The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-05-17
OUR FIRST FOURTH
Deloit Witnesses First Celebra-
ton in This County.
FESTIVITIES WERE SIMPLE.
An Old Letter Tells Of the inexpensive
but Patriotic Manner of Crawford
Counties First Fourth of July.

but Patriotic Manner of Crawford
Counties First Fourth of July.
Of interest to many readers will
the account of the first Fourth of July
celebration ever held in Crawford
county. The sum Of $14.70 served to
cover the entire expense, but even
that amount was hard to raise. The
celebration was as enthusiastic how
ever as the noisy, expensive red
lemonade Fourths we have today.
The following letters tell the tale of
the first celebration.
Pleasant View Farm, Deloit Iowa.
January, 3, 1875.
Thos. Dobson,
Deloit, Iowa.
Dear Sir:
1 have received your circular asking
of me for information. In reference to
the time / came to this county the
l6 November 1855 and at Mason's
Grove on the 18th of November 1855.
| think on the 18th of same month
made the selection OF my land the
south and the north / of south east
quarter of section township 80 north
of range SO west OF the P. M. On
April following l entered the above
mentioned land with land warrant
for 12O acres of land and by paying
$4,000 in excess as that was the
amount that j. w. Denison bid it up
to. l still own the above premises
and expect to for years to come if l
am permitted to live. In the year
1853 ON the 10Th of August, l was
married to Julia A. Earl in the town
of Denison, we being the first couple
married in Denison. We were mar
ried by Eli Baer a justice of the
Peace for Denison township, also
being the first couple he ever Joined
in the bonds of wedlock. l do not
know as can give any incidents
worthy Of record unless it be an ac-
count of the first 4th of July celebra-
ton ever held in the county, in 1857
at Deloit, Iowa.
have in my account book an account
of the subscriptions and disburse-
ments of the financial committee. At a
meeting of few citizens. Eli Baer
and myself were appointed commit
tee to solicit subscriptions, my first
book shows the following names and
amounts paid, Joseph Dobson $1.0O,
William Dobson $1.0u, Eli Baer
$1.OO, E. Caldwell $l.00, F. w. Payne
s1.OO, Frank Prentice $1.00, De
Forest Darling s1.o0, Benjamin Dob
son s1.OO, Geo. G. King so, Jas. B.
King s1.OO, Morris McHenry sl.00,
Marcus Wright $l.OO, and Abre OAR
ling 20, total $3.50. With this
money we were to buy flour, sugar
and other things for dinner, we
bought the following articles as we
could find them among the settlers
as there was no store nearer thar
Council Bluffs, Iowa. The materia
for flag u would here remark tina
it was not silky cost $1.55, fou
$4.65, sugar $500, one gallon Of mo
lasses $1.5O, butter and eggs sl.O0
candies $1.OO, part Of sheep $l.OO
total $14.7O, cash received $3.50, il
debt 80 cents. There was anothe
collection made at the dinner, G. c
King so cents, Joseph Skinner
cents, and Vincent Cheadle so cents
total $1.5O. The material was col
lected at two or three houses to ge
it cooked, Mrs. Todd did the most %
the cooking, but others did thel
share, there were about so persons a
the celebration. Raising the fla
was first in order in the morning, j
received some hearty cheers, as it wa
the first raised in the county. w
had a good dinner and all enjoye
themselves hugely. Toasts an
speeches were often and frequent
Elder Robert Darling had been en-
gagged to deliver the Grafton but h
failed to put in an appearance an
we were left to ourselves. Howeve
George c. King was chosen.
bowery was built on the public squar
for the occasion.
Thus occurred the first celebratio
ever held in Crawford county lowe
By Edwin Caldwell.
Note:
Deforest Darling informs me thu
he is we'll acquainted with the circun
stances of this celebration held at D.
lott and in Crawford county and n
marked that they enjoyed themselve
and that several others would hay
donated toward the expenses of tt
celebration but they did not have
cent. Quite different from tt
mounts now expended for celebration
Mrs. s Horn.