Looking Back: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

by Marcia Napier Grain Valley Historical Society

From the will of Mr. Nelson: “Item 1 — All lands owned by me or belonging to said trust estate at the time of and after my death and situated in Sni-A- Bar township, in Jackson County, Missouri, shall for a period of thirty years next succeeding my death be held, used, managed and controlled by said trustees for the purposes of the material and social betterment of the public and particularly of the people of said Sni-A-Bar township and to promote and instill a better knowledge among them concerning stock breeding and especially of cattle.”

And so, when Mr. Nelson died on April 13, 1915 the Nelson Trust went into effect. During the first ten years of operation of the Trust, it was under the direction of his daughter, Laura (Mrs. Irwin R.) Kirkwood.

She authorized the purchase of purebred Shorthorns cattle, buying the best bulls available in the United States and Great Britain for the grade herd and top females in leading state, national and international sales for the foundation stock.

Following the death of Mrs. Kirkwood, the administration of the entire estate (including his real estate holdings and The Kansas City Star) came under the direction of the presidents of the University of Missouri, the University of Kansas and the University of Oklahoma, as trustees.

They, in turn, appointed University Trustees to have charge of the entire estate, including the operation of Sni-A -Bar farms for the remainder of the thirty years.

The first University Trustees appointed March 3, 1926, were J.Clyde Nichols, Herbert V. Jones and William Volker. The first two men served continuously; Mr. Volker resigned in 1929 and was succeeded by Arthur M. Hyde, then Secretary of Agriculture, who served until 1935. R. B. Caldwell was appointed in 1940. W. A. Cochel served as advisor to the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Nelson was only able to get the grade cattle operation underway before his death. In 1922, Mrs. Kirkwood brought James Napier to the farm as herdsman to develop the second operation, the famous Sni-A-Bar show herd. He later became superintendent of all operations of land and livestock. Mr. Napier remained with the farm until the livestock dispersal sale in 1946.

Next week read about the Sni-A-Bar Farms Demonstration that brought more that 10,000 people to Grain Valley each year in October.

The Grain Valley Historical Society Museum, located at 510 Main Street, is open Wednesdays from 10am—3pm and by appointment. Visit the Historical Society’s website, www.grainvalleyhistory.com, and follow the Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@grainvalleyhistory).