Early in the last century, Teddy Roosevelt made a campaign stop in Springfield. His iconic "rough rider" hat in his hand, he waved to a crowd from the back seat of Frisco Railroad General Manager W.T. Tyler's open automobile. Dave McGregor had the wheel as the presidential aspirant and his party cruised past the D.J. Landers Lumber Company on Walnut Street.

The black-and-white photograph of this event is one of several on display at the Springfield-Greene County Library District's booth in the E-Plex at the Ozarks Empire Fair, now through August 3. The Roosevelt photo is also on the wall at the Library Station.

With research from the library's local history department (and the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County), the display of vintage photos of politicians who have campaigned in southwest Missouri was a no-brainer way to support "Vote for Fun," this year's Fair theme.

"I find politics fascinating," says Local History Librarian John Rutherford who researched the display. Rutherford, whose degree from Middle Tennessee State University is in historic preservation and history, says "it's always amazing to me to see the change in our voting patterns over the years."

The history buff and enthusiast has culled several photos and lots of interesting information from several sources to show that southwest Missouri has always attracted major national figures from both sides throughout history.

"Since 1904, Missouri has been considered one of two great swing states," said Rutherford. "Ohio has supported the winning candidate every time and Missouri has only missed once being the bellwether, in 1956 when the people voted for Adlai Stevenson."

Another vintage photo shows Connecticut-born John Smith Phelps, who married Mary Whitney and headed to the frontier town of Springfield, Missouri, in the late 1800s. He is reputed to have passed the Missouri Bar while he and a judge sat on a tree stump. Later, he served 18 consecutive years in the U.S. House of Representatives and in 1876 was the first Greene County resident to be elected governor of Missouri.

These are just two samples of historical data that attracted Rutherford's interest. But he can find lots more, so if you're curious about the subject, come by the local history department at the Library Center.