The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-03-09
TOOK 4 BOOSTER TRIP
4 DELEGATION Went to Shenandoah
Thursday to Boost for the ..
WaubenSie Trail.

andoah on / the special train last
Thursday morning, taking the K. P.
band with them, returned home
about O'Clock on Friday morn
ing, greatly enthused over the pros
pect for the Waubonsie Trail COM
| ing to Leon. That it will come to
Leon they are we'll satisfied, but
over which one of the proposed
routes cannot be said. A commit
tee from Page and Fremont counties
will come here and go over all the
routes proposed in this county, and
then decide which is the best and
most direct route. The following
article from the Shenandoah Senti-
nel-Post tells of the visit to that
city:
Yesterday morning word reached
this city to the effect that special
train would arrive in this city bring
ing a delegation of business men from
Ringgold and Decatur counties. How
many there were in the party, what
time they would arrive and what
they were coming for could only be
guessed at. A later message, reach
ing this city about II o'clock yes
terday morning, stated there would
be 215 people on the train and that
they were hungry. The time for
arrival of the special train was 2:15
p. m.
Promptly at that time the train,
consisting of four coaches, rolled in
to the station. The coaches were
profusely decorated with large ban
ners bearing the words, "Waubonsie
or Bust" and similar messages. The
visitors promptly tumbled out of
the train and formed their line of
march. Three of the towns had
brought their bands with them and
the music they poured forth brought
back the memories of when we were
Ia kid and it was circus day in town.
Old Chief Waubonsie was there in
all his war paint and bright red
blanket, in the person of ]. l.. Good
ing, of Kellerton. His feathered
head was bobbing here and there in
getting his braves lined up to raid
the homes of the palefaces. The
Leon band headed the procession
and were followed at intervals by
the Lamont and Kellerton bands and
delegations. They made a great
showing and for once the Shenan-
doah <busiEess men were dumbfound-
ed. Six towns were represented in
the visiting delegation. Mt. Ayr,
Kellerton, Lamont, Davis City, Leon
and Decaur City were all in line.
The parade passed up Sheridan av-
enue to the fat iron building, then
up Clarinda avenue to the armory,
then down Thomas avenue to Elm
street until they reached Sheridan
avenue once more. Here they dis
persed and went to the several ho-
tells and cafes for their dinner. Ar
rangements had been made at the
different places and the visitors were
we'll taken care of in the eating line.
After dinner automobiles were
pressed into service and the visitors
shown about. Many were the ex-
pressions of amazement heard from
the visitors on the progressiveness
of this city. The paving, new build
ings, nurseries, seed houses, facto-
ries all called forth favorable COM
ments. A meeting was called at
$3.50 in the opera house and the del
egates of each party set forth the
object of their visit to this city.
/
and Decatur counties as to whether
the Waubonsie trail shall take the
north road through these two coun-
ties or the south road. The visiting
towns all lay on the south road and
II numbers can get anything this
bunch ought to have it.
Speeches were listened to in which
the speakers set forth in glowing
colors the advantages of the south
ern route. Attorney G. w. Baker, of
Leon, Mr.. Hopkins, of Lamont, Supt.
E. L. Barlow, of Kellerton, Mr..
Smith, of Mt. Ayr, Mr.. Shirley, of
Davis City, and ]. M. Eiker, of De-
catur City, acted as spokesmen for
their different delegations and the
matter could not have been better
presented than in the manner these
gentlemen put the matter before the
officers of the association.
The question is still undecided as
the association has decided to send a
committee over both routes and leave
it to this body to choose the most
feasible route. However this DEM
onstration cannot help but make
any body of men think seriously be-
fore deciding and We believe that
they will be successful in their en-
deavors. Enthusiasm as displayed by
this bunch of loyal boosters accom-
plished many things. The CONNER
cial club of Leon, Iowa, voted $1,000
at their last meeting to be used in
building up the first road that comes
through the city. In the town of
Decatur City they raised $2,700 in
one day for the improvement of the
Waubonsie trail should they secure
it. 1t is this kind of spirit that gets
things and we are pulling for this
bunch because they have the spirit
to 60 after things.
The men that made this trip were
all men of prominence in their re-
spective communities. Representa-
tive /. A.. Smith, of Lamont, was one
Of the most enthusiastic boosters; in
the crowd. He is a man of influence
in the state legislature and a good
man to have working in the inter-
est of such movement as this.
President ]. A. Gunsolly, president