Monte Vista journal and Monte Vista graphic-reporter., 1923-07-06
WHEN INDIAN AND WHITE
MEMS RACE HORSES met
The Story of n HOsee Race In the
Huerfano Valley In 1853
and How Indian Tribs,
Bet All lt~ Riches
S. +. Doering

In the summer OF 1919, three
gamblers. Thompson. Thornhill and
Stockton by name. hailing from
with an unbeaten. unbeatable re-
cord--he had outrun everything and
his owners sighed. disconsolately
that there were no more worlds to
conquer.
In Huerfano valley. only a little
way from Gardner. and In tho sam e
year, Chief Oursy OF the Utes and
his faithful braves were discomfort: !:
they. too. had a race horse. unde-
feated. undefeatabie-they could
find no one with whom to race.
Now fate decreed that these two
Irresistible forces should clash. The
white men learned of the Indian
horse. They learned further that
the Utes were wealthy tribe in
point OF gold. which was practically
all the coin in circulation in those
DAYS. they had horses. furs. traps,
beads. bucksk!n and blankets galore
II the Indian would run his horse
IT should be a comparatively easy
matter to annex his wealth to their
already not inconsiderable amount.
Straightway negotiations We're
opened with the indians Would
they run their horse' They would.
The Indians were willing. nay eager
victims of the white gamblers dip
lomacy.
Two weeks before the appointed
day OF the race, the white men ar
rived with their fast horse. and
several others to use. ostensibly in
training. Really they brought along
the extra horses for betting pur-
poses, knowing full well that the
Indians would rather bet horse
against horse than all the gold in
the valley-they figured. and cor
rcctly, that the Indian would will
ingly bet his ponies two and three
10 one against their better horses.
The white men arranged for
quarters for themselves and stock
with Mr.. Thomas Sharp who. at
that time. conducted trading post.
MIR. Sharp. by they way. still lives
on his ranch near Gardner where
the race occurred; his little trad,
ing post. a-hewn log cabin-is
sim standing Mr.. Sharp, 81 years
Of age. Is hale and hearty. aud de-
lights In rcmiu,scg nces OF Colo
RADIOS early day.
I'm ucdiat.ly upon arrival OF the
white mans race horfe speculation
and interest IA IN, coming event
Increased by leaps ani bounds.
Naturally the Indians wanted TO
look at the horse which anyone
cuIld be so foolish as to believe
could ou;run theirs.
But. In the veruarular OF today.
there was "nothln' doin' the
white men kept their race horse TO
thcmsely.s-they were granting and
grooming him. and didn't want him
"doped" or fooled with. In conse-
quence tn. Indians became suspiei-
Gus that someone nigh, dope their
horse. and. likewise. threw a Gordon
OF braves about him day and night
where he grax.d. s.dately enough
In tn. sage brush at IN. end OF q
fraycd rope. The Indians made 1,
plain ,hst no one was to fool with
their horse. and no one did.
Training. lis, fights puarr.is snd
betting illed tn. following slow
dragging days with .,ci,smcnt
Soldiers drift.d in squads from old
Fort Garland: trappcrs srd scouts
dropped IN from the four winds as
word sped from fort to fort of the
great event In almost no time
thousands Of dollars In gold. an
enormous quantity OF furs. beads
leather. blankets and trappcry OF
ali kinds were Mt stak. at yariou.
odds, Every horse In the country
was wagorod In some manner on
the outcome. The white men were
fllI with an intense desire to bet
all they had aud the Indians were
more than eager to cover their all
lntonsa interest and ioalousiy pre-,
vailed among tho sauaws Their,
were many who dared bet their last
pair OF moecasins and beaded
blankets: they bet their quilts
feathers and hair ornaments. real
ling fully that. should tn. white
mans horse win there would In
deed b. many models In the nude
Chief ouray's would he a destitute
nation. II should have seemed &c
the whit. men = shame TO take th'
s,no.x hat ~ eh.x S.e. At.so h..