A neighbor came by our farm telling
us, newcomers to a western Colorado
homestead, about the county fair. We fixed a picnic dinner and went.
All the families spread their
dinners together. People came up and introduced themselves and shook hands. No
strangers-it was wonderful. There were exhibits of canned goods and fancywork.
In the afternoon we stood around
some hastily built pens and watched one of the finest rodeos I ever saw.
Cowboys had gone to the mountains and herded into the pens some wild horses and
steers from the range. They would rope an animal and a cowboy would try to ride
him. If he succeeded, someone would pass the hat and the spectators would
contribute their small change. He might possibly get $1.50 or $2. If he was
bucked off, he gained nothing but experience.
The celebration broke up about five
o’clock so we could all get home by dark. Now in my 80th year I think of that
day, and I’m sure it was one of the most enjoyable fairs I ever attended.
Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher
Great Bend,
Kansas
Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true
pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their
children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers,
all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made
to create a book, and in 1956, the first My
Folks title – My Folks Came in a
Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine
other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.
