In 1934, Bill Florence, Joe Thometz, Hreman Nordby, Ben and Ted Gehring, Ralph Baldwin, and Oreley Hannas were the founders of the Tri-State Agriculture and Livestock Association. This association would later become the Lewiston Hereford Association.

The Gehring’s were among the first consignors in the first Lewiston Hereford Sale. Their bull, Perfect Alan, won Champion at the Grange Livestock Pavilion in East Lewiston. In the early years of the Lewiston show, the average price for bulls was one hundred dollars while top steers were sold at four cents per pound.

On March 22, 1945, Joe Thometz and other local breeders officially formed the Lewiston Hereford Association for the purpose of selling Hereford stock at the Lewiston sale. The first officers of this association were Bill Platt (President), Ted Gehring (Vice President), and Ralph Nichols (Secretary/Treasurer).

In 1984, the Lewiston Hereford Association observed their 50th Anniversary during the annual Lewiston Hereford Week.

Sources

Lewiston Hereford Association collection, MG 516, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.

To view this collection and others, contact the U of I Library Special Collections and Archives department.