Minding Your Business; 391; Whole Enchilada Festival

K-R-WG TV presents Minding Your Business, a look at the people, places, events and issues that impact the business and economy of Southwest New Mexico, with your host, Charles Comer. Hello and welcome to Mining Your Business, to show where we explore business, economic development, community resources and events and issues that impact our region. This week on Mining Your Business, the city of the Cross is known for many things. Great weather, friendly people, and the biggest enchilada on the planet. The birthplace of the world record is the whole enchilada fiesta and it's just around the corner on the calendar here to talk about its history and what's in store this year is a whole enchilada fiesta board of directors president, Quint Pertle and vice president, Gary Pettis. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you, Charles.

And we always start the show off by finding out just a little bit about our guests. Quint, we're going to start with you. You and I went to school together, Cruces High, Class of 82. If I remember right, your mother was a teacher there? That's right. English teacher? Math. She was a math teacher and well loved by the students. But what happened from there? Well, I've fiddled around and looked for my focus in my life and found in my career in law enforcement. It started with the Sheriff's Department here in Dorianna County in 1991 and moved along, found some different jobs in law enforcement, investigated for the district attorney, worked here at the campus for the police department for several years. And as I remember, my first contact with you after high school was you were running the traffic division and you folks had just put up one of those radar signs that checks motor speed as they drive by and we did a little news story on that and I was like, well look at us. You know, I'm getting a college degree and he's a big old cop. So look at him.

So it's great to have you on the set and have a long time friend. How did you get involved with the Fiesta? Charles actually started with the very first Fiesta in 1980. I worked security for the Fiesta. There was a few of us that stayed there overnight. And in fact, in looking back at it, I was thinking about this today. We were there from the beginning of the Fiesta Friday until it closed Sunday with no sleep and we got a shirt to wear and tried to protect all of the assets of the Fiesta there at the downtown wall. I graduated up the ladder, became a dishwasher, moved on to frying eggs and rebert those kitchen and somehow ended up as president and I'm not quite sure how that happened. But you're hearing nonetheless and we thank you so much for your time. Gary, let's shift over to you. Many may recognize you as an elected official of Doniana County or our county assessor. And just real quick before we find out a little bit about your background, probably a few people out there, I only knew a couple of you found out a couple of years ago.

What does the county assessor actually do? The county assessor's office is responsible for valuing all property that's a real property and personal property that's taxable within our county so that property taxes can be determined for that type of property and then the county treasurer would collect those property taxes for distribution to the various entities in our county such as the city of the county state, Doniana Branch College. So few positions have more impact on the public's pocketbook than yours. You value the property and I have a very large. My office has a very large impact on the people's pocketbooks and it's kind of a hard thing to balance because when you do a good job in that office, you do hit people's pocketbooks. But there have been times, glorious times in your job when you actually were able to roll back property taxes, I remember covering a story where people actually had to pay a little less that year. So you have good news sometimes, don't you? Well, we have good news and what we try to do is look the positive aspect of it and get out as much information as possible to the property tax owners, property owners so

that they know if when to protest their valuation should they disagree with their valuation, what kind of exemptions they can qualify for or any other benefits that they may not know about. Well, I smell another shell, actually. Sounds good to me. I'm going to have to bring you back on and talk specifically about your elected position. Now what, where did you grow up, where did you go to school, how did you end up working with the Fiesta, just like the questions with Quinn? Sure. I grew up in basically two places in truth of consequences, but later on the majority of it in Hatch, here in New Mexico, just up the road, graduated from Hatch High School, then moved to Las Cruces afterwards, went to college here at NMSU, graduated from NMSU, and then went into a short term career in real estate, as a real estate agent. After that I found a job at the county assessor's office as a temporary employee, doing appraisals, doing field work out to field, and I've been there for 19 years now. I've had several jobs within that office, I've been the chief deputy assessor, prior

to being a assessor, and I've been a assessor for the last six years. I've gotten involved with a Fiesta back in 1998. I started off with the Parade Committee as a volunteer, and then became the Parade Chairman there after I joined the board, they asked me to join the board, and I've been president for three years, and now I'm a vice president under Quinn. Now you guys were arm wrestling over who was going to handle some of these questions, but feel free to jump in, any of you if you have something to add, but we will start with you, Quinn, tell us about the history of the Fiesta, what you know, you've been with it since 1980, what is that, 28 years? Okay, Fiesta's getting old. The celebration actually started out as what was called Baccaro Days, and it was centered around the Chamber of Commerce, and it evolved into what was later called the whole enchilada Fiesta in 1980, and that was when it had the actual beginning, that was when Roberto

made the first enchilada that year, and of course as we know, it grew as he got better at making it, and ultimately was landed in the Guinness Book of World Records. And so, that was really the start of the Fiesta, but it sort of changed direction over time. Certainly, the Fiesta has grown over 28 years in the size and in the attractions within the venue, as well as within attendance. Now, let's move on to the next question for both of you, in your experience, what is the Fiesta meant for the community over the years? I guess Gary, how about you first? Well, what it means is that our city and our county, our area, has a large event that we can be proud of, something that's a tourist attraction, and something that's synonymous with Las Cruces. Like we all have probably heard of the Fiesta's in San Antonio, and how they've grown over the years.

