Just Wondering Wednesday: Rough and Ready?
Published by Kristy May 2nd, 2007 in Site.Reader question:
What is the Rough and Ready Days festival named for, and how is it funded?
The Monticello Chamber of Commerce organizes the festival and uses donations from individuals and businesses. If the amount of donations does not cover the entire cost, the Chamber pays any remaining balance. The profit from Rough and Ready helps pay for many Chamber projects throughout the year, including fireworks at the lake on July 4th and Weevil Welcome each fall.
Monticello was named “Rough ‘n Ready” before the Civil War battle that took place here. According to information on the Chamber website…
“In 1835, European settlers in Drew County founded a small community, dubbing it Independence. After the Mexican-American War a decade later, they changed the name to “Rough ‘n Ready” in honor of Gen. Zachary Taylor. In 1849, the local courthouse moved to the valley below, the site of what is now Monticello.
Nevertheless, the Rough ‘n Ready name lived on, if only because it was the site of a Civil War skirmish that took place on May 24, 1865-five full weeks after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses Grant on April 19, 1865.”
Possibly Related:
speaking of “just wondering wednesday,” since reading the initial comments on the relay-for-life” article, i’ve been wondering what the folks who are upset over the naming of the festival are upset about exactly.
is it because of the mexican-american war? it surely cannot have anything to do with the civil war, since zachary “old rough and ready” taylor, a mexican-american war hero, died after only a few months in office as president in 1850, a full 15 years prior to the start of the civil war.
i’m not real clear on why the name “rough and ready” lived on because of a skirmish which took place 5 weeks after the civil war officially ended, as mentioned in the chamber of commerce’s blurb about the festival, since taylor was long gone by that time. in any event, according to taylor’s biography at whitehouse.gov, he was strongly opposed to southern secession, and in fact told southern leaders in a meeting that if need be, he would personally lead the army against them if they tried to break away from the union.
perhaps those with a grievance concerning the naming of “rough and ready days” can enlighten us as to their concerns about the name.