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collection feature · Otero County · Late 1800s–1913

Historic Arkansas Valley Fair Photos

By Jeanette N Floyd Myers

Historic photographs and postcards document the Arkansas Valley Fair, its entrance, early attractions, and Watermelon Day traditions.

Archival view associated with Historic Arkansas Valley Fair Photos

This collection preserves historic views of the Arkansas Valley Fair, including the main entrance, a 1913 attractions postcard, visitors at the fairgrounds around 1907, and an early Watermelon Day gathering.

In the late 1800s, George Washington Swink held Watermelon Day in Rocky Ford after harvesting his first field of Rocky Ford watermelons. He shared the harvest with people throughout the area, who traveled by train and horse-drawn buggy to join the celebration.