I think the whole enchilada Fiesta is pretty similar in that regard, and more and more people are getting to know about the enchilada Fiesta. Quick, something to add to that, right along the lines of what Gary said. I think it is a very prided culture showing the traditions, the flavor of the food in the southwest, and certainly celebrating our one of our biggest cash crops in the state, the green chili. And of course, we all know that we have the best of it down here in the state. Yeah, I tell people, don't even get Mexican food up in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Make sure you come down to Cruces, Cruces in El Paso. Yeah, you can head up to Hatch, and I haven't eaten anywhere in TRC, so I don't know if they get a little donoy on a county quality spillover or not, but that's beside the point. You both have careers that keep you so incredibly busy. Why do you volunteer your time? You guys don't get paid to do this, right? No, we don't. So how do you find the time? Why do you volunteer that time?

How do I find the time? I have no idea how I find the time in my schedule. And certainly, some people may not understand, the planning of the fiesta occurs typically over a 10-month period. Between nine and ten months is when we start the planning process, and so as we get closer to the date of the fiesta, it really becomes crunch time. The phone never stops ringing, and the emails come all the time, and there's always those last minute issues to deal with. And I know that the way I find time is because I make myself do it, because I'm committed to the fiesta. I believe that what we do for the community is a good cause. I certainly believe that it needs to continue, and I think volunteerism is one of the greatest things that is something typically American. You don't see that a lot in other countries. And I think that is one of the things that really makes Americans stand out from other countries. Kerry?

Well, I'm fortunate enough to be an elected official, so I have a little more league way than most people where I can take off some time to do the things that I need to do, like running around talking to sponsors or other people. But in the past, I've worked a lot on it at night and on weekends, and I've had to take off vacation time in the past when I was a regular classified employee. So I would use my vacation time to take three, two days off prior to the fiesta and a day after to recover, to be able to volunteer for the fiesta. It does require a lot of hours, and Quentin, I, and the board, and the other committee members do put in several hundred hours when it's all set and done. So it sounds like you start planning kind of at the beginning of the year. You get the fiesta out of the way, and then come January 1, it looks like you guys start meeting again, is that about right? That's pretty much correct. So 10 months, it's kind of like having a baby. Just add an extra month on there. It's kind of having a baby that's late to term. Now, what are some of the features from the past that are returning this year?

Are we going to, you know, I know Robert Estrada-Keeves talking about, I'm going to retire from doing the unshelada. I'm going to retire from doing the enchilada. Is he going to do it this year? He is going to do it, and I think, unofficially, because I certainly don't want to speak on behalf of Roberto. But I think we might see the Roberto carry it out two more years, and go to 30 years. And then we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. But the enchilada is going to be done again on Sunday morning, 10 o'clock, Gary? 11 o'clock. 11 o'clock. Sunday morning. He'll be out there making that big enchilada, so we'll all look forward to that. And other things that are returning this year, and some of our big ones, of course, the entertainment in two stages, we'll talk about it in a little bit, but the parade, certainly one of the largest parades in the state of New Mexico, if not the largest parade, on an annual basis. And that parade always draws a very large crowd along the entire parade route, and what else, Gary?

Yeah, downtown, so there's people just down the block for me, all lining the streets waiting. But Gary, you're about to jump in. Sure. We also have returning this year, the 5K run, which is on Saturday morning. We have the fun run as well, Saturday morning. Is it like 1K, a fun run, or? I think it's 1K, that's correct, and it's around the area there, around the Merchite Center. We also have, for the third year in a row, the Horseshoes and Washa Tournament, we have a Horseshoet Tournament on Sunday, and a Washa Tournament on Saturday, and for those of you who may not know what the Washa Tournament is, is that the Washer Game Tour? Yeah, that's a large, metal Washer, and it's similar to Horseshoes, except you throw the Washer pretty much the same distance as the Horseshoes are set apart. You throw the Washer into a small tin can that's set into the ground at ground level and try to make it into the can, so we have that type of tournament as well. Now, I've been at parties where they were playing that, and the competition was hot. That's kind of a regional game, isn't it? It is. That's sort of a regional, cultural game, but so we've got Horseshoes, we've got Washa's.

