The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-14
COIOradO'S
Days

output OF the mines and the producers
are very proud Of the success with
which they have redeemed the wilder
ness. William E Curtis is much i'm
pressed with this and in a letter con
z tributed to a Chicago daily recites the
various days" which are celebrated
in Colorado He says:
Like the ancient Israelites, as the
scriptures tell US. the people Of Colo
rado are in the habit Of celebrating
the incoming Of their haryests by pub
lie feasts. placing thank offerings be-
fore their neighbors and friends with
true oriental hospitality.
At Glenwood Springs they have a
strawberry day" each spring. when
all the world is asked TO come. without
money and without price, and feed up
on the most luscious Of fruit.
At Longmont, in the northern part
OF the state. where the bees fatten up
on the prairie flowers, honey day. is
celebrated, and tons Of honey are eat
en- every year. At Monument they
have a 'pumpkin-pie day" at Lamar
formerly they had a rabbit day" at
which everybody came with his gun
TO assist in ridding that part OF the
country Of the rabbits that were
pest to the farmers. At Fort Collins
where is the biggest beet sugar mill
in the world. barbecues Of spring lamb
are held every fall. At Greeley the
people have potato day" when hun
dreds Of bushels Of the finest potatoes
that ever grew are eaten in the open
air. free Of charge. with other concomi-
tants. The people of Grand Junction
have a peach day" at Canyon City,
apple day" is celebrated annually; at
Rocky Ford melon day" and at Love
land. at the northern end of the state,
there is an annual corn roast attended
by 10000 or 10000 persons from all
parts Of the state.
1t was held as usual on the 9Th Of
September Four tons of green corn
were roasted in pits dug in the ground,
and Alled with hot Goals, and the ears
were served on tables erected in a
grove. free to all comers, with 5000
sandwiches, 800 gallons Of coffee. fifty
barrels of cider and several carloads
Of apples for dessert. Almost every
city in northern Colorado was repre-
sented in the crowd, men, women and
children coming from a radius Of $50
miles by all kinds Of conveyances.
We stopped here at Rocky Ford, on
our way to ST. Louis, to witness the
celebration Of melon day" the Oldest
and one Of the greatest Of the annual
Colorado feasts. Rocky Ford is the
center of the canteloupe and water
melon district Of Colorado, and ships
about 500 carloads OF those luscious
fruits to market every summer The
pioneer Of the melon business; the
man who discovered that the peculiar
properties Of this alkali soil will pro-
duce the finest melons that were ever
tasted, and was the founder of melon
day" is still living and is the fore
most citizen Of this section Of the
state.
Seventeen years ago this month it
occurred to him that it would be a
good idea to advertise the resources
and advantages of the country by in
viting all the world to a free melon
feast, and accordingly the advertise
ment was publishd far and wide. 1t
is q busy time Of the year. Such a
fool thing as giving away melons to
strangers had never been heard of, and
the people suspected that somebody
was up to a trick; hence only fifty or
sixty had the courage to take the risk
and go to Rocky Ford; hut the scheme
was a great success and when the in
vitation was repeated the next year
there was a crowd of 500 strangers in
town that day, many of them coming
from fifty or sixty miles, and not only
stuffed themselves with melons, but
were given, free of cost. as many as
they could carry home And so the
melon feast at Rocky Ford gradually
became state holiday and everybody
who can command the time and the
facilities for travel comes here and
makes himself sick eating watermel-
ons and canteloupes on the 9Th of ey-
cry September.
Last year there we're more than 10
600 strangers in town; this year r.
900.
Outside Of the fair grounds. in a
cottonwood grove covering several
acres. was a stack Of 5000 watermel-
ons. 1t was about eight feet high and
a hundred feet long, and was sur
rounded BY about as many canteIoupes
piled up in shapely pyramids ike pro
1ectiles in fortress. This extraordi-
nary display vas protected by a wire
fence, within which we're twentv-four
men wearing white suits and big pink
badges, who. when the hour arrived
passed the melons between the wires
to the crowds outside. The melons
were contributed By farmers in the
neigbborhood Of Rocky Ford; the 9th
er expenses were paid By contribution
from the merchants IN town. and ev-
cry house was open for the entertain
ment Of strangers, because there IS
only one small hotel, and several thou-
sand persons were compelled to re
main overnight because OF the Ione
distance they had Travelled TO the feast
Man. ~ fLo 49, 81 -