Trade Days Time Remaining

Beginnings

The City of Canton, Texas was founded in 1850. A district courthouse and post office were built a few years later. A Texas Circuit Judge would visit Canton on the first Monday of each month to hold court sessions.

People from Van Zandt county and beyond would travel to Canton to see or participate in the court proceedings. By the late 1850’s Canton had become a popular gathering place as well as a location to conduct business with people bringing goods, produce, and livestock to buy and sell. Most stories say that the trading of wild horses from the area was what really started the tradition now known as “Trade Days”. The horses were rounded up from the free range and brought to Canton to be sold and traded.

Changes over the Years

Eventually, court proceedings were no longer held on a single day of the month and in the early 1900’s as the horse became less important, some feared that the trade days would come to an end. The fears were unfounded as pigs soon came to replace the horses. Over time, dogs also became an important commodity traded during the First Monday event.

Despite the fact that the city did not encourage the growth of Trade Days, by 1965 the First Monday event had vastly outgrown the Canton town square and spread throughout much of the town. The City of Canton decided to purchase 6 acres of land just north of the courthouse and moved the First Monday Trade Days event there. Since then First Monday has continued to grow with the city buying more land as it became available.

Today the city owns over 100 acres allowing it to provide rental space for over 3,000 vendors. There are several pieces of private property which are adjacent to the city property with rental space for over 4,000 vendors. These privately owned areas include; The Pavilions, The Arbors, Canton Marketplace, Old Mill Marketplace, The Villages, The Mountain, Canton Trade Center Pavilion, Curry and McLemee Animal Grounds. 

Canton First Monday Trade Days Today

Even though the First Monday name has historical significance, the Trade Days event is held Thursday thru Sunday before, but not including, the first Monday of each month. Thursdays and Fridays are typically a little less crowded which the serious shoppers really appreciate.

When all the public and private property and venues are taken into account, First Monday has over 7,000 vendors, occupies 450 acres, and welcomes millions of visitors a year.  It is the largest and longest running flea market in the world! By comparison, the average mall has less than 100 stores and the average strip mall has less than 50 stores.

First Monday Trade Days continued without interruption for almost 170 years through vast political, economic, and societal changes. It held on through the Civil War, The Great Depression, World Wars I and II. Bad weather and even tornadoes didn’t hamper the event. 

It’s had to change locations and size numerous times and has even survived the explosion of online shopping.  Personal service, unique items, great prices and selection are what makes First Monday such a unique shopping experience.  It’s no wonder that people travel from hundreds of miles away to explore and browse the deals.

New online directories like The Canton Shopping Guide make it super easy for shoppers to find all the items on their shopping list.

The End of a Record

2020 is a year that will most likely go down in infamy. COVID-19 happened and rapidly changed the world, nation, and Texas. Trade Days was not immune to its effects.  The Governor of the State of Texas declared a State of Disaster March 13, 2020.

The City of Canton made the difficult decision to cancel April 2020 First Monday Trade Days for the first time in nearly 170 years.

Trade Days was also canceled for May, but June 2020 saw the event reopen.

It’s remarkable given the history of Canton First Monday Trade Days and all the changes and events it has endured, that it was able to operate every single month continuously for 170 years. It was even held during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Though its 170 year continuous run is over, given its remarkable history and popularity, there’s no doubt it will survive the China Virus pandemic and be stronger than ever.