Alpheus B. Stickney, a prominent railroad businessman, conceived the idea of creating a livestock market and meat packing center at South St. Paul after recognizing, through meetings with western livestock ranchers and producers, the need to locally slaughter and process cattle, hogs, and sheep passing through the area en route to Chicago. After discussions with livestock organizations and business leaders of St. Paul, the St. Paul Union Stockyards was organized June 30, 1886. The selected site comprised 260 acres costing $520,000, though only 186 acres were used for initial development. Because the land was swampy, the entire acreage had to be covered with a five-foot layer of clay and sand excavated from adjacent river bluffs. Water towers, sewers, brick floors, lots, streets, alleys, and open and covered pens were constructed, and costs exceeded $1 million. The architecturally significant Exchange Building, needed as an office building, was completed in 1887 and housed numerous buying and selling agencies; additions completed between 1912 and 1917 later housed the Stockyards National Bank and related businesses. The first shipment arrived September 3, 1887, and livestock shipments increased as Minnesota farmers shifted from grain to livestock production. South St. Paul outpaced 10 other major livestock markets in the Midwest and became the world’s largest market from 1974 to 1981, with daily proceeds of over $1 million. The market, open seven days a week since its beginning, receives, feeds, and waters all livestock species 24 hours a day. Employees sort and drive animals to the pens of consigned selling agencies, where daytime salesmen known as Commission Men sell them to buyers representing meat packing companies, farmers, and livestock feeders. After animals are weighed on state certified scales and delivered to buyers, weight tickets go to the commission firms’ offices in the Exchange Building, and the stockyard company and selling agencies earn income from selling fees and yardage charges deducted, along with hauling expenses, from gross proceeds before bonded checks are issued to producers. In the early years animals arrived by rail from a seven-state area and Canada, but truck transportation gradually replaced rail service and shipments now originate from a three-state area. Largest single-day shipments reached 31,862 cattle on 9-4-34, 12,249 calves on 8-27-34, 61,532 hogs on 9-4-33, and 70,824 sheep on 10-8-34; largest yearly shipments were 1,474,890 cattle in 1934, 840,413 calves in 1934, 3,751,395 hogs in 1924, and 1,787,014 sheep in 1943. Today the Stockyards covers 27 acres with four selling agencies, while in 1946, its peak year of operation, the yards covered 75 acres with 27 agencies. Since 1995, Central Livestock Association has managed operations. Newspapers since 1887 and radio broadcasts begun in 1926 have informed farmers and producers of daily market conditions, and market officials have promoted livestock education through efforts including the first 4H Livestock Show in 1918 and Future Farmers of America classes. Though the yards and the volume of livestock handled have declined, the South St. Paul Livestock Market continues to provide a dependable market for thousands of producers.