Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-09-28
TO
Be SEEN
RIGHT NOW
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
A stroll through the fair grounds
last evening would have convinced
the most skeptical that the Colorado
New Mexico fair and race meet Is Il
success, the biggest in a quarter of a
, century
All Efforts are cor 3erged In the fair
The farmer and the fruit grower, the
stock gower AMI poultry raiser and
the trainer OF the racer and trotter
were there, and each one WIS there
to get the prize or the money or
make you look up twice before you
went away.
1t is the big meet and everybody
is glad of 1t.
Long after the sun had gone down
you could hear the grunt of the pig
trying to adjust himself TO the new
surroundings, the chicken, goose
guinea, duck and pigeon shifting and
shuftiing to make his roost seem the
same; and the watchers and trainers
down slong the line G. calls said you
could look In when they were there
The big agricultural and horticul-
tural hall was closed and the reporter
could not break in.
Bat 1t looked like the fair was al
| ready open.
A trim through the fair grounds lnsi
night was quite iniere ing. The ",
and Navajo Indians Ind tented all thc
ground slirtlng the west anl north
| sides of the inclosure. and egnh haC
some kind of a light whlsh enabled
one to locate the tent and gee It's gen
eral outlines. They hal tall tcpces,
square tents, fiat tents, and wlck'up
| coverings Here and there they were
singing or beating a tom-tom, accom-.
panied by cultural sounds II was re
| mindful of the early days when we
found Ute and Navajo camps over the
country. and were doubtful about the
sort of welcome we would get If we
approached.
During the long ago days the differ
once year. sometimes oftener. Tbev
ran races and conducted other sports
peculiar to their liking. The La
Plata river was their chosen meeting
place for horse racing and as a rule
they held their other gambling tests
on the San Juan river. where the
| Ute went to beat the Navajo playing
| six-card poker and got skinned
Six-card poker Is where you draw
six cards first and follow around the
circle on a blanket stretched on the
ground, drawing one card at timo.
until one of the party has three pairs
| OF some kind
They bet their every belonging
ponies, dogs. tobacco. squaws. buttons
and strings, cartridges, powder naslSs,
or anything they happened to have.
While at the fair they will not en-
gage in any Of these tests; they Will
be too busy watching the white mans
sports and participating in the Indian
races. etc, provided for them.
The indians have become wise to
some of the antics and oaDrlces of
their white brother, and they are
learning that 1T is both pleasant and
profitable TO net punches and bevies
of white suckers They viii give
side show dances and such other
amusements as they can offer after a
collection has been made M. One
patron may pay nickel. another a
dime. and a quarter will not be turn
ed down.
Last evening some of them were
eating their late supper, others talk
ing or singing Three or four were
evidently under the influence OF the
liquid that inspires either song or sor.
row.
They had managed to get tnis and
kprobably will continue to get H. Our
visitors who have never seen these
Indians or studied their customs will
find visits about their quarters of
varied interest
| The buck indian Is not so interest
ing himself as HIS sqraw and pap.
pooses Their manner Of dress and
way of living will interest YOU first
but the pecuiarities of the Indian
as compared to the white man, is
about the same in general detail with
all American Indians.
The tent and tepee array is more
attractive at night than in the dan
time. as the varied and broken vol
ume OF fiickering lights made by tho
camp fires illuminates vaguely the
L-shaped column In the northwes
part OF the grounds.
There Is greater number Of botl
Utes and Navaioes on the groundi
! now than had been promised. an,
there will probably be others. The
furnish their own facilities for sleep
ing. their own blankets end skins, AM
their own traps to cook In and tn
'' fair committees having them II
charge do the rest save thGt the In
q dians brought their own plnon an
4 cedar wood to build the fires. The
have no use for coal.
Our fairest daughters will he on
In see how the suuaw dressag an