The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-05-15
First Fourth Of
Celebration
On Lost River


first Fourth of July on Lost river,
which was held at Arco. | wish to
say in the first place that "Arco''
as not "Arco" It was first called
Junction, but when the people of the
little burg sent in their application
,r post office, the postal author
tiles at Washington refused to use
the name on account of other towns
of the same name in Idaho and called
it by name of their own choosing,
which was Arco. The present site
of Arco is the third location for that
historical little town.
1t first saw the light of day on
what has since been known as the
Pete Anderson ranch and in the fall
of 1881 it was moved to Kennedy's
ranch, the old Ferris store) where
it rested until the coming of the rail
road.
The fiat had gone forth, Lost river
was to have a Fourth of July cele-
bration, the first in the history of
the country. The silence of centuries
was to be broken by the noise maxi
ing inventions of man on July fourth,
1880.
The hat was passed around among
the eight inhabitants and nearly one
hundred dollars collected which was
Immediately dispatched to Salt Lake
city for fire works, such as fire
crackers, roman candles and large
amount of black powder to be used
in firing the anvils and as a browning
glory of the celebration the first pub
lie dance ever pulled off in the
country was to be held in the Stage
company's store. Invitations were
sent broad cast, also one to the only
man on Birch creek.
About twenty people responded to
the call, they began to arrive about
four days ahead of time in order to
be sure to miss none of the sights
and sounds. On the evening of the
third the big six horse Concord coach
arrived with the fire crackers and
other dingfods, doojiggers, thingama-
hobs, doofunnys, etc., which go to
make up first class frontiersman's
Fourth of July. By noon of the
Fourth all the guns, anvils, cannons
and seventy five per cent of the peo-
pie were loaded to the brim.
At this time about all the popula-
ton of the river had made connec-
tion, including the man from Birch
creek, together with himself and dog.
The fun began when old Hank Dor
sey started to clean out the crowd.
l say started, for he only got as far
as Billy Jackson, who stuck a bunch
of lighted fire crackers in his hip
pocket. AS soon as the crackers
began to pop Hank started for Chal-
lis. He ran fast enought but he
didn't start soon enough. He was
leaving our company by leaps and
bounds when Jim Madison, who was
on horse back, roped him and dragged
him back. He sat down to rest on
our box of. roman candles and set
fire to that. Then he began to see
things, so the man from Birch creek
hog tied him and placed him in the
stage barn where the mosquitoes
could 60 and picnic on his features.
The anvils were now brought out
and loaded. By using large anvils
with two sledge hammers heads in
between, they succeeded in making
such an awful noise that the detona-
lions were heard on Antelope creek
sixteen miles away.
After using up all the black powder
a requisition was made on a passing
miner for his stock of giant powder.
This part of the celebration was
turned over to Jack Hood, a prospec-
tor, who blew into the burg to see
the fun.
After popping everything that
would pop, all hands were ready for
the shindig. The musician began to
scrape his fiddle, when Harry John
son who WAS acting as floor manager