The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-05-11
IT WAS A GALA DAY.

II WAS A GALA DAY.
Roundup Festivities Gave Fort Benton
Visitors a Good Time.
Never before in the history Of this
town have the people of Fort Benton
entertained such jolly and %apprecia.
tive visitors as the crowd that at.
tended the roundup celebration Fri.
day. In point OF numbers, the at
tendance has seldom been exceeded
at any former local gathering, the
guests numbering over 500 people.
The first estimate of $50 visitors from
Great Falls was exceeded by later in.
formation, the three coaches Of q
special train being packed with .
crowd that numbered about 240 PEG.
pie. The Great Falls delegation and
Black Eagle band formed an import.
ant contribution to the gaiety and
spectacular features of the celebra.
ton.
The program of entertainment in.
cluded q roundup cooking outfit 10.
Gated in the city park, with lack Lar
son in charge. Mr.. Larson began to
get busy soon after sunrise, and had
q roundup breakfast ready for early
morning visitors. He continued to
keep busy throughout the day and
we'll into the night. serving free
lunches of meat sandwiches. pickles,
coffee, tea and other eatables and
drinkables to all applicants. Mr..
Larson roasted over 225 pounds of
beef during the day, and served over
600 meals between 7 q. m. and 10
O'Clock at night. He considers this
to be a fair days work for a nan of
his age-a claim which will be will.
ingly conceded.
An entertainment by Little Bears
band Of Indians commenced about 3
O'Clock in the afternoon, the crowd
having been attracted to the city park
by musical selections by the Black
Eagle band. The Indians program
was unique and uncouth, an orchestra
beating tom.toms and chanting weird
songs, while other members of the
t~ribe-bucks and equaws in gay cos
tumes-shufaed around in what they
presumed to call q dance. The per-
formances were picturesque and typi
cally western, but there was nothing
in them that displayed cleverness o,
appreciation of elegance in motion.
! Then followed a series of buckinf
exhibitions, q bunch of wild cayuse'
having been brought in from tn,
range for that purpose. Some o
them concluded it was not a good da,
for bucking stunts, and did not pu
up q good fight, while others gave
pretty fair example of the contortion'
q mean cayuse q perform when b
~resents any familiarity on the part o
his rider. The first prize, thirty dol
lars, was awarded to Carl Benham
the second prize, fifteen dollars, t.
. Red Donley.
The minstrel show in the evening
by the Fort Benton Amateurs, wa
probably the greatest feature OF tn
celebration, the performance bein!
attended by a crowd that packed th'
opera house to the doors. 1t vas a.
appreci alive and enthusiastic audi
ence, and the minssrels responde,
with what was generally acknowl'
edged 10 be one of the best enter
tainments OF its kind ever given b.
local talent 10 the west.
9 The show was followed by a publ
dance, the opera house not being hal
large enough to furnish accommods
tions for the visitors and townspeo
pie who attended the function. The,
=. all had a good time, however, man
of them prolonging the festivities t
4 o'clock in the morning. In tn
j, meantime, the banquet to ~visitin
stockmen was in progress at the Che
, tesu house, the size of the crowd re
- Quiring arrangements for serving /
relays of about sixty plates. An ez
~cellent repast was furnished by tn
hotel management, concluding a da
a OF true western entertainment.