Time for the fair

One of the first events at the Montrose Fairgrounds was Ivy Baldwin’s balloon ascension in the 1880s. Since then there have been countless rodeos, horse, mule and pony races, Native American dances and even a circus now and then.

The Montrose District Fair was held in 1887, under the direction of a committee. Horses were the main showing, along with poultry, honey, gold and silver ores. By 1888, the Montrose Fair Association was well underway, supported by subscriptions from stockholders. They met at the Montrose Opera House, elected a Board of Directors and laid plans to begin work on a race track and grandstands. They also voted to build a judge’s stand, cattle sheds, box stalls and buildings suitable for exhibits.

By 1903, Colonel Phil Peters was a very active member of the committee and was overseeing improvements to the grounds. An additional acre of land was purchased; the fence was repaired and whitewashed, as were the stables and stalls. Chico brush was “grubbed” from the ground, the exhibition hall  painted and an agricultural exhibit hall built. Trees were planted all around the fence with plans made for baseball, football, tennis and circus grounds.

Before Montrose High School had sports fields, football games were played on the adobe fields at the fairgrounds. Girls, dressed in bloomer-type outfits, played basketball outside on a dirt court.

One of the most momentous occasions ever held at the fairgrounds was in September 1909, when President of the United States, William Howard Taft, spoke to the hundreds gathered there to celebrate the dedication of the Gunnison Water Diversion Tunnel. Taft was treated to a special rodeo, complete with bucking broncs, before delivering his speech from the newly painted bandstand. Nellie Frees was just a little girl at the time and later wrote, “He spoke about the wonders of this beautiful—and there he stopped as he couldn’t pronounce ‘Uncompahgre,’ so he said this ‘beautiful valley of the Un-, unpronounceable name.’”

In 1913 the grounds were taken over by The Montrose Driving Park Association. As things tend to go, money became an issue, making it feasible in 1919 for Montrose County to become the owner and operator of the fairgrounds.

The first Montrose Fair Queen, Gertrude Johnson, was crowned in 1926.      

Local Bill Kelley was a jockey at the fairgrounds in the 1930s. He said, “Used to be about five days of racing—fair time horses came from all over. They wouldn’t have stalls enough for ‘em. Back then it wasn’t for sport as much as it was for a livin’…you rode for blood.”

There were reserved boxes for the dignitaries and ladies, who Bill said were “all dressed up pretty—looked nice and they had the big bands out there, kind of like the Kentucky Derby.”

In 1978, the large metal building known as Friendship Hall, replaced the frame barn-like structure, Flower Hall, which housed events for years. The dilapidated, gnawed-on wooden horse stalls were just recently removed.

The year 2002 marked the 100th year of Montrose County 4-H groups living up to their motto “To Make the Best Better.”

Friendship Hall is the regular meeting place of several organizations, including three veterans groups. It also houses the Colorado State University Extension office. In addition to the annual county fair and rodeo, events at the fairgrounds range from gun shows, art, craft and trade shows to wedding receptions, voting, flu shots and even a funeral or two.

Come Thanksgiving, Friendship Hall lives up to its name. Its doors and the hearts of the community are opened wide for a free dinner and entertainment for any and all who wish to come. Well over 1,100 people attend.