We've got the Carnival, and of course we have the Parade. Carnival will run all three days, and the Parade will be on Saturday morning, as Quint said. So let's talk about musical attractions. You're the music coordinator, right? Yes, I am, and that's a very big part of the reason why I've always wanted to be a part of the enchilofias, because of my love for music and concerts. We have 21 bands performing this year, and on Friday night our headliner will be a Tejano music star by the name of Sonny Salseda. He's a two-time Grammy award winner, and he will perform at 930 on Friday night, September 26th. On Saturday, we have two headliners. We have Los Rhythm Kings out of Dallas, Texas, beginning at, believe it, 8 o'clock, and we have a war coming to the fiesta this year, the group war, and they will be performing again at 930 on that evening. That Saturday, September 27th. On Sunday, we have, on the main stage, a ZZ top tribute band by the name of El Loco and they're from Seattle, Washington.

So we have two stages this year, again. We have the main stage, and then we have what we call the Roberto stage, which is located on the west side of the Mierscheite building. So we'll have music nonstop, beginning at 7 o'clock on Friday evening of the fiesta, and running until 6 o'clock on Sunday at the end of the fiesta. Now as a musician who never, who was in a band that never got their act together about playing at the fiesta, or at the fair, we always looked at that as an amazing opportunity for local musicians who are trying to supplement their income or actually make a living off it, how does that feel to provide that, or to be a part of providing a venue for local musicians? Actually, it feels really great when I get many, many calls every year from bands from all over the place. They've heard like this year, the people, those rhythm kings contacted us from Dallas, Texas. They knew about our fiesta from Dallas, Texas.

I get calls from all over the United States, and many, many local bands who are trying to get in. And what I try to do is to switch out these bands every year so that we don't have the same bands year to year and give everyone the opportunity to perform. But to be part of it is really a good feeling because we're so well known for that. And I'm telling you, war is that that's music straight from our generation, isn't it? It's not, you know, Cisco kid and low rider and it's summer. And just so many amazing hints those guys cranked out in the 70s and 80s, that is going to be an amazing show. One of our people in production, Ralph S. Candon has some autographs from them and has seen them. I think he may have even got to jam with them. I'll have to ask him after the show. That's in material. Now who are the sponsors? That's a big one. There's too many to list, but maybe you guys could list off a couple of the major ones. Well, I would think, and certainly there is way too many to list.

Our sponsorships are actually divided amongst dollar value levels and we have five different levels. But our title sponsors, which mean $10,000 or more, are our big sponsors. Obviously the city of Las Cruces is a sponsor of the Fiesta. And they provide all of the services, police and things of that nature. We have Budweiser, Pepsi, Hotel and Conto of Las Cruces. We have the Las Cruces bulletin is also a title sponsor. And then we're going to talk about something new this year here in a little bit now. I'll bring you up to date on two other sponsors, but those are some of our bigger sponsors. Now, and this is probably for you Gary, what does it mean for the local economy to have the Fiesta here? A lot of money comes in, right? I think the, it's a tremendous impact on the local economy. The Fiesta spends a lot of money putting on this Fiesta. And I can only estimate that the impact is in the millions.

Because of what we spend and what the vendors spend and what the vendors make, all the money that's spent on the various aspects of the Fiesta. People that are coming to the Fiesta from out of town, they rent rooms. The city of Las Cruces pays employees to help out with the Fiesta. So the economic impact is probably, I would say, the largest about a ball of festivals in Las Cruces, maybe only second to the state fair. But I would think to the city of Las Cruces, because the state fair is outside the city limits, that we were probably the largest impact on the local economy. And what about economic development, kind of taking it, that certainly there's money pumped into the economy, but over 28 years, things have, have grown, does this bring businesses into Las Cruces? What have you guys seen in your experience? From my experience with the Fiesta, especially on the Board of Directors, that I don't know

that we necessarily have brought businesses into Las Cruces, we've provided a huge amount of exposure over the last three years to the Fiesta and to some of the local businesses that participate in it, through shows that we've done with the Food Network. When we did a show with high new productions, it was aired on the Food Network on all American festivals, then later aired again on unwrapped. Last year, there was a program done that aired on the CW called Enchantments, and they went around the state and did filming of events like ours. So we're putting the exposure out there, and certainly it has to help. So you folks were actually featured on unwrapped. My wife watches that show all the time, and sometimes I go crazy, but you know what, thank you for warning me, because if a rerun comes on of that, I will not freak out quite as bad, I'll be like, oh my god, wait, that's just, that's here, but how exciting, that had

to feel good when, you know, have you seen the episode? Yes, it aired, I believe, two years ago, but two or three years ago, and they've continued and I just had a phone call today that somebody just saw it within the last month. And so we've seen the episode some of us many times, and it feels really great, and it makes, in my case, it makes me feel very proud that I was the president of the Fiesta that I get to see the chili growing in the field, and they're interviewing the farmer growing the chili, and all the way up to Roberto Makin, the Red and Chilada, showing the Majestic Mountains, the Oregon's is a Baton Drop, it was wonderful, it was great. Now let's talk about security, what's it going to be like at the Fiesta, what can people expect as they go in, what can they expect when they're actually in the Fiesta proper? They can expect to be safe, that's probably the bottom line. The security is going to be very similar to what we've had in past years, and since we've

