The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-01-13
MINERS HAD A TREE.

" ls q Snowy Christmas Memory Vet
With Old Timers In WaIIace,
Spokane Spokesman Review: Xmas
in the Occur d'Alenes. It is & snowy
memory yet t. many of the old-timers
scattered yer the country from spo-
kane to the Arctic circle n every-
where else on earth that produces gold.
Still. there is nothing dreary about it,
for the cabin lights cleaned across the
snow, muffled music came from within.
growing internationally distinct as
doors opened, and the man who packed
q grudge with a gunplay In it at that
season made himself an outcast from
the splendid joIlity of the time.
1t was in the rough but vigorous and
manly long ago that Wallace decided
to celebrate q Christmas that all the
country around would come to. There
were not children enough in the camp,
to constitute O school and only ten
We're required for that, but this made
no difference with the Christmas prem
arations.
There were plenty Of big boys and
the fact that they were bearded was
no drawback. They. didn't act like
they were bearded In anticipation OF al
genuine Christmas tree. some of them
began to prepare for it q night or two
before, IN consequence Aof which some
of them missed the final ceremonies.
They had AN ovefgrown variety OF
the shack In those days that served for
a general meeting place. and here is.
where the tree was placed. May Ark
wright Hutton, who then ran a board
ing house In the camp, was elected as
Santa Claus. Her husband was a loco
motive engineer and she could get al
pass down to Spokane. she brought
out $500 eontributedsby everybody with
which to buy presents FOR everybody.
A apopulation Of 200 persons waited
anxiously to see what would be hung,
or the tree for them as q result.
Gritty OsGoudy from D the Rulch
made a. public offer to hammer the
face of; any man who insinuated there
was no such thing as Santa Claus, and
the town voted him all the help he
might need in that enterprise.
A mass Of evergreen hid the bare
boards of the big shack when the Santa
Claus committee went to work. Every
body else was banished under penalty
Of having to take to the hills for the
night If they were caught peeking.
When the public was finally admitted
1t entered into as near fairyland as
evergreen. lanterns and tinseI could
make a big shack, with the huge tree
glowing in the center. 1t was worth q
years work In the hills to be there.
when a person had been in the hills
long enough. And most Of the folks
present had been there long enough.
The programme began with music.
q violin with organ accompaniment.
On Sundays the same organ did duty
at the Episcopal chapel. There never
was q mining camp without a hddIed
in it.
Every time a present came or the
tree and went to its owner the crowd
cheered. jim Callan had been sick and
a suit of clothes catne his way. Jim
Mccormick got a suit Of wooden un-
derwear and didn't object a bit. Thus
1t was. nnsiffiers, mittens. toy dogs, rat
ties, tobacco. cigars, anything the
needy wanted and anything that would
make fun OF the prosperous. They.
wound it up with a dance in which.
more men danced with men than they
did with women. The latter were
scarce Ia those days.
70 spread the general rejoicing the
dance adjourned over to Burke, horse
back, in sieds and on foot. And there
is where the frolic ended sharply All
young couple brought their baby girl
because they had no place to leave her.
and this was no time to stay at home.