The Golden Burro, by Jared Miller
by Jared Miller, from the November 2000 issue
Was the large colored burro ready to charge, bite, or kick? He looked down at the miniature burro displaying a lack of emotion or curiosity. His eyes did not move or even blink.
This adventure in my life started when I was hired by the Midnight Rose and Brass Ass Casino to promote their business in Cripple Creek, Colorado. The job contract was for two days, six hours a day. I used my mini burro, Lady Banjo, 29-1/2" high, and also played some songs on my banjo. Lady Banjo was purchased from Larry and Billie Gardner of Tex-Ass Miniatures located in Brenham, Texas, and Durango, Colorado.
Cripple Creek is an old mining town located at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. Bob Womack, a prospector, went searching for stray cattle in Poverty Gulch during the early l 890's and found gold. This resulted in the birth of a boom town of 60,000 people. Today, there are about 1,500 permanent residents, but the town has a thriving tourism industry. Wild burros, descendants of mining era pack animals, still roam the town streets and surrounding hills.
As the first rays of light lit up the east, Lady Banjo hee-hawed in unison with Leo, my rooster, welcoming a new day. I loaded her in the horse trailer for the two-hour drive to Cripple Creek. Upon my arrival, I unloaded my mini, groomed her, then walked to the Midnight Rose Casino and stood in front of the business with her. She immediately attracted crowds of people like a magnet. Everybody fell in love with her. I then realized that I could not play the banjo because she was taking all of my time and attention. I could enter and leave the Midnight Rose Casino with Lady Banjo without a problem, but she was reluctant to enter or leave the Brass Ass Casino. I could not understand why.
After about two hours, Lady Banjo would get tired from all the attention that she was receiving, so I would walk her on a side street to give her a break. She wore out totally after about four hours. I knew that I would have to do something different the next day.
On the last day of the promotion job, I decided to have Lady Banjo on display for one hour, then put her in the horse trailer to rest while I played the banjo. By alternating, she got a lot of well-deserved breaks.
I still had problems getting her in and out of the Brass Ass Casino. Why was she so reluctant to leave? A stranger told me, "Your burro is fascinated by the wooden donkey in the window". I had been so focused on Lady Banjo that I had not noticed the wooden burro she was looking at. Lady Banjo, with her head cocked and neck stretched out, looked through the window at the large golden colored burro. She would stare, stare, and stare some more at the hand-carved wooden burro that had a face only a mother could love. Did she think it was her mother or a friend to play with? Why didn't it move? Why didn't it bray? Now I knew why I had been having a problem with her.
The legend behind the golden burro began in 1893 when the annual World's Fair was born to celebrate the past while introducing patrons to visions of the future. The Columbian Exposition at Chicago was one of the most popular of the world's fairs, spanning the shores of Lake Michigan.
People of the Victorian era viewed the fair as all the rage. There were exhibits of mechanical inventions, electrical displays, and modern appliances such as typewriters and vacuum sweepers. Entire dream cities were constructed for the six-month-long event, which featured representatives from every country in the world and every state in the union. Carnival rides, fireworks, dances, eateries, games, movies, fortune-telling tents, and exhibits were just some of the featured events. A visitor to the fair could expect to spend several days exploring mazes of delightful gardens, water parks, midways, and giant pavilions. Each contained something magical and wild. Anything one could imagine was available at the fair.
Naturally, such a fair wasn't complete without "Love Boats", the cozy little skiffs that floated around a canal or some other water source. At the Columbian Exposition's "Harbor for pleasure crafts", several mechanical burros were rigged to "kick off' the boats and launch passengers on a romantic ride. One of those mechanical golden colored burros, and the only one known to survive, now resides in the window of the Brass Ass Casino.
Lady Banjo brayed loudly as we left Cripple Creek. Another bray could be heard in the distance. Was it one of the wild burros or the Golden Burro pleading for her to return?