moved the venue to the Mershite Hadley Complex, it increased our ability to have a more secure venue, and the police department, they enjoyed that better as well, and that's because it's entirely fenced in. There are three ingress and egress points for the Fiesta, and everybody in there is either going to go in or leave through one of those points. We do have some rules, there's going to be signs posted, obviously on things you can't bring in such as pets and things of that nature. Yeah, could you share just maybe just the top of that list as far as can people bring coolers in, those kinds of things, what are some of the band items? Well, we don't allow any pets, we don't allow laser pointers. We have in the past been pretty strict with dress code, and I say that in regard to obvious gang attire. But also I'm seeing attire as well, you know, some of the heavy metal shirts can be a little over the top and that kind of stuff.

And again, the Fiesta is a family oriented event, and so we want to make sure that we have that atmosphere in place for the people that are attending it, but coolers are not allowed, you can't bring drinks in, and certainly alcoholic beverages, anything like that. But Charles, we do allow people to bring in their lawn chairs so that they can sit there and enjoy the music, because although there are some bleachers out there, there's many thousand people that do attend, and we probably don't have seating for enough of them. So we will allow them to bring those lawn chairs in. So let's talk about what's new with the fair, and you said there was going to be a couple of sponsors to mention as well, so. Probably the biggest thing at the Fiesta this year that's new, and it's all of the hype, is our old balloon twiffy that leads the parade every year, he's retiring this year. He can all longer hold his helium, and so with the generous help of two sponsors from the community, we've been able to purchase a new balloon, and we've been assured by the manufacturer that the balloon is going to be here in time for the Fiesta.

So the new balloon is going to look similar to the old twiffy, probably a little bit different, a little bit of different colors on the hat, and those sponsors, by the way, was Memorial Medical Center and the rehabilitation hospital of Southern New Mexico, and very, very generous to step forward as we were in a very tight place as far as trying to figure out what we were going to do with the balloon. It was cost prohibitive for the board, based upon where we closed our books last year, and so the bottom line was either we had to find somebody to come up with the money for the balloon, or there wouldn't be a balloon this year. Our twiffy would just go away. Well that is very good, you know. Charles, we have to give some credit to Councillor Dolores Conner, who was very instrumental in securing those sponsors for us, too. I want to thank her. She has been a guest on the show, and big thanks to definitely go out to her. Guys, if you can believe it, we're out of time, remind us when the dates are. September 26th, 27th, and 28th.

That's the last full weekend of September, and that's when the fiesta takes place every year. Gary? Quaint? Thank you all so much for coming on the show. Thank you. Great to have you. It's time again for our weekly piece here that showcases some of the hardworking entrepreneurs and business people in our area. We call it the Mind and Your Business, Local Business Feature, this time on the road in Silver City. Oh, wow! Right when the camera come hold on, hold on. There you go. Thank you. Shoot this baby. Thank you. Would you like to join us for lunch? No, we just ate. We arrived in Silver City in July of 2004. I was looking for work for about three months, going crazy, needed something to do, and found out this restaurant. It's for sale. It's Vicki's then, and it's Vicki's now.

We ended up buying all the inventory, the menus, all the recipes, everything. And it's been quite an experience in my first restaurant. We have the Greek Sampler, Black Bean Case of Diaz. We have lots of great salads. I don't know what you're making there, chicken thingy, salad, chips, salad mix, clove of jack, hot coles, tomatoes, guacamole, and we saute chicken, bell peppers, onions. Oh yeah. This soup's every day. This is what, vegetable soup, oh, pizza? Desserts every day. I am making cream cheese frosting for a carrot cake, from scratch. This is a great vegetarian place. We have about six or eight items on the menu that are vegetarian. We also recently, three months ago, open on Sunday, we have a great menu, it's the best

breakfast in town. Sorry guys, but it is. We have steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, omelets, and eggs been a dick that are to die for. The cook brings them out the same perfect every time. We can get people in and out in about 45 minutes. There's something about this little community that has wonderful vibes. It feels really great, it's a, there's social networks all over the place, it's just kind of intertwined and it's a great little laid back community. And I plan on spending my rest my life here. That just about does it for this week. If you have a question or comment about the show, you can call the mining your business hotline at 6467350 or email me at Charles Comer at Yahoo.com. For information on upcoming shows and an archive of past shows, you can log on to www.krwgtv.org.

