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Burros Redux!

The Eagle Flight Days Burro Race began in 1980 with the course beginning at Third St. and Broadway, proceeding up Bellyache Ridge and back.  If you remember a previous blog, this was the same race in which burro Richard Nixon ran over his handler, Jim Gregg of Dillon, who sustained a cut to his head but bravely continued running.  The Eagle races went through 1984 and disappeared from the festivities after that. This year, the burros are back in Eagle County for the 1st Annual Minturn Pack Burro Race,  August 25, 2012, 10AM-12PM. Pack Burro racing was designated Colorado’s Summer Heritage Sport-2012 by  the Colorado State Legislature which passed a Joint Resolution during the 2012 session. The race is a fundraiser for the  Literacy Project of Eagle County http://www.literacyprojecteaglecounty.org/BURRO.html and is sponsored by the Western Pack Burro Association as part of its race series http://www.packburroracing.com/ .   It will follow a 4.5 mile course through Minturn.  
Minturn Map

This should be an exciting event with as many as 30 racers.  “Burro racing consists of getting a willing animal, loading it up with 33 pounds of gold pan, pick and shovel, putting a halter on it and finding a man who will run behind, beside or ahead of the beast.”  [Eagle Valley Enterprise March 13, 1980]  That description hasn’t changed since 1980, and we look forward to burro racing being a part of Eagle County again.  Come and enjoy the fesitivities! Some of my favorite burro, donkey, mule photos from our historical collection:
Photo postcard postmarked Avon, Colorado June 1907. Inscription: "Earlene has taken to riding broncos for pastime. Effa"

circa 1930: Dad Wellington and grandson, John Wellington, seated in buckboard, ready to deliver the mail.

1944: U.S. Army Mule Packers passing through Red Cliff, Colorado.

1940s Perlita Knight Gauthier, sister of MacDonald "Don" Knight, with a pack mule, walking up Fancy Pass (Homestake area).

               

Comments

Jaci, I ordered something over the phone the other day and the woman who took my order turned out to have been raised in Pando!! I gave her your name and the library phone number since she was interested in how the area had changed and grown. She apparently came back once in the 1980s and was somewhat taken aback by the development. I suggested that she get on your e-mail distribution list. I hope you'll hear from her. Debby Webster On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 2:50 PM, You can't use it if you don't preserve it.

How great is that?! Not too many people are familiar with Pando so I hope she contacts me. Thank you.

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