No one knows precisely when First Monday
began. Pick up just about any magazine today and chances are you'll find
a story about First Monday.
One thing is certain ... The event is
and had been in a state of continual change for probably over one hundred
fifty years. It started out as "Trades Day"... a one-day occasion that
took place on the first Monday of each month. Today it is known as "First
Monday Trade Days" and takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before
the first Monday of each and every month of the year.
There are several versions of how the
Trades Day came into being.
One being that First Monday
was the day the District Judge arrived and convened his court. Since most
of Van Zandt County was open range at that time, a state law required that
all stray horses be brought into Canton and auctioned to the highest bidder.
These horses had been picked up on the range and boarded by the farmers
until the day of the auction. People came from all around to participate,
and this became known as "First Monday Trades Day," sometimes called "Horse
Monday." Soon the people were bringing their own horses to sell or trade,
and as the years passed, they began to bring their excess crops, such as
fresh produce, grain, and sugar cane syrup.
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Another version claims that during
middle nineteenth century, this trades day became an important custom to
the rural people. With poor means of communication, people would wait until
"First Monday" to come to Canton to see their relatives and friends, to
make business arrangements, and to get the local news. During the election
years, the politicians would center their campaigns around "First Monday."
This event would accumulate more people of the county together at one time
than any other function of its time. As the years passed and the population
of Canton increased, the crowds at "First Monday" increased too-- all without
any planning or organization -- just naturally. The trading area was on
the streets. People would stroll up and down, trading, visiting and transacting
their business. The townspeople began to look on the event with disdain,
dreading the filth and confusion that cluttered their city. They finally
passed a city ordinance prohibiting trade in the streets, but to no avail;
the law could not be enforced. The crowds were too large for the small
city to disperse. The only hope the city had was hopefully the custom would
finally "play out" as had most of the other trades days in Texas. This
did not come about.
In the 1930's when the importance
of the horse began to decline, it was thought that "First Monday" would
vanish. There appeared about a ten year void in Texas between the horse-raising
era and the tractor era, and out of state horse traders began to bring
in horses to supply this void. Horse buyers from all over the state began
to attend "First Monday," and the crowds got larger and larger. It became
known state-wide as the place to buy a good "bronc."
Then, in the 1940's, as the tractor
came in and horses declined, hog trading took its place. Feeder pigs were
raised locally, and soon they gained the reputation of being the cleanest
and finest pigs sold anywhere --- cholera free. Buyers came in from all
over Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to buy these fine pigs.
Dogs were also a commodity. At first,
farmers would bring in strays and unwanted offspring; then the hunters
started bringing their hound dogs. Soon the whole town was saturated with
hound dogs, some selling for as much as $500. "First Monday" now became
known all over the Southwest to dog fanciers as "Dog Monday." One could
see anything from a Russian Setter to two types of specialized squirrel
dogs (one to hunt gray squirrels and one to hunt fox squirrels). After
the event, many of the worthless dogs were released, and Canton found itself
flooded with stray dogs; it was soon necessary to hire a dog catcher.
By 1950 the crowds were approaching
the 5,000 mark, and space became a problem. One homeowner, a woman who
owned a double lot, began patrolling her property with a broom to keep
the people off. Finally, one trader offered to rent space from her. Then
she started renting her entire area. Soon she was making $75 to $100 every
"First Monday." Eventually other homeowners did the same. One widow was
offered twenty-five cents for the use of her bathroom, and soon this was
a big business too. As space became a premium, the traders began to arrive
on Sunday in order to get the best space first. This created more serious
problems. The churches began to complain about the congestion and activity
on the Lord's Day. Sanitation became a big factor. These people had to
stay over night in their cars and trucks because there were not adequate
facilities in the small town. It was soon apparent that a city police force
was needed to control and maintain order among these visitors.
In the early 1960's, a man was bitten
by a dog and died of rabies. A city ordinance was passed prohibiting dogs.
The townspeople thought this might stop the trades day. It didn't. An individual
bought three acres of land and began to have the dog trade there on his
property. The city did require that they all be vaccinated and kept leashed
or pinned.
The dog trade flourished, and so
did the rest of trades day. With the crowds growing larger and people coming
in on Sunday, the Mayor and the City Council decided something had to be
done. Rules and regulations had to be enacted, a place found, and some
kind of order established. Canton had not encouraged "First Monday" ---
actually it had discouraged it --- but the custom had become entrenched
into the culture of the people for over 100 years, and it looked as though
it was there to stay. It had gained national recognition by this time.
Feature stories had appeared in Life, Look, and The Saturday
Evening Post. Texas newspapers periodically acclaimed its appeal and
uniqueness.
In 1965, the City of Canton began
a plan of action. Six and a half acres of land was purchased and designated
as a trading area. The area was divided into spaces, and each space was
rented for a nominal fee, depending upon the type of merchandise offered
for sale or trade. This was a new beginning for an old tradition, with
a plan for the future. In a short time, this area became filled to overflowing.
As more land could be secured, adjoining the original site, it was bought
and developed for use. Today, the City of Canton has over 100 acres, which
can accommodate over 3,000 dealers.