Again, I'd like to thank my guest, Quint Pertle, and Gary Perez from the whole inch a lot of fiesta for coming on the show. And thank you so much for watching. I'm Charles Comer, here's hoping you have a great one. Thank you. You at Park City, Montana. There, Lieutenant Moss purchased fresh eggs and milk.

Earlier in the day, the man shot five birds in a jackrabbit. With stomachs full and 60 hard-earned miles under their belts, the corps slept. Finley spent the night replacing a wheel that had completely crumbled during the afternoon. Well, there's the old saying in the army that the sergeants run the army. Now, Moss is true. He would handle the logistics of where they're going to go, but the actual operation of how it worked fell into that NCO. That sergeant. He did all of the work. At 39, first sergeant Mingo Sanders was the oldest and most experienced soldier on the road to St. Louis. A career soldier, Mingo had enlisted 16 years earlier after seeing a recruitment ad in his hometown of Marion, South Carolina. 14 years later, an exploding soda bottle left him partially blind in one eye.

A condition that almost led to a medical discharge had not his commanding officer intervened on his behalf. As a result, Mingo was allowed to reenlist. When there were times and days that the troops wanted to quit, he was probably their spiritual advisor, probably their motivator and talking to them. Hey, I'm doing this. You should be able to do this. Oh, you will do this. You're not going to let me down. You're not going to let yourself down. So I'm sure his presence and experience pushed and assisted the lesser experienced members of the Corps be successful. Mingo's wife, Louella, waited for him back home in Missoula. The African-American soldiers that comprised the 25th infantry had been at Fort Missoula for 10 years. There were five companies, about 220 men in all.

They routinely dug wells, strong telephone wires, and built up the fort. When labor disputes threatened to shut down the mines in Idaho or disrupt local railroad service, the 25th was summoned to make arrests or provide escort. Their tact, when dealing with potentially explosive situations, earned the praise of strikers and management alike. The proper set of all the places they had ever been, Missoula was the only place that treated them nice. In 1897, Missoula Montana was basically a white community. Regardless, its relationship with the 25th infantry was a friendly one. The regimental band did more than anything to break down the barriers of racism. Their musical ability and flair for showmanship made the black musicians very popular.

The band never missed an opportunity to perform at a civic event, more often at the head of any parade, a spot usually reserved for the masons. During the summer months, open-air concerts were weekly events on the parade grounds. We played trombone in the band. And every time they had, we'd get together for a commander's role, they had to play. And his favorite number was America. That was his favorite number. At home, friends and families eagerly anticipated the articles that reporter Edward Boose was supplying from the field. Other newspapers picked up Boose's column, as readers around the country learned what it was like to cover half a continent on bicycle. The country people in this part of Montana have little regard for a wheelman. Three women going to town held the whole road and kept their team going fast enough to prevent our passing. When we asked for half the road, we were laughed at.

When a chance occurred, we took advantage of it by passing. The women were so surprised they forgot about the horses, which took fright and ran off in the rough ground, giving the core a wide berth. Ten days out, the specially designed coffee pots broke, and Moss held the group in Billings while new ones were made. Making up for lost time, the bicycle core left Billings across a vast clay and sagebrush flat, which quickly choked the wheels. When the mud became too much, they again resorted to carrying their bicycles on their shoulders. Our cyclometers were choked with mud the last mile or two. We went to bed as quickly as possible. We were wet, cold and hungry, and a more jaded set of men never existed. By now, rations were exhausted. For breakfast, the bicycle core washed down a slice of burnt bread with one cup of coffee, eating it in clothes still wet from the day before. It was 42 desolate miles across the Crow Indian Reservation

before rest and a hot meal at Fort Custer. After one of the hardest days they had experienced, the detachment pulled into Fort Custer, exactly 21 years to the day of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. While the enlisted men toured the battlefield, Mausolean reporter Edwin Booze retraced the exact line of Custer's doomed march. Up medicine tailed Cooley to the inevitable last stand. He did it on his bicycle. It is something of note that on the 21st anniversary of Custer's last battle, troops on bicycles were viewing the grounds from their silent steeds, around which are bones, the remains of cavalry horses which fell with Custer and his 230 men. 1889 and 1890, the army decided to part the government, decided to permanently mark the graves of the soldiers that fell at the Little Big Horn, particularly those around Custer's command,

that cluster of men who died around Custer. So the 25th infantry was detailed to do that. And how ironic it is that Custer who did not want to command black troops would have his battle site memorialized by black troops. Anticipating warmer weather, the bicycle core left half their blankets behind at Fort Custer and followed a hilly trail that skirted the Rosebud Mountains south toward Wyoming. Soon they came face to face with the Little Big Horn River, with no bridge in sight. But Lieutenant Moss had devised a system to counter most obstacles. The core could clear a 9-foot-board fence in 20 seconds. At the command jump fence, the front column used the height of their handlebars to scale the fence. The remaining men would pass across their bicycles and then they would be pulled over the obstruction. Shallow streams were forwarded by dismounting and rolling the bicycles across.

