Article by Martha Quillen
Pack-Burro Racing – July 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
ED AND I WERE STANDING just off Main Street in Buena Vista, trying to saddle our not-so-trusty steed. But the fancy pack saddle we’d borrowed came with a confusing array of straps, buckles, and rings, and we had no idea what we were doing. Then a gunfight broke out half a block away. Someone shouted, a woman screamed. Shots sounded and reverberated. Three women with parasols cheered the gunmen on. And Virgil kicked and bolted.
I grabbed the lead rope, Ed grabbed a handful of tack, and we managed to halt Virgil’s escape. But getting him saddled in time seemed unlikely. We had never seen a get-up with so many straps, and most of them seemed to have no definable purpose. And to make matters worse, Virgil sidestepped and twisted as we tried to get him ready. It was only fifteen minutes until race time; yet one member of our race team was missing, and the other was uncooperative.
Ordinarily a placid beast, Virgil had apparently suffered too many indignities that day. First there had been a long ride in a trailer, followed by a gathering of burros (and one had shoved him good). Then there had been the parade. As usual Virgil was a favorite. Not all donkeys tolerate spectators, but Virgil loved the limelight, so he had calmly let kids pat him, and hug him — and for all of his patience, he’d been called a pretty girl, a cute horsey, and a mule. Then we tried to encumber him with a saddle that was designed to be secured in places no self-respecting Jack wanted strapped.
It was beginning to look like Virgil was going to miss this race – until a minor miracle happened. Suddenly, a gunman — who had just minutes before lain dead on Main Street — was at our side. “Do you need help?” he asked.
The rig was so complicated the gunslinger couldn’t manage it either, but several of his fellow gunfighters came and lent a hand. Within minutes, Virgil was ready for showtime. And just then, our daughter arrived with her entry form in hand. Apparently there had been some small glitch at the registration desk.
Ed and I, Virgil and our daughter Columbine walked the three blocks to the starting line, and the race began. Columbine and Virgil took off, crossing the bridge leading uptrail with nary a hesitation (which is pretty unusual since a large percentage of donkeys despise bridges). As Ed and I watched, the racers disappeared from view with Columbine and Virgil right there at the head of the pack.
IF THIS HAD BEEN A Hollywood movie, they probably would have won. But this was real life, Central Colorado style, and there just happened to be a movie crew filming the race that year. Virgil, being the ham that he was, couldn’t resist. He stopped to pose and preen, and Columbine couldn’t push, pull, or prod him past the filmmakers. Finally they moved on — until Virgil changed his mind and tried to drag Columbine back toward fame and glory. They finished in the penultimate place that day, next to last. A few years later, Virgil retired from racing, and was put out to pasture on a ranch near Aspen, which is almost as good as Hollywood – isn’t it? And Columbine subsequently gave up burro racing and started guiding raft trips.
As for those who are asking: “Just what does this have to do with Central Attractions?”
The answer is: Donkeys are part of our region’s history; they made it possible to carry food and supplies into our mountains before there were roads or trains; they carried the burdens for prospectors; they labored in our mines; and today they’re remembered in many of our museums. There’s also a Prunes the Burro monument on Front Street in Fairplay, along with a burro racers’ monument which commemorates Central Colorado’s only indigenous sport.
But donkeys aren’t as plentiful as they used to be. When Ed and I were young, there were still stray donkeys in several Colorado mining towns. But society’s ideas about humane treatment of animals have changed. Today, half-starved, homeless donkeys no longer forage in our towns (which makes one wonder when our standards for humane treatment of humans may likewise escalate).
Although certainly not rare, donkeys aren’t as much a part of our landscape as they once were. But they’re still out there, standing amidst the horses and cattle. And if you want to see donkeys in action, summer is the time. This year, street fairs, gunfighters, music, food, vendors, parades, kids’ games, and burros will be featured at Fairplay Burro Days, July 30 and 31, and Leadville Boom Days, August 6 and 7, and at Buena Vista’s Gold Rush Days, August 13 and 14, with all of the burro races on Sunday. And for those of you who appreciate more modern local attractions, Fairplay’s event also features llama races. ยค
