The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-07-08
OUR CITY'S FIRST fourth.
FORTY YEARS AGO IT WAS

compare with the one-string tune when
a half-breed has hold of the bow.
A couple gets up on the floor to dance
and as the onlookers stand and look
on the pair are spelled every little
while, so there is no break in the
dance or music (if yu call it musicl.
My father was so distracted at the
same old tune that he approached the
] fiddler and said: "Say, old man, If
you play Garryowen or Donnell Abu I
will give you $500" The laugh was
on my father, we'll, yes, as the poor
fiddler could not speak English and
never heard of the tune requested.
Then the Swedes began with their
singing, and assure you that the
harmony, glee and music in the tones
of those men will be long remembered
by me and any that are now among
the living that were present at the
first Fourth of July celebration in Old
Cheyenne
In speaking of the section house.
is was not in the sense a section
house. 1t was built by the engineers
that were surveying the road when
Valley City was the end of the line,
and if some of the people of Valley
City will now cross over the railroad
bridge and then turn north few hun
dred feet they will see mound there,
and that was the very spot where the
house stood. 1t was large wooden
building. The main entrance was fac
ing the south; to the right as you
entered was very large dining room;
to the left was large kitchen with
stairway. From the front entrance you
walked ahead and turned to the right,
where the main stairway was, then up
stairs were several rooms. This was
a plastered house and the only plas-
tered house west of Moorhead at that
time, if Moorhead had any. This house
gave shelter to some very prominent
army men at that time, as the railroad
! closed down in the winter months and
all travel was by team. Gen. Custer,
COL Tom Custer, Col. Keogh, Col
Lounsberry and many notable men
have spent nights there. There are
many today living who will we'll re-
member the place, Billy Bulge, of Med
7 ford, Ore, and D. M. Holmes, of Grand
Forks.
Mrs. Flood is now dead; Mr.. Flood
is living and very old man. Jonas
H. Lee was killed short distance
from Valley City few years ago; Mr..
Wright, Col. Marsh, Mr.. and Mrs. Nor
rison, Mr.. McFadden, Mr.. Windelbow,
Peter Smith, P. Burne, John Olson,
Frank Heiner and M. Mclaughlin are
all dead. Peter Seman married that
fall Miss Julia Purcell who had just
arrived from Ireland, and the next fall