In deeper water, the soldiers waited in with their bicycles suspended above their heads on freshly cut poles. The core crossed the Little Big Horn River six more times that afternoon, all the time racing to stay ahead of an approaching storm. As lightning flashed about, they crossed into Wyoming. In 1897, the state line was marked with a single strand of barbed wire. Unfortunately, the weather knew no boundaries. In Wyoming's badlands, it hailed so intensely that enormous drifts of hail blocked the road. In the darkness, they groped their way around most, and once, scaled a drift eight feet high. This hard work was too much. It could not prove anything about a bicycle, and was merely a test of physical endurance, of which we had quite sufficient. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Near Gillette, the mud was replaced with wind and dust.

Fresh water, which had been so abundant, could now only be found in railroad water tanks, and vapors rising from the burning alkali soil, made the men sick. Dr. Kennedy recommended an extended rest after some of the men passed out while eating lunch. Moss let them sleep for three hours, then had bugler Elias Johnson blow assembly. Since the road was good and slightly downhill, Moss felt certain they could easily reach more croft 30 miles away. He hadn't counted on gathering storm clouds and a sudden almost complete darkness. Unable to see the road, Edward Booze, who was in the lead, nearly led the squad over a steep cliff. The situation worsened when private foreman broke a front axle. With no replacement part, he would have to roll his wheel to the next supply station. It indicates some of the physical peril that occurred when they were simply trying to reach a destination,

and they had to because that's where their food was. Frustrated, Moss turned command of the main body over to first sergeant Mingo Sanders, reminding the sergeant to keep the group together, moving only as fast as foreman can walk. Moss rode ahead with two men and the cook. He planned to set up camp in Warcraft and have a hot meal ready for the others. But in the intense darkness, both sections became hopelessly lost, spread out over 15 miles of prairie. Finally, by firing their rifles and following the report, the corps regrouped. The soldiers were spread out. Maybe sometimes five to eight miles apart. Feeling isolated like that, it does take its toll mentally on you sometimes, because you don't have the companionship, you don't have the people around you to talk to, to share your being tired or your loneliness. You have to keep moving forward.

As the sky lightened and the line of the horizon appeared, Lieutenant Moss, already asleep on his feet, began to hallucinate. I was so tired and sleepy that the horizon appeared like a clothesline just about to strike me above the eyes. Three or four times, I threw my hand out at it. I soldier a few yards behind me, explaining, my God, I can't go any further and collapsed. When the detachment awoke, they were surprised to find they had collapsed inside of Morcroft, just a mile down a muddy road. We looked at our bicycles, but hardly recognized them. The mud covered every part of the machine. Not a spoke was to be seen. The wheels were simply discs of gumbo. By 1897, four million Americans regularly rode bicycles. The recently developed safety bicycle was in mass production. A vast improvement over the earlier high wheels or penny farthings,

safety bicycles used gears and chain drives to safely position the rider on two comfortable airfills. They were safe for children and liberating for women who could now rediscover the countryside. Cycling clubs, like the League of American Wheelmen, lobbied for better roads and everywhere, citizens found new uses for the popular devices. Cowboys on the RB mostly ran through speed nap after their master's heard on bicycles, while the cowpoint is reading their heads off. On the barnyard, one cowboy attempted to rope the steer with 10 of his laryette tied to his handlebars, which ain't clear into the next county. For the US Calvary, the bicycle made perfect sense. They were cheaper, quieter, and less conspicuous than a horse. They didn't raise a tail-tailed cloud of dust, and unlike a hoof print, an enemy couldn't tell the direction of a rider.

And since they needed no handlers, every soldier was free to fight. Standard infantry drills were redesigned to allow for a bicycle. New trumpet calls and whistle signals were composed and Army manuals rewritten, reminding soldiers to never let their wheels fall into enemy hands. A soldier should disable their wheels by smashing the spokes with a rifle and buckling the frame by jumping on it or cutting the tires. Army manual. But the Army's practical application of military cycling was going on right now, and it was bogged down in the mud just outside Morecroft, Wyoming. As the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps pedaled into July, conditions got hotter and drier. They crossed the northern tip of Wyoming, and skirted the southwest corner of South Dakota across vast prairies of prickly pear cactus. Remarkably, few punctures were reported. Nebraska hit the core like an anvil,

with temperatures that hovered at 110 degrees, and roads that got Sandier the further east they peddled. The metal frame of the bicycle, the handlebars, became extremely hot, so hot in some instances, that a couple of the men reported that they were getting blisters from the heat, they're literally being burned. The other severe, severe problem was the shortage of water. Water was scarce, and what little they found, tainted with alkali. By accident, they peddled into Crawford, Nebraska, at the height of the town's 4th of July parade. The Corps fell in line behind the 9th Calvary Band, and followed the parade route through town. Citizens, surprised at the unexpected entry to their parade, cheered them on as they peddled from sight. Near alliance, tainted water caught up with the soldiers. Within days, three-quarters of the men were sick, including Mingo Sanders.

