Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-07-09
GREAT ENTERPRISES SHOWN BY
OUR SISTER TOWN
TWENTY FLOATS In LINE
Merlin Has Announced n Big CeIc.
brntion for July 4, 1910, and
Invites Grants Pass.

One of the principal surprises of
the parade was the showing made
by our sister town of Merlin. II was
rumored few days before that
Merlin was going to do herself proud,
but no one expected such display as
was shown on our streets. The spirit
that was shown In the success OF the
banquet recently given our business
men on the occasion of their visit
to Galice, predominated In this in
stance, and they came down In full
force, with twenty floats, each re-
presenting some resource of the Mer-
lin district. The whole idea OF their
display run in twenties, this novel
scheme being suggested by the fact
that a syndicate headed by w. b.
Sherman has recently entered that
field with the intention of cutting up
the large land holdings in that vicin-
ity into 20-acre tracts.
There was float representing
mining, with samples from twenty
mines, rose float bearing twenty
little girls, twenty farm products
were displayed and twenty fruits
and the queen, oh, such queen
she was twenty feet high and mount
ed on wagon drawn by 90 horses.
She really attracted more attention
than our own queen who headed the
procession.
AS the parade progressed through
the city and the crowds began to
realize how thoroughly Merlin had
entered into the spirit of the occa-
sion, they were cheered to the echo,
and all day long Merllnites were
given the glad hand by our citizens
who tried in every way to show their
appreciation.
There were banners bearing ap-
propriate legends, conveying the
idea that twenty acres In the Merlin
district, planted TO any Of It's pro-
ducts, were sufficient to support
large family, and they had the goods
to show It. The banners also am
nounced that Merlin would celebrate
July 4, 1910, and invited us to come
over, and there was n general sentl-
ment throughout the crowd that we
would go over there next year and
out-do them In patriotism. With n
year to get ready they Will undoubt-
edly have a grand celebration, II va
can Judge from what they achieved
within few days in this lntsance.
and within few hours on the oc.
casion of the banquet.
Miss Matte Guild, who came near
being elected as the Goddess Of Lib
erty and was given an honorary
seat on the big float, showed her
loyalty to her home town by bear
ing banner upon which was In
scribed, Twenty Acres in the Merlin
District is Enough to Support n
Queen"
All that we could write would be
insufficient TO describe the display
and the spirit that suggested II and
carried II TO successful termina-
Ito. II was OF great value as an ad-
vertlsement, but It's greatest value
will arise from the fact that Il has
forever broken down our idea that
Merlin was place OF but little i'm
p0rtance, for when town with 40
small n population can demonstrate
such progressive spirit, II Is we'll
for us TO take note OF their actions
and look closely to our laurels.
Merlin, as mentioned, had 20
floats, the principal ones were as
follows.
The Merlin division was headed
and marshaled by =. w Mitchell
president Of the Merlin Push Club
who was mounted on a fine dapplC
grey steed His lleutenants were
Milton Mason and W. N. Roth, who
were also well mounted and carried
side arms.
The first float was furnished ant
decorated by Martin Angel. who ha
Irrr.lnurA ~. - ..--.-l