Horse Racing in Columbus was a favorite pastime for
residents as early as 1834. There were several race tracks in the area, one
just south of the city and one in the rural Upatoi area. In 1879 M. M. Bowden (my great great grandfather) attended a horse
race. He reported to the police that he
was leaning on the fence watching the race when a man bumped into him. A short
time later he reached into his pant’s pocket and found a roll of money gone. He
told the authorities that he wasn’t betting on the races, but had $100 in one
pocket and $50 in the other. Of course the $100 was stolen! The police
immediately went in search of the thief, but he was long gone!
(Author’s note: I might not be suspicious of M.M. Bowden if
I didn’t know so much about the Bowden family. I’m wondering why M.M. would
attend a horse race with $150* in his
pocket, if he wasn’t going to bet? )
*$150.00 in 1879 would be worth about $3,600.00 today.
Columbus enquirer-sun. (Columbus, Ga.)
1886-1893, November 27, 1889, p.1
Causey, Virginia, Red Clay White Water and Blues, University of Georgia Press, 2019.
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