As another year of the State Fair is in the books, one of our members brought the great information below to us. It is based on an article attributed to the Dallas Morning News from back in 1960. The reporter relayed the recollections of several people at the 1960 fair who had also attended the very first state fair in 1886. State Fair Timeline.
Reporter Mary Brinkerhoff is said to have interviewed them for the Dallas Morning News issue of Tuesday, October 11, 1960. A luncheon was held at the Women’s Building that honored some 85 people who had also been at the 1886 fair, three of whom were daughters of original Dallas County Pioneer Association members. These were some of their recollections, according to Brinkerhoff.
Mrs. Lula Puckett (89 years old) expected that she would enjoy the fair if her daughter does not get in too much of a hurry.
Mrs. Bell Allumbaugh (86 years old) said that her husband used to operate the big ferris wheel at Fair Park.
Mrs. Josie Cootes (84 years old) remembered that her husband used to operate a mule-driven street car that people rode to attend the fair.
R. F. Yates (83 years old) of Collin County said that his family had camped out at the gate so that they might be one of the first to enter in 1886. He also recalled a bike race with cycles of the era that had a large front wheel and tiny rear wheel.
Mrs. W. S. Horton (94 years old) remembered seeing the Comanche Chief Quanah Parker who also attended that year.
The 1960 session also marked the 9th appearance of Big Tex in his original 1952 configuration. And for the sports fans, the Texas-OU game was held on October 8, 1960. The Longhorns shut out the Sooners by a score of 24-0. Attendance at the game was a whopping 75,504. The Longhorns scored in every quarter. Darrell Royal was the Texas coach and Bud Wilkinson coached the Sooners. It was only Wilkinson’s second shutout in his 14 seasons at OU to date. More Texas-OU trivia: Brother faced brother in this game. Tackle Marshall York, a Sooner co-captain, played against Tommy York, a Longhorn sophomore end.
