Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1906-05-11
MARKET FOR BURROS
WHERE THE ANIMALS ARE ON
SALE IN SANTA FE.
Mminutive Burden Bearers Are
Very Useful, But They Are
Not at All High
Priced.

You can buy burro for $1.25 in this
city. All you have to do is to go down
to Burro alley anywhere from ten in
the morning till late in the afternoon
and strike bargain with the ilrst
wood carrier you meet. Only make
sure, advises a Santa Fee IN. M ex-
change, that your eye teeth are secure
when the bargaining is over, for these
ourro punchers of the southwest are
the canniest traders.
Burro alley is burro headquarters in
Santa Fe. This is narrow, crooked
alley, lined with adobe houses In
the rear Of a curio store, at the end OF
the alley, is corral where the Joses
and Pablos and Garcias leave their
burros after their loads of wood are
sold, and here may be studied burrc
character in all it's phases.
Nearly every burro in the corral will
wear one of the tiny pack saddles
which can be so deftly loaded with
stove wood by the Mexicans who KEEP
Santa Fe supplied with fuel. The
wood is cut in lengths of about two
Or three feet and is piled in great
mounds on the pack saddles. H. Is
marvellous the skill with which the
Mexicans can load their tiny burros
with these great loads of wood. They
are deftly fastened with a few twists
If rope and they will not slip to one
side, nor is it possible for the burros
to shake them off.
Many of these hewers of wood
whose Mecca is Burro alley, walk 4C
miles in a day in order to make a
sale that cannot approximate more
than $1.50. II a Mexican wood haul
er is prosperous he will have, say
three burros. He will cut supply OF
wool far off in the mountains, per-
haps 20 miles from Santa Fe. Mid.
night will find his burros loaded, Will
their packs of wood piled high above
their backs. Swapping his quirt and
calling out explosives in Spanish tina,
never fail to stir the feet of the lag.
CARDS the burro puncher starts on his
long walk to dispose of his wares
Early morning will find him in Santa
| Fe, for the burros are fast walkers
when there is a Mexican behind them
Once in Santa Fe the burro driver
walks along the streets until he IL
hailed by some householder who hal
| just run out of wood, There is a min
ute's haggling and an inspection OF tn,
pitch-filled pinon wood on the backs
of the burros. Then the ropes ar,
| jerked, the loads of wood fall to tn,
earth, and Pablo or Jose pockets hi
alley. Here the burros are put II
the corral and the driver sallies forth
Early in the afternoon the burros ar
driven out of the corral and the home
ward march is begun. The drive
does not reach home until late. Hi
earnings are small, but he Is content
He turns his burros out to rustic
for themselves nobody ever think
of feeding burro-and in a few
hours he is ready to start again OF
the long walk to Santa Fe.
One can seek, and seek vainly, a sour
visaged burro among the thousands o
animals that are driven to Santa Fe
The burro may be ready to drop undo
the cruel weight of his load, but h
looks content. Perchance his maste
fingers awhile at the Plaza, in which
case the burro is apt to sink to tn
ground, load and all, and float fortl
peacefully into slumber. When h.
is commanded to get up you wonde
how he is going to do it, under tina
great load; but somehow or other tn
slender legs get leverage and tn
burro struggles to his feet and walk
off at his masters bidding.