OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 173 



THE FOUNDER OF ELMENDORF 



68. Kentucky from earliest times has been the home of magni- 

 ficent breeding establishments. The story of Woodburn Farm 

 (82) has been told for years, but its rival in variety of livestock 

 and quality of breeds did not exist until Elmendorf estate, lo- 

 cated near Lexington, Kentucky, was founded. Elmendorf was 

 the property of the venerable James B. Haggin, a man who lived 

 almost to his 94th birthday, and who participated actively in 

 some of the most notable events of the last century. Mr. Haggin 

 was a "forty-niner," having begun the practice of law in Califor- 

 nia, but he soon turned to mining interests and in company with 

 Senator Hearst and Marcus Daly he achieved international 

 fame and vast fortune. As a breeder of Thoroughbreds and trot- 

 ters, Mr. Haggin's name has been foremost for years, but he 

 touched agriculture most intimately during his later life, when 

 he collected his famous herds of Shropshires, Shorthorns, Jerseys 

 and Berkshires. With fine spirit he placed the entire estate at 

 the disposal of the Kentucky Agricultural College for demonstra- 

 tion and instructional purposes, making thereby an unprecedented 

 contribution to agricultural education, 



Mr. Haggin carried his activities into his most advanced years 

 and maintained keenest personal interest in Elmendorf to the end, 

 constantly expanding its operations. He ranks among the strong- 

 est and most rugged characters in our national life. 



He was bom in Harrodsburg, Ky., December 9, 1820 and died 

 at his home at Newport, R. I., September 12, 1914. He was a 

 grandson of pioneers who came to Virginia in 1775, but who 

 proceeded immediately to the little settlement in the vicinity of 

 the fort at Harrodsburg, Mercer Co., Ky. This pioneer Haggin 

 was a staunch friend and boon companion of the redoubtable 

 Simon Kenton, and both became famous for their prowess as 

 hunters and Indian fighters. Mr. Haggin's education was for the 

 legal profession, his common school work being received at 



