DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I wouldn't change a word. Way back in the early 1850s, two judges — Oran M. Roberts and Bennett H.
Martin — were holding court in Canton on the first Monday of every month. Now, court day drew a crowd. Townspeople, country folk, folks who had nothing particular to do but show up — they all came out.
And when you've got that many people gathered in one place, well, somebody's going to figure out how to turn it into something more than a legal proceeding. That somebody turned out to be everybody. See, along with the gavels and the testimony, those same first Mondays became the occasion for auctioning off stray horses.
Made sense — you've already got a crowd, you've already got animals that need new owners, might as well put them together. Before long, horse trading and selling were so prevalent that the day earned itself a name: Hoss Monday. Now that right there is a name that does the work for you.
You don't need any more explanation than that. But here's the thing about a good thing — it tends to grow. After a few years, First Monday Trades Day expanded beyond horses to include all kinds of goods.
Whatever you had, whatever you needed, the first Monday of the month was your day. That tradition kept right on rolling, decade after decade, until 1965, when the city of Canton purchased the grounds to keep the monthly event going on solid footing. What started as judges calling court turned into one of the great trading traditions in Texas.
The law brought the people, and the people brought everything else.
What the marker says
On the first Monday of each month in the early 1850s, Judges Oran M. Roberts and Bennett H. Martin held court in Canton, an event attended by townspeople and country folk alike. With large numbers of people present, court day also became the occasion for the common practice of auctioning stray horses. Within a short time horse trading and selling were prevalent and the day called "Hoss Monday." After a few years the First Monday Trades Day expanded to include all kinds of goods. In 1965, the city purchased these grounds for the monthly event. (1973)