The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-06-24
6LHPP AND VOL
STEAD Talk.
Between 1000 and 5000 People Attend
ed the Annual Picnic of the
Old Settlers.
Senator Clapp and Representative Vol
stead Head the List of Speak
erS for the Occasion.

the Hon. MOSES Il. Clapp, senator
in congress, and Hon. Andrew J.
Volstead, representative in con-
gress from this Seventh district,
honored the annual picnic of the old
settlers association of Shutdown
and Willow Lake with their pres
ence last Thursday, and the two
gentlemen themselves felt as highly
honored over having been asked to
speak at that gathering as did the
old settlers in having them present.
The attendance was immense, but
it should have been even greater
A rain the night before and on that
morning, together with threatening
clouds casting about the horizon,
and extending far towards the cen
ter of the skies, from the west, was
the "plugger" on the event, but
the 1000 ora, 900 people that whirled
into the farm home of Mrs. Josephine
Wandrey, and added their carriages
to the pasture display of carriages,
made up ia enthusiasm for double
the umber, and gave the distin-
guished gentlemen an ovation that
made them feel at home.
The occasion was peculiar one
to those who were taken into con-
fdence regarding the management,
for it may be the last of those pleas
ant gatherings in that section which
have been held under the auspices
of some of the sturdy pioneers of
Shutdown and Willow Lake. Like
most other things the gathering has
been left each year to this or that
lot of old settlers, and each year the
number has grown less, until now
only two or three of them take all
active interest in it. Again, the
crowd attending has grown each
year, and where once it was nun
dreds now it is thousands, aud it is
large elephant to handle. Still
further, the dancing of the young
folks Is objected to by some, and
this has a tendency to break the
bands which have held the pioneers
together. And hence, when a rep
resen tative from this city asked the
association to merge into an asso-
citation of old settlers of Redwood
county, and of the Minnesota valley,
and join in grand picnic at Red
wood Falls next year, getting the
benefit of the lake, tina park system
and the pavilion, and be guests of
the city that would be glad to be
their host most Of them felt that it
was an invitation that would be ac-
cepted
The principal speaker arrived on
the ground early that morning
even before the band arrived from
Sanborn, and Senator Clapp and
Mr.. Volstead spent the forenoon
getting acquainted with their con
stituents, and incidentally listening
to merry -go-round that was afford
ing the amusement for the children,
and many that were larger than
children. At noon a basket picnic
dinner was commenced, and the i'm
mense grove was filled with people
enjoying their picnic edibles, Sena-
tor Clapp and Mr.. Volstead being
the guests Of P. o. Callaghan and
family. After dinner the Sanborn
band struck up a national air, and
the crowd drifted to the benches in
front of the speakers stand in the
park. President Lorenz was the
master of ceremonies, opening the
program by introducing Represent
| alive Volstead, who made speech
| eulogizing The pioneers for being in
advance of civilization and opening
| the farms and fields that had, by
their work, turned into the wealth
of to-day. All honor to them and
their wives for their early life, their
hard labor, bitter struggles, and
they were entitled to the wealth
that was theirs today, said the
speaker.
Senator Clapp was at his best in
the next effort, touching up the
growth of the word nation" in the
constitution, the objection to it by
the early trainers, and abiding to
the fact that Nevada's constitution
| was the first to contain the word.