Lieutenant Moss was so severely affected, he remained in alliance to convalesce. In his absence, Dr. Kennedy took over command. He organized a sick brigade which traveled at a slower pace, but kept the group moving. Hunched over their handlebars, their eyes shut to keep out blowing sand, they monotonously pushed their way through. Hyannis, and Selmo, broken bow, and Anzli. They reached the eastern border of the sand hills in less than five days, having averaged 35 miles a day. Lieutenant Moss, fully recovered from alkali poisoning, caught up with the Corps by rail. Dehydrated, sunburned and blistered. They slowly peddled into Grand Island, Nebraska, with the end in sight. Our experiences in the sand hills tested to the utmost, not only their physical endurance, but also their moral courage and disposition. I wish to commend them for their spirit, pluck, and find soldierly qualities they displayed.

In Missouri, the heat and blistering sand were behind them and the promise of better roads lay ahead. Unfortunately, some citizens, still sympathetic with the Civil War's Confederate cause, held little regard for Union soldiers. Bows asked if the squad could spend the night there, and the farmer or someone from the house said, be you Union Army? And Bows said, well, I guess we are. Well, get off the land. And then, as they started to do that, another voice were saying, well, you can camp over there and you're the pigstie. Forty years after the war, there was still this resentment toward the Union Army, the soldiers in blue, as opposed to the Confederacy and the soldiers in gray. At St. Joseph, Missouri native John Finley reunited with his family, and there Eugene Jones left the Bicycle Corps. Private Jones, who had been a constant drain on Corps Moral,

claimed to be ill and asked to finish the trip by rail. Moss put Jones on the train, but sent him back to Fort Missoula. As he had given me trouble on several occasions, I thought it would be best to the public service to send him back to his station. When the Corps reached the Missouri River, they were met by the St. Louis Wilman and escorted the rest of the way. That afternoon, it began to rain, making the final miles a muddy reminder of the first two weeks. They walked the last leg of the trip, finally arriving at the Cottage Hotel in Forest Park, a suburb of St. Louis. Moss noted the time, 6 o'clock, July 24, 1897, 41 days and 1900 miles after their start in Montana. He ended the ride with one last order to his men. Our trip is ended. I thank you for your fortitude. You will now rest your wheels and fall in for mess.

They were the center of attention. Over 10,000 black and white citizens came to watch the soldiers drill on their bicycles. Still dressed in the tattered drags they had crossed half a continent in. The Corps thrilled St. Louis crowds with bicycle drills and maneuvers. The St. Louis Republic called the ride a great feat and called for the establishment of a bicycle corps in every post in the country. But the paper went on to add that no officers from the army were present to welcome them. Outside St. Louis, interest in the bicycle corps had waned. Newspapers which had carried booze's reports now reserved space for a bigger story. That summer, gold had been discovered in the Yukon. While the corps entertained,

Moss prepared a detailed report on the trip to General Miles. They had traveled 1900 miles over mountain roads, cactus beds, and wagon ruts in 41 days. 35 actually spent in travel. An average of 55 miles per day. Twice as fast as an infantry at one third the cost. Moss' personal expenses for the trip came to $43. He noted the physical condition of his men. Most gained in chest and arm measurements. 14 men actually gained weight. And Lieutenant Moss reported on road conditions. Many of the roads seemed to be an index of the quality of people in the area. Where there were good roads, inhabitants appeared to be well informed and used modern farming implements. The people in areas with poor roads were narrow-minded, devoid of any knowledge of the topography of the country, and behind the times in everything. Moss closed his report, requesting permission

to continue on to St. Paul, Minnesota. But the army still unconvinced that bicycles were better than horses in open country, denied his proposal. He was instructed to ship the donated bicycles back to the Spalding Company and returned to Missoula, by rail. The greatest military cycling experiment in American history was over. On Magerina, Montserone, Magerina, Montsign, where I wouldn't take enough in. Montsign, Montsign, Montsign, Montsign. That winter, Moss grew up plans for another ride, one from Fort Missoula to San Francisco. But when the battleship made its way, any hope for repeated cycling experiments was over. The 25th Infantry was chosen as one of the first outfits mobilized for the war in Cuba. The army believed that black troops would be less susceptible to the heat and disease of the tropics.

