The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-07-18
The Fourth Annual Convocation OF
Gideon's Band at Island Wild,
Browns Lake, Wis.

about twenty-five miles west OF haclpe,
| Burlington, in appearance, is an old
fashioned Dutch town, situated at the
junction of the White and Fox rivers, and
surrounded by a rich farming country,
something like the rolling prairie of Iowa,
and the more level portions of New Eng
land. The farmers are all well to do and
have very comfortable bank accounts, and
that too without selling their wool"
probably no county in the state has as
many wealthy farmers. Burlington also
puts in claim to something Of style,
beauty and intellectual celebrity. Among
those best known is Judge Dyer, or Charlie
Dyer as the people of Burlington still
persist in calling him.
These surroundings make the location
desirable one for the annual meetings of
Gideon's Band, as quite a number of the
Burlington people are members of the
Band and they as we'll as all others con-
tribute very much towards the success of
the organization and the pleasure of the
annual convocations. 1t is one of those
places and occasions where members Of
the Band, their families and friends can
gather during the heated term and enjoy
all the pleasures of camping out" and all
the advantages of a fashionable watering
place, without the expenses of fashion or
the restraints and formalities of etiquette.
The lake covers between eight and nine
hundred acres of land, and is reached by a
private roadway through a handsome
} grove of second growth timber. The
!, island contains nearly three acres of
f land and is fringed to the waters edge with
! a thick shade of linden wood or broad leaved
wildwood, while the centre is clear; on
: one end is the large and commodious club
) house, ice house and out buildings, and the
other is reserved for the little village of
tents, and between the two is an elegant
fountain surrounded by statuary, con-
tributed by Mr.. Milo Lee of this city, and
the whole is brilliantly lighted with gas;
in the centre of the Island stands pole
80 feet high from which floats the
"burgee" bearing the name Island
; Wild" aud keeping company with the
stars and stripes on the flag staff ofthe
! club house; wooden stairs lead down to
the waters edge in various places where
! skiffs are moored; at a wooden dock near
the centre of the Island is the pleasure
steamer which will carry twenty FIVE OF
thirty people, and a little side wheel
steamer for fishing, also Mr.. Fred Knapps
{ yacht the Kittie Knapp" and the large
| yacht Mamie Doud" the property of the
Band. This last IS a staunch craft aud 10
: heavy sea will creep away from anything
a of her inches. Her first venture was
. made on Lake Winnebago, under COM
? mand of Capt w B. Vance Of Racine
g when she scored third ia the Oshkosh Boa
}, Clubs annual regatta. She was pur
+ chased by MIR. Doud of Racine, and pre-
b scented to the Band two years ago. AL
v most the entire circuit Of the lake, on The
8 main land, is covered with handsome
IS shade trees. This, with the Island GOV
cred with white tents and floating flags
r. and boats and miniature vessels nesting IL
the shade at the waters edge, along side o
hammocks suspended from the large
Il" trees, groups Of women with broad straw
t. hats and children lounging under th,
l. grateful shade, formed almost a fair,
10 scene, a prairie gem, cooled by the breeze
s. from lake Michigan only twenty-five mile
N away. And here for two weeks, shut GU
At from the world, banished from vexinl
lie cares lived the following named people,
lie CHIcAGo-E P Hall and family; Johl
ID Bradley; Ed Clark; Fl j Milligan; NJ
" Scott and wife; Mrs E L Watkins; Oti
s Corbett and family; DR. HIS Hahn an,
r family; ] H Hahn; George D Milligan
D. John R Hoxie and family; Mr. Hamilton
lie Miss Ella White; Thos Hatch; Isaa
y Hatch; Tonic Denier; Mr. Morgan; Mr.
lie Hattie King; Miss Ella Foster aud H v
m Wright.
RACINE Fred Wild and family Ere,
Knapp aud family! Thos St George an,
= wife; Stephen Bull and family; II Ray
mond and family; Mrs 7 G martindal
y and daughter; Capt Frank Lowell; r.
= Welsch and wife; Capt VIM Vance, wifi
~ and SOD; Richard PAUL; Prof nyer;
y Case and family; Chauncey Hall and wife
~ Eugene Hail. Homer Glass; James Sloss
, on; c Higgins; B Ketchingwan an,
. family; VIM Wsrd; Albert Richie; /
10 !, Gillen II A Knapp; John Fish ant
- family; Chas Ward; Miss Lizzie Ward
u Mr. Hart and wife; q w Wright; Henri,
:, Sanford; c II Swer and A Forester AM
- wife.
Ie BELoIT-C A Lathrop; Mr. Blogget
y and family; Mrs Stone and family
. Fenton and family;M Clement and family
: and Hone Clement.
NATURALIZATION Daniel Welles
Capt Lew Vance and Hon David Vance
= FREEPoRT-W D Powell and Mr. Nc
q" Call.
. APPLETON, Wis.,-Miss Lizzie Wilcox
CHICAGo-Miss Ella Foster.
UNION GRovE-Dr Buchanan.
. OHIo-Lew BetteIle
s ST. LouIs-Miss Forsythe.
Observation-Disclosures Riley.
South BEND-Miss Humphreys.
II MANITowoc- Mrs George Cooper; Thos
Jones.
h What did they do2 Just whatever