schools contributed to the general display a fine collection of mounted cards in elementary work, and the Industrial School sent a good display of the work in manual training, including needlework and photographs of buildings. Moscow made a good general display of school work, and particularly in composition and writing. Every community was shown to be alive to the importance of having good schools. A part of the space in the exhibit was devoted to photographs of the University of Idaho, about which a great many questions were asked. The work of the Mountainhouse School was handsomely bound in a burnt-leather cover.
The Pocatello public school work was delayed and reached the exhibit so late that it could not be judged. The display consisted of photographs of the children and schoolhouses and the work of the schools from the kindergarten to the high school. The Shoshone County exhibit was displayed in 79 volumes, embracing the work from the first grade to the high school work. A number of mounted cards of kindergarten work were also shown. The Wallace schools were commended for several excellent examples of map drawing contributed. Kendrick made a good display in 11 bound books. Coeur d'Alene sent a dozen volumes of bound work. Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint contributed good work in a number of bound books and photographs. Idaho County made a good display of raffia work and Indian pictures, besides the school-work exhibit. The Albion State Normal School made a large display of photographs showing the institution and its equipment. Oro Fino sent a collection of drawings, and Council and Harrison both made good displays of what their schools are doing to keep up with the times. The work of the Lewiston schools, which would have formed a conspicuous and very creditable part of the Idaho educational display, was lost in transit.
The mineral exhibit of the State at the World's Fair at St. Louis embraced specimens from every county and mining district. Hundreds of mines contributed specimens of ore and they were all labeled and displayed to the best advantage possible in the Idaho booth. The largest specimens were huge nuggets of lead ore weighing several tons each, almost pure lead, which occupied a central place in the exhibit and served to draw attention to the vast collection of other mineral specimens. Boise, the seat of government, was represented by specimens of gold-bearing rhyolite from the granite slopes north of the city, as well as by samples of fire clay of high quality; found partly within the city limits. From the Black Hornet and Curlew Creek districts came quartz specimens containing gold and silver. From Bear Creek were cuttings from the dike formation of low-grade ores that may mean much to Boise if they be profitably handled.
There were specimens of lead ores from Halley and Wood Rivet district, where lead to the value of $20,000,000 has been taken out. These ores run high in silver, and the revival of interest in the workings there is a matter of comment. These specimens included some of the Minnie Moore deposits, the most famous mine in Idaho's history, whose best ores show 70 per cent lead and 110 ounces of silver to the ton. A few specimens of gold-bearing quartz from the Boise basin were shown, although these deposits are but partly developed, more interest attaching to the placer mining, which has produced a hundred million dollars' worth of gold in the history of this region. The Pearl district contributed good specimens of oxidized quartz and granite gangue, iron and arsenical pyrites with zinc blend, and a showing of galena and copper sulphides. Monaxite, a heavy yellow sand, the ore of thorium, is found here, and is in considerable demand on account of the new discoveries in the radio activity of certain minerals.
From the vicinity of Pocatello were fine specimens of copper and lead ores having gold and silver veins, iron, and manganese oxide ores. These came principally from the workings on Rabbit Creek, Pocatello Creek, and the Hovey group. Coal specimens were shown from the vicinity of Blackfoot and Idaho Falls. From Bear Lake County were ores carrying copper, gold, and silver. Coal specimens were shown from the Goose Creek Mountains and the ranges in the southern part of Cassia County. The mines all about Silver City, the county seat and mining center, were well represented. The South Mountain district, south of Silver City, was represented by ores from some of the reopened mines which had been idle for many years.
Ores from the Rocky Bar, Atlanta, Pine Grove, Black Warrior, Neal, Lime Creek, and Dixie districts made a good representation for Elmore County, which, on account of its nearness to Boise and railroad facilities, has been better developed than many other parts of the State. The Yankee Fork, Loon Creek, and Stanley basin districts of Custer County were all contributors to the State exhibit of gold and silver ores. The lead-silver ores of Custer County came from the Bayhorse, Squaw Creek, Clayton, Poverty Flat, and Slate Creek districts. Copper ores from the Big Lost River Valley were convincing proof of the richness of mines in that newly developed part of the State. Fremont County sent specimens of coal from the rich mines opened a year ago in the eastern part of the county.
Shoshone County was represented by huge nuggets of lead-silver ore. Gold ores from Shoshone County showed the wide distribution of the yellow metal, which appears in every county in the State. Copper ores from Shoshone County were an indication of future possibilities in copper production in the State.
It was the earnest endeavor of the Commission to make the most of the opportunities and the means at their disposal to give Idaho and her resources a thorough advertisement. The press of the country was interested in Idaho's development, with the result that hundreds of articles have been printed about the State's large showing at the exposition in the newspapers of all States. The large number of gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded to the exhibitors bore evidence of the success of the work.
ILLINOIS.
To Illinois belongs the distinction of having held the first and, until the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the greatest World's Fair. Naturally the State of Illinois at that time had a more immediate pride in its showing and spent a vastly greater sum to gather and shelter its exhibits than it could afford for an exposition outside of its own borders; but it is not the opinion of any that Illinois has been outclassed in any respect at the World's Fair of 1904. With comparatively a small appropriation, when the $800,000 appropriated by Illinois in Chicago in 1893, or the $1,000,000 spent by Missouri, in St. Louis is considered, Illinois has taken a leading part in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It has not only furnished its large share of the attractions, but it no doubt sent to the exposition the largest number of visitors from any one State outside of Missouri.