PHILLIPS COUNTY

Colorado

 

Maynard Wisdom came to Haxtun in 1928  Mr. Wisdom established a bar and lunch room in the Drake building and made it a habit of never turning anyone away who was hungry.  In 1930 Maynard brought a merry-go-round from a woman in Sidney Nebraska paying $1,000.00 which in 1930 was a large sum of money. The merry-go-round was in poor condition, the heads and tails of many of the horses were broken.  Maynard spend many hours carving new heads and tails for the horses.

 

 The merry-go-round was set up at the rear of the town hall at 1145 Colorado and on Saturday evenings, Pat Monk ran it. Those who could pay gave him a nickel those who couldn't would ride for free.  Again, no one was ever turn away

 

In Phillips County, CO, Maynard Wisdom is best remembered as the patriarch who helped launch a lasting legacy in the American carnival and amusement ride industry. In 1908, R.T. Dowis (a local Holyoke area farmer) bought a carousel and began touring the regional carnival circuit. His business eventually grew into Forsythe and Dowis Rides, a traveling carnival.Maynard Wisdom married Dowis's daughter, Elaine, and joined the family business. His son, Gerald "Jerry" Wisdom, revolutionized the carnival industry by inventing ways to mount rides (including Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds) on flatbed trailers, drastically cutting setup and teardown times. The Wisdom family later transitioned strictly to manufacturing through Wisdom Rides of America, operating out of Merino, CO. Today, the company remains a major name in the industry, designing and building both portable and park-model carousels, while the family's local roots trace back to early Phillips and Yuma county fairs.