SHEEPDOGS BY THE GOLDEN GATE – 1915
One hundred years apart – the San
Francisco Ferry Building decorated with “1915”
in honor of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
in honor of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
For most of 1915, opening on February 20 and closing December 4, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition took place in San Francisco, California. San Francisco’s world’s fair was intended as a celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal the previous August, but it also was a celebration of the city’s recovery from the 1906 earthquake. It was set on over 600 acres in an area along the city's northern shore, just to the east of the Golden Gate, the area today known as the Marina District. Built over a period of three years, the exposition had all the characteristic features of a world's fair. There were grandiose buildings constructed to house the many exhibits and activities; displays from many countries and states; statues and artworks, including a large number commissioned for the event; and there were concessions, shows, and an amusement zone. Included in the exposition was a big agricultural show, located at the west end of the exposition grounds. A racetrack, polo field, viewing stands, show buildings, barns and stables were built, the structures designed by Bernard Maybeck, noted Bay Area architect who also designed the Palace of Fine Arts for the exposition. Sharing the area of the racetrack was an athletic field and airfield.
Map of the
grounds from 1915
Mapquest.com satellite view, 2015.
In roughly the center of both images, the Palace of Fine Arts building
can be seen with its lagoon.
Heading up the livestock exhibits was the chief of the department of livestock, Daniel O. Lively of Portland, Oregon. Mr. Lively had extensive experience with large livestock shows. He was the organizer and manager of the Pacific Northwest Live Stock Association, the Pacific National Dairy Show Association, and vice-president of the Portland Union Stock Yards. He had been a founder of the first modern livestock shows at Fort Worth in his native Texas, and a founder and promoter of the first national exposition in Chicago. He wrote at the time of his appointment, “There is a renewed interest in live stock production, not only in the United States, but all over the world . . . . the live stock display at San Francisco in 1915 should be truly international in its character and an outstanding feature, one that will attract the attention of the world . . . In the live stock department there will be shown horses, asses, mules, dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, pet stock, dogs and cats. We will strive for excellence in every department.” (Mariposa Gazette, May 25, 1912.).
In addition to the regular type of stock shows, there were “view herds” which would be on display in specially designed barns during the run of the fair, so that fairgoers could easily see quality animals of a number of breeds. “Utility herd” shows for non-purebred stock were provided, judged on qualities such as production, good economy and ease of handling. Various classes were held with big prizes offered. Special events including polo, thoroughbred racing, harness racing, a milking contest, egg-laying contest, and sheep-shearing contest for both hand and machine shearing. And there was to be “a sheep dog contest such as is held every year in Scotland . . . This will give every one a chance to see the wonderful sheep dogs of Australia and Scotland in driving and penning contests.”
A separate exhibition of dogs was organized by W.E. Mason, who was well qualified for the task. Mason was a prominent English breeder of show Collies. He was active in the dog show world, judging shows, buying and selling valuable dogs, both Collies and other breeds. Dogs from Mason's “Southport” Collie kennels were exported to the U.S. for big prices, bought by fanciers such as J.P. Morgan. For the PPIE, Mason put together an exhibit called “Dogs of All Nations,” a sort of dog “zoo” featuring, it was said, 220 breeds from around the world. Unlike the regular dog show that was held at a specific time in late November/early December -- “Dogs of All Nations” ran throughout the time of the exposition. People could come and see, and even purchase on the spot, the dogs on exhibit. A November 21, 1914 an article in Forest and Stream related: “The arrival at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of Mr. W. E. Mason, a well-known dog fancier of Woking, England, with three expert assistants, marks the inception of plans for the first dog show of all nations ever held in the world. Not only will it be the first of the sort, but the exhibition will include nearly three times as many varieties of the canine species as were ever shown before, either in America or Europe . . . . Under the auspices of the department of live stock of the exposition, the dog show and contests will be given more than half an acre of space just east of the silos, south of the live stock stadium.” In the five-volume “Story of the Exposition,” 1921, Frank Morton Todd wrote: “A very fine living exhibit, and one that gave pleasure to thousands, was the concession known as the ‘Dogs of All Nations,’ conducted by W. E. Mason, at the approach to the Live Stock Stadium . . . In kennels and cages was a large congress of the best friends that man has found in the animal world.”
