11/29/2024
The new Creede Historical Society 2025 Calendar is here just in time for the season! We bring you a new, collectible, themed calendar each year. This year, our theme is 'kids and burros '. The calendar features many never-before-seen photographs of Creede and its people, with a special focus on the unique relationship between the town's children and the donkeys that once roamed the streets. Photo Director Allison Quiller tells us more about this fascinating theme on the back:
"In 1893, the price of silver crashed, effectively ending the boom that formed Creede and Mineral County. Prospecting hopefuls left the town in droves, and many left their donkeys behind along with their dreams. For decades to follow, generations of "town burros" had no owner yet were tame enough to pose no danger. At least through the 1930s, it was a favorite pastime for the young people of Creede to wrangle and ride them. Unfortunately, they died out sometime in the mid-20th century.
When I first started volunteering for the Creede Historical Society, I noticed the sheer number of pictures in our collection that featured kids and burros. Then, I learned the story of the "town burros" and began to understand and appreciate the incredibly essential role donkeys played during mining booms. More sturdy, practical, and manageable than horses, the lone prospector commonly had one for a companion. Once mining operations began in earnest, teams of donkeys and mules were necessary to transport ore, supplies, or anything else. Most families had one, and it was very vogue to pop a kid (or four) on one's back for a photo op.
In celebration of the trusty little creatures that made Creede possible (and their human counterparts), here is a calendar that contains 42 unique photographs of kids and donkeys (in fairness, there are also a couple of mules and a c**t). Many of the burros pictured in this calendar may be among the fabled "town burros," but take a good look at September- all of them pictured there descended from the abandoned donkeys of 1893.
I hope you enjoy this fun collection and take a moment to appreciate the hard work of our ancestors and the animals who made it possible!"
You can pick up these unique gifts today in Creede at Downstream Gas, The Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Belle Market, Coffee on the Fly, and more! We will also have a booth at Creede's Holiday Market on Saturday, September 30. If you are interested in mail-order or if your business would like to support a local non-profit by carrying these calendars, please contact [email protected].