On Sunday, April 10, 1898, Missouliens postponed Easter services and gathered one final time to escort the 25th Infantry through town. The fortunes of the men will be followed with intense interest by the people of Missoula, who are satisfied that, though it is a dark regiment, not a white feather of surrender will be shown. For Magerina, Montsign. Mingo Sanders sailed with the 25th Infantry to Cuba, wounded and under heavy fire. He helped capture the Spanish-held fort of El Viso near El Canay. Near Santiago, the 25th helped support theater Roosevelt's celebrated charge of San Juan Hill. With his troops low on rations, the future president approached Sanders, asking the first sergeant to collect as much hard-tack as possible from the Negro troops and share with the rough riders.

After Cuba, Sanders fought in the Philippine insurrection. He led a platoon up Comanche Hill, captured 14 rebel soldiers, and in the process, released five American prisoners. During peacetime, the 25th Infantry was posted at various forts throughout the Midwest and South. By 1906, they found themselves in a hostile, racist environment while serving at Fort Brown, Texas. At midnight, on August 13th, a small group of men indiscriminately shot up the town of Brownsville, killing a white bartender. Local citizens alleged that the soldiers were responsible. The situation was thrust into the political arena when Senator Joseph Benson-Foreaker attempted to use the incident to wrestle power from the White House, now led by President Theater Roosevelt. The more Fortaker argued for the wrongfully accused troops, the more the administration pushed back.

Finally, without a public hearing, Roosevelt dishonorably discharged all 167 soldiers. Among them, Sergeant Mingo Sanders, now only two months from retirement. After 25 years of outstanding military service, Sanders was left without a career, or a pension. To be cast out, left him almost homeless. And left him in a position, okay, that almost 30 years of his life was wiped out. And devastated, Mingo appealed to the one person he thought owed him a favor. I've served my country honest and faithful. I've offered my life to be destroyed for the government. I've bought it to be buried in the earth and cattle to eat grass off the substance of my blood. Now I am to be cast on the world as a condemned man.

Can you do something for me? The Brownsville incident would become the only case of mass punishment in U.S. military history. Not until 1973, did the government reverse its stance. The two remaining survivors involved in the incident were exonerated and paid the coincidental sum of $25,000 each. Mingo Sanders was not among them. Broken by a government which he had fought so valiantly to defend, Mingo was reduced to a string of small public service jobs. He died in 1929 while having his foot amputated. James Moss transferred to the 24th Infantry, another black unit. When an artillery shell killed or wounded his commanding officers, Moss led two companies of colored regulars on a bloody charge at Elcane. For this, he was commended for gallantry in action and received the silver star. During World War I, he organized and commanded the 367th Infantry, the Buffaloes.

In peacetime, Moss, who had graduated last in his class at West Point, became the Army's most prolific writer of military instruction manuals. He authored more than 35 texts on tactics, organization, payroll, and an officer's manual. He retired a full colonel and spent his remaining years writing books on the history and the ideals symbolized by the American flag. He founded the American Flag Association and organized the yearly observance of Flag Day. Before I am taken out to Arlington, my silent tent to spread in the bivouac of the dead, I will march with firmness in my step as I follow old glory into that realm where battle flags are furled and war drums throb no longer. Ilfated death killed in a taxicab accident in New York City. He was on his way back to his apartment there from his publishers and had the cab he was riding in was bisected

by a Boston bus. It was very bad weather and he was killed and the cab driver was killed. Colonel Moss lived to see many changes in his army. The Old Western forts originally built during the Indian campaigns became outdated relics. Most either closed or adapted a newer usefulness. During World War II, Fort Missoula was an internment camp for Italian and Japanese detainees. The internal combustion engine proved to be far more efficient than either the horse or the bicycle. Trucks were the best means of troop transport and the newly developed jeep could travel anywhere a bicycle could at five times the speed. In 1948, the Truman administration desegregated the army and the black units dissolved,

although the struggle for racial equality would continue for years. They believed in the reality of what this nation was all about. Even though during that particular time, they didn't see it all in their lives, but they knew that in the future, their children, okay, would benefit by what they believed in, liberty. And the journey of the bicycle corps was all but forgotten, even by its participants. Although Moss published a small text on the trial run to Yellowstone, he never rode at the St. Louis adventure. Never even shared the story with his family. It was the same way with all the men. Between their professional accomplishments and personal tragedies, the soldiers of the bicycle corps dismissed their 2000 mile ride as just another detail. Something they did in an era when crossing the west on a bicycle was neither daring nor impossible,

but simply for a soldier the call of duty. It's ironic, I think, that what we see today is an important event. The players themselves may not have thought it as being such a consequence. And that's one of the ironies of history, sometimes, that what people think they're doing is just ordinary, and retrospective from the future generations. It's extraordinary. To order the bicycle corps, America's Black Army on Wheels on Video Cassette, called PBS Home Video at 1-800-PLAY-PBS. Cheer up my brother, living the sunshine.

We'll understand it all by and by. This is History's Fest on PBS. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe.

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