Great irrigation enterprises within the last decade have reclaimed large areas of fine agricultural land, providing happy homes for people in that beautiful and delightful climate.
The superior products shown in New Mexico's agricultural and horticultural exhibits were a revelation to visitors, and demonstrated that the very best results and most perfect development in fruits and farm products are obtained by irrigation and sunny skies. The fruits, grains, vegetables, and other products of the soil shown had few equals. The exhibits were larger and better than have ever been made by the Territory at previous expositions.
New Mexico's exhibit in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy ably presented the status of one of her most important industries, showing the production of a vastly greater number of producing mines than it was possible to show ten years ago, or when the Territory made an exhibit at Chicago, and it also included a far greater range of minerals, anthracite and bituminous coal, iron, zinc, lead, mineralogical forms, besides mica, gypsum, salt, sulphur, asbestos, marble, onyx, and building stone. A unique and most important product of the mines of New Mexico was the beautiful blue gem stone, the finest and most valuable turquoise found in any part of the world. The Territory had the only turquoise exhibits at the exhibition. One was in the mineral exhibit in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy, and a larger and perhaps the most extensive exhibit of this stone ever shown was in the Varied Industries Building. An exhibit of a turquoise mine and its products was shown in the gulch, or outside mining exhibit, where a reproduction of the famous turquoise mines of Porterfield, near Silver City, N. Mex., showed the actual geological occurrence of the gem. This was accomplished by bringing to the fair several tons of the rock from the mine with turquoise embedded in it, just as it was when the chemical processes of nature were preparing the beautiful jewels to delight the eye of man.
New Mexico's greatest pride was her educational exhibit, which showed results of splendid schoolroom work and by photographs recorded the grand and stately school buildings, demonstrating that New Mexico was, in proportion to her population, in no way behind the older States in her public school system. At Chicago the school exhibit represented only a few institutions, and these in a limited way; while at St. Louis a very large number of splendid graded schools and country schools were represented by fine exhibits. Besides the work of the colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts, the Military Institute, a university, a school of mines, two normal schools, and a number of denominational schools of higher order were displayed.
The beautifully arranged ethnological exhibit in the Department of Anthropology consisted of a valuable collection, chief among which was the wonderful Harvey collection, brought from Albuquerque.
Among the numerous beautiful buildings which adorned the Plateau of States, many of which were reproductions of historic structures or homes of some of the nation's famous citizens, stood the pretty structure erected by New Mexico, a gem in point of architecture and interior decoration, and one of the ornamental features of the exposition.
NEW YORK.
New York commission.—Edward H. Harriman, president; William Berri, vice-president; Louis Stern, chairman of executive committee; Edward Lyman Bill, treasurer; Lewis Nixon, Frank S. McGraw, Mrs. Norman E. Mack, Frederick R. Green, John C. Woodbury, John K. Stewart, James H. Callahan, John Young; Charles A. Ball, secretary and chief executive officer; Mrs. Dore Lyon, assistant secretary.
New York State's participation in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was calculated to exploit fully the wonderful resources of the State, as well as to set forth what the Empire State is accomplishing in the various lines of humanitarian work. The New York State commission started out with the idea of making exhibits only in lines where New York was preeminently the leader. On this account and for the reason that the appropriation was relatively limited, exhibits were planned to cover seven distinct departments. It was intended at the outset to make these exhibits strong in every detail, and the commission believes that the close of the exposition has demonstrated the excellent judgment exercised.
The most conspicuous feature of New York's participation in the exposition was her State Building. An excellent site was chosen for this structure, and a handsome building was erected in a conspicuous place on the plateau of the States on the exposition grounds. The building occupied the most commanding site on the State plateau of any of the State buildings. It also enjoyed the benefits of Forest Park, both in front and rear, which made it one of the coolest buildings on the grounds.