The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-24
STATE PIONEERS ASSOCIATION
Will Hold First Regular Meeting at
Des Moines on Thursday of
State Fair Week.

Preliminary details have been
worked out for the organization of a
state wide pioneers association, the
first regular meeting of which will be
held in Des Moines on the State Fair
and Exposition Grounds, Fair week,
Thursday, August 81, 1911.
! The Department of Agriculture
permanently designated Thursday of
State Fair week as Pioneers Day and
it is the plan to hold the annual meet
ings on this day, also is planned the
erection upon the State Fair Grounds
a typical old settlers cabin, except
to be on larger scale, which when
completed, will serve as offices for
the association and headquarters for
all Iowa pioneers.
Among the objects contemplated
by the temporary organizers OF the
Iowa State Pioneers Associations: are
the utilization of all old settler or
pioneer societies in Iowa through
state organization; to Systematically
encourage and promote the estab
lishment and larger usefulness OF
such societies in every county and
favorable locality in the state, to To-
cate, classify and preserve letters,
manuscripts, certificates, pamphlets,
books, papers, souvenirs, relics and
in fact everything of Historic value
and data relative to the early set
Element of every section of Iowa.
The working details for the State AS
ISOLATION as yet are incomplete, in
fact cannot be properly completed
except through representative
meeting of local old settlers societies.
For this reason the executive COM
mittee extends to all such societies
an invitation to be present through
representatives at the meeting which
will be held in the Assembl tent on
the State Fair Grounds at O'Clock
p. M, Thursday, August 81, 1911.
: No suggestion is made by the COM
mittee as to the plan of selecting
delegates or even the number to be
selected by the local. societies for the
reason it is the desire to make this
gathering as large and as represent
ative of the pioneers of the whole
state as may be possible. This being
the thought the committee wishes it
to be clearly understood that a most
cordial invitation is extended to all
pioneers and their descendants to be
present and participate in the meet
ing. Neither is it the intention at
this time to arbitrarily define the
time limit which will entitle persons
from the different sections of the
state to recognition as pioneers, but
the thought is that the period must
be sufficiently recent to cover the
settlement of the newer localities.
program is now in preparation and it
can be assured that the meeting will
be addressed by number of Iowa's
strongest and most illustrious pio-
neerS.
! The State Fair management has
arranged to admit free to the
grounds on Pioneers Day, all per-
sons who we're living in the territory
prior to Dec. %, 1916, this being
the date of Iowa's admission into the
Union.
1t is urgently requested that each
local society, the press and in fact
anyone who may kindly interest
themselves in this matter, make a
canvas of their locality and send
E. R. Harlan, Historical Dept of
Iowa, Des Moines, the names and
addresses of all these old settlers
who are entitled to this special favor
and distinction.
Pioneer headquarters in charge of
the superintendent will be open on
the State Fair Grounds during the
entire week.
1t is earnestly hoped that every
| old settler will report at headquar-
tiers and register, which will entitle
the one so registering to member
shin in tho ascOciatinn and for which
no fee whatever will be charged.