Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-30
THE DAYS OF LONG AGO

1SHcU uIcdIlIS. llIlS pdSSCu AuiShAS ~
quickly, and then you began sending
east for the loved wives and children
left behind, asking, with great trepida-
tion I think, if they could not come and
join you for a few years-just a rev
years and then you would all go back to-
gether. How you watched for the let
tiers telling you what to hope OR expect!
Do you remember how you used to form
in line at the pOstof1ice when the mail
came in, and how YOU were only allowed
to ask for your own? Do you recall now,
on that occasion, when you We're partic-
ularly anxious, some young man stepped
out of line near the delivery window and
ave you his place, saying that he had
no wife to hear from? 1t was a little
thing, and yet 1t meant much to you:
Did the loved ones come at your call?
They did. Yes, they did. GOD bless them!
tana began to be a land Of homes. All
honor to the earnest men who planted
civilization here in the mountains. But
to the women who followed their loved
ones greater honor. Here, as elsewhere,
they did their full share, and WITHOUT
been unavailing. One by one you began
to dismiss the plans and purposes with
which you left the east. One by one you
caught the inspiration of the mountains.
With sadness you buried the bright as
pirations and plans of your youth but
in their stead had come better resolves
brighter dreams, more satisfying pur-
poses. To you, pioneers of Montana,
there must be great content in knowing
that you have made Montana a land of
homes-a land of happy firesides.
Through all the changes which the
years ave brought you have watched
over. guided. and dictated the destinles
of a commonwealth, and now in this year
1899 you are proud. not of the fact that
you came from New York, Pennsylvania,
Kentucky, Missouri or any other eastern
state, but of the fact that you are Mon
societies, with their mystic signs and
passwords, by and through which their
members are brought closer together, but
1 doubt if there is any society whose
members are so closely united and SO
closely held together az In the unorgan-
lied society Of 1.-The Montanians." Wher-
ever M~ontanians meet, whether it be here
in Virginia City, in the state, in Europe,
the gold fields of Africa or the frozen
wastes of the Klondike. the fact that you
are Montanians brings a glad clasp of
the hand. and you feel that you are
friends and comrades at once. Most of
you pioneers have, at some time or other,
made this place your home. In fact, in
the early sixties Alder gulch and Mon
tana meant nearly the same thing, and
in coming to Montana. you naturally
came here. I'm meeting here you revisit
CCIlC OllCouy y ~ Sou.
You will recall many interesting
events which had almost passed from
our memories. You will relocate your
old amp and live over again the early
days. You made for this place the name
| of the Social City" l trust you may
| find that it still deserves the name. 1
leave the history of the past 80 years to
your historians. l leave their poems to
J your poets. My only purpose is to en-
F., phasize that here, where you first rested;
where you made your first permanent
camp, o should feel at home.
We of Virginia City claim you all as
of our citizens. You have. one by one,
left lis, but we who have remained have
held you in memory, and have rejolced at
all the favors which fortune has shown
you. We have reioiced as you have adj
vanced from one honorable position to
another, and it has been a constant
source of pride to us that through you
we have been represented, ably repre-
scented, in all honorable positions from
peth-master up to United States senator.
May all good fortune be yours. l have
been asked, as mayor of Virginia City,
to welcome you here. I am trying TO do
SO, but l trust you will find your welcome
more in our deeds than in our words.
The mountains nod kindly to you and
bid you feel at home. Old Alder. from
her golden sands, repeats the greeting,
while from the heart of every resident
of Virginia City goes forth the same
earnest message, Welcome to the Pho
neers of Montana"
William Thompson of Butte responded
feelingly to the address of welcome or
behalf of the pioneers and thanked the
people Of Virginia City for the splendid
reception given the old timers.
After the rendition of a beautiful sole
by Blanche Fine and several selections
by the BoZeman band, the meeting ad.
journed and an informal reception wa:
held Cor the purpose of allowing the visi.
tors to renew old Friendships.
The following is the list of the pioneer!
in attendance at the meeting.
Beaverllead county,. A.. Browne. ]. F
Bishop, A. F. Graeter, Mrs. Powers.
Broadwater county-George Beatty
Mr.. and Mrs. John Hind.
Choteau county-G. DelatneZ.
Deer Lodge county-Con Kohrs, A.. NJ
Wallsen, George Miller.
Fergus county-John Ferguson.
Gallatin county-W. w. Anderson, A. j
Edgecombe. w. H. Babcock, w. H. Ira
cy, NJ. D.. Led, J. A. Ingram, Mr.. ant
Mrs. J.. NJ. Gallup. J. NJ. Lindley. r. L
Crime, Mrs. Cleveland, NJ. D.. Jeffers, r
p. Bennepe.
jefferson county-F. CardWell.
Lewis and Clarke county-Corneliu
Hedges, G.. w. Cannon. J.. II. Steele, MI
and Mrs. H. NJ. Parchen, j. Horsky. w
l.. Steele, w. A. Dinger, Mr.. and Mrs. w
F. Sanders, j. u. Sanders, w. A. Sand
ers, j.. r. Wegner. John NJ. Hotter, VIM
Coyne, Timothy Wilcox, Mr.. and Mrs. w
L.. Mulligan, A. M. Hotter, S. 7. Hausel
w. c. Gillette.
Madison county-John Q. Spaulding,
r. Murphy. e, s, Watkins, j. McAlliStel