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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The Interstate Fair dominated the news in Spokane. The big event was the Northwest Polo Championship Tournament, in which Spokane had the rare opportunity to host the “sport of millionaires.”

The polo event got off to a good start for the Spokane team, as it defeated the Lewiston team by a score of 6 1/2 to 2. The sports correspondent for the Spokane Daily Chronicle, apparently a polo connoisseur, declared that “both teams played ordinary polo, both showing a tendency toward nervousness.”

One Lewiston player suffered a “broken shoulder bone” when his horse slipped and fell.

The Spokane team’s second event did not go as well. They were “smothered” by the Boise squad and lost 10-0. The correspondent described it as a “complete rout.”

In other fair news, results were listed in the rabbit, swine, poultry and baby competitions.

Baby competition?

Yes, the Interstate Fair featured a Baby Show competition, in which parents brought in their infants to be examined and scored by a panel of judges on a variety of factors.

Two sets of parents had reason to be particularly proud. Their babies scored the most points of the day, 99 out of 100. All of the scores were listed in the paper, including the low score of 75 points for one particular 13-month-old.

The competition would continue over the next few days.