Walter Esplin Mason with notable Collie show champion Anfield Model in California in 1909 (photo courtesy of Gayle Kaye, from The Collie in America).
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In
conjunction with his exhibit, in early 1915 Mason published a small book called
Dogs of All Nations, featuring photos
and brief descriptions of 183 dog breeds, plus additional chapters on war dogs,
British sheep dogs and training the working shepherd dog, police dogs, hunting
dogs, gun dogs, coursing dogs, whippets and whippet racing, and the sled dogs
of Alaska.
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Among
the dogs featured in the book were:
(A complete copy of “Dogs of
All Nations” can be viewed on-line at https://archive.org/details/dogsofallnations00masorich
)
An important part of Mason’s presentation at the Exposition
was a series of working dog demonstrations held over several months.
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A page in Mason’s book provided a preview:
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On May 4, 1915 a notice in the San Francisco Chronicle announced:
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These Are The Dogs
An astonishing demonstration of intelligence and careful training applied to useful work. Sheep Dogs Herding Famous sheep dogs from many nations working out complicated problems in the handling of flocks directed only by the whistle of the shepherd. Police Dogs At Work Fugitive starts in view of spectators, but out of sight of dogs. Dogs follow by scent and capture criminal without hurting him. Parade of Bench Show Dogs And other events interesting to lovers of high-grade and intelligent animals. At Exposition Polo Field Today at 2 o’clock Admission 25 cents |
On May 5 the
Chronicle said: “Dogs Demonstrate
Service to Mankind. The second of a
series of demonstrations took place yesterday.” A large a number of spectators
were present to watch the events, which included a man-hunting chase by police
dogs, a parade of show champions, Tip and Ipsu, Greenland huskies from the
Peary team, and working sheepdogs: “Considerable
interest was shown in the sheep dogs, which at the whistled signals of their
master went to various sections of the field, rounding up sheep and nosing them
in separate pens. Their display
presented a fine illustration of how perfectly dogs may be trained to work in
harmony.”
Organized sheepdog trials were still fairly new in the U.S. As early as the 1840s there had been occasional exhibitions of shepherd dogs at work and prizes at fairs for “best shepherd dog” (which may or may not have involved a demonstration of working sheep or cattle), or even “best trained shepherd dog.” A few more formally organized trials are noted beginning in the 1880s, but trials were not held to the extent they were in Great Britain. Nonetheless, there had been a few trials in California in the years before the PPIE, such as one held in Ukiah in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, in September 1914:
Organized sheepdog trials were still fairly new in the U.S. As early as the 1840s there had been occasional exhibitions of shepherd dogs at work and prizes at fairs for “best shepherd dog” (which may or may not have involved a demonstration of working sheep or cattle), or even “best trained shepherd dog.” A few more formally organized trials are noted beginning in the 1880s, but trials were not held to the extent they were in Great Britain. Nonetheless, there had been a few trials in California in the years before the PPIE, such as one held in Ukiah in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, in September 1914:
The original plans of the Livestock Department organizers
had been to hold full-scale sheepdog trials.
In the run-up to the exposition it was announced, “Sheep-dog trials are to be
featured at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, and the management is
making special arrangements so that the long-disputed qualities of the English,
Scotch and Welsh sheep-dogs may be tested against the German shepherd dogs
and those of Australia and New Zealand.” In the end, some of the grand plans of the Livestock Department had to
be scaled back. First there was the
beginning of World War I in August 1914, which put a stop to the planned international
mounted military tournament and caused complications for many of the exhibits and activities
throughout the exposition. Then toward
the end of the year, only a few months before the opening of the exposition, came
an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, and the State of California enacted a
quarantine against all cloven-footed animals save for a few states in the Western
U.S. The horse shows and poultry shows
were unaffected and proceeded as planned, as did the shows for dogs, cats, and
children’s pets. But the shows of beef
and dairy cattle, sheep, goats and pigs very nearly were cancelled. After some discussion, the directors of the
Exposition instructed Lively to do go ahead and do what he could, and while the
cattle, sheep, goat and pig exhibits were not as extensive as had been planned, a good
show of these animals was still provided.
Somewhere along the way, the sheepdog trials were scaled back as well. But there still would be dogs working sheep on the polo field by the Golden Gate. As D.O. Lively wrote in his report after the end of the Exposition: “In conjunction with the Division of Concessions I arranged with the Dog Show Concessionaire [Mason] on the grounds to stage special dog shows on the polo infield during the afternoons of the month of May.” Newspaper coverage doesn’t appear to have been extensive, but there are brief articles and mentions here and there.
Somewhere along the way, the sheepdog trials were scaled back as well. But there still would be dogs working sheep on the polo field by the Golden Gate. As D.O. Lively wrote in his report after the end of the Exposition: “In conjunction with the Division of Concessions I arranged with the Dog Show Concessionaire [Mason] on the grounds to stage special dog shows on the polo infield during the afternoons of the month of May.” Newspaper coverage doesn’t appear to have been extensive, but there are brief articles and mentions here and there.
The racetrack, with athletic field and polo
field in the infield (polo field toward
the upper middle of the photo), with the main exposition grounds in the background.
the upper middle of the photo), with the main exposition grounds in the background.
Additional
demonstrations were held in later months. It isn’t known whether any of the participants in the Ukiah trial came
down to take part, although it would seem likely that at least some of them
did. While there are details as to
the participants of the organized competitions – the livestock shows, regular
dog show, cat show, and children’s pet show – details haven't come to light
about the working sheepdogs and their handlers, with the exception of Joseph Moses.
Joseph Moses was born in 1874 in northern England and began participating in sheepdog trials as a young man, his father also being a shepherd and running dogs in sheepdog trials. An article in July 12, 1894 about the annual Endmoor sheepdog trials states, “The greatest credit is due to Mr. Moses, Jn., for the way he had his dogs trained, and their keen intelligence under very trying circumstances was greatly admired.” Running two dogs, he was awarded both a first and a second prize. He went on to have a long and notable career in the world of training and trialing. Mason wrote of him in the sheepdog chapter of Dogs of All Nations, “One of the most prominent and successful trainers is Mr. J. Moses of Oswestry [in Shropshire, England, near the border with Wales], who is manager of Lord Harlech’s Home Farm at Brogyntyn.” He wrote of Moses' work with his dogs and his use of whistles to direct them. Mason didn’t indicate in the book that Moses would be coming to the PPIE, but it is obvious he is the man being spoken of in an article in Forest and Stream, Nov. 21, 1914, which in talking about Mason's plans for the exposition said, "there will be many competitions between the trained sheep dogs from various countries, with the best sheep dog trainer in Europe having been engaged to handle these contests." While the contests didn't take place in the form originally envisioned, Joseph Moses is known to have provided demonstrations of working sheepdogs at the exposition.
No photos of any of the canine demonstrations held at the PPIE have been found so far. Two photos of Moses with his sheepdogs in England appear in Dogs of All Nations:
Joseph Moses was born in 1874 in northern England and began participating in sheepdog trials as a young man, his father also being a shepherd and running dogs in sheepdog trials. An article in July 12, 1894 about the annual Endmoor sheepdog trials states, “The greatest credit is due to Mr. Moses, Jn., for the way he had his dogs trained, and their keen intelligence under very trying circumstances was greatly admired.” Running two dogs, he was awarded both a first and a second prize. He went on to have a long and notable career in the world of training and trialing. Mason wrote of him in the sheepdog chapter of Dogs of All Nations, “One of the most prominent and successful trainers is Mr. J. Moses of Oswestry [in Shropshire, England, near the border with Wales], who is manager of Lord Harlech’s Home Farm at Brogyntyn.” He wrote of Moses' work with his dogs and his use of whistles to direct them. Mason didn’t indicate in the book that Moses would be coming to the PPIE, but it is obvious he is the man being spoken of in an article in Forest and Stream, Nov. 21, 1914, which in talking about Mason's plans for the exposition said, "there will be many competitions between the trained sheep dogs from various countries, with the best sheep dog trainer in Europe having been engaged to handle these contests." While the contests didn't take place in the form originally envisioned, Joseph Moses is known to have provided demonstrations of working sheepdogs at the exposition.
No photos of any of the canine demonstrations held at the PPIE have been found so far. Two photos of Moses with his sheepdogs in England appear in Dogs of All Nations:
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After the close of the exposition, it appears that Moses remained in North America for a time. Then in November 1919 he moved to Australia, where for many years he was a prominent sheepdog trainer, judge and breeder. Several Australian newspaper articles mention his demonstrations at the Panama-Pacific Exposition. He first went Adelaide, where he won the South Australian Championship, and then to Tasmania in 1921: “There was present at the Ulverstone agricultural and pastoral show . . . Mr. Moses, champion sheep dog trainer of Great Britain, who recently came to Tasmania with the object in view of settling on the North-West Coast. Mr. Moses has had a very wide experience with sheep dogs as may be judged from the fact that he has given exhibitions in trials before the royal family and at the leading agricultural shows of Great Britain. Mr. Moses has also given exhibitions at various places in the United States of America. At San Francisco during the great exhibition of 1915, he gave an exhibition before 36,000 people . . . Mr. Moses' performance created a profound impression and earned congratulatory reviews in the American press.” (Advocate, Burnie, Tasmania, March 18, 1921.)
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“Mr. Joseph Moses, who has supplied in this issue of ‘The Australasian,’ on trials in England and Australia, is a well-known trainer of sheepdogs in the old country, who prior to the war – when trials were abandoned – had annexed a larger number of premier awards than any other British trainer. He was for many years manager for Lord Harlech, at Oswesty (sic) England, and has given public displays before members of the Royal family, at all the principal agricultural shows in Great Britain, at several State fairs in the United States, and at the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Throughout his successful career Mr. Moses had kept to one particular strain of smooth-coated sheepdogs, a breed which his father acquired from the veteran trainer Mr. George Barcroft.” (The Australasian, Melbourne, Victoria, May 7, 1921). By 1923 he was in Lilydale, Victoria, and eventually he moved to Nagambie, Victoria. He judged all over Australia, served as the president of the Council of the Victorian Working Sheepdog Association, and wrote articles on sheepdogs, training, and trialing which appeared in Australian newspapers. One of his sons, Charles Moses, was head of the Australian Broadcasting System from 1935 until 1965. Joseph Moses was still trialing and judging into the 1950s.
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Photo in the December 7,
1951 issue of The Argus, Melbourne, Australia |
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In 1915 there was another California exposition commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal, the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. It was on a smaller scale than the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and did not include livestock shows or a dog show. The San Diego exposition continued on into 1916, and a number of the exhibitors from the PPIE moved down to San Diego after the PPIE closed, making the San Diego exposition an international one after all. W. E. Mason considered going to San Diego too, but in the end returned to England immediately at the end of the PPIE. In the show catalog of the regular dog show held Nov. 1 through Dec. 3, just prior to the close of the PPIE on Dec. 4, he put a notice of the dispersal sale of his exhibit, with the information that any correspondence after Dec. 4, 1915 should be sent to his address in Southport, England.
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The Rough and Smooth Collies of the kennel clubs were among the breeds pictured in the breeds section of Dogs of All Nations, but the working sheepdogs were covered only in the supplemental chapter. 1915 also marked establishment of the studbook of the International Sheep Dog Society (founded in 1906) to record the pedigrees of working sheepdogs. At the time of the PPIE the working collies were still being conflated to some extent with the "show" Collie, although the difference in appearance and breeding goals were already significant and continuing to widen. The name “Border Collie” was not yet in general use for the working dogs; it gradually came into greater use in the following decades, but wasn’t actually put on ISDS pedigrees until the 1940s. In a 1953 Australian newspaper, a letter writer inquiring about the name “Border Collie” recalled that Moses had “once said he had never heard the name ‘Border’ until he came to Australia.” Over time, the name was established for the type of working collies brought to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition by Joseph Moses.
Today the occasional Border Collie and dogs of other sheepdog breeds
may be seen on what was the old polo field, romping with their owners or with other dogs where a century ago their predecessors had shown their skills in gathering, driving and penning sheep.
Crissy Field in a Google street view, 2015.
-- Linda Rorem
Many thanks to Penny Tose and Gayle Kaye for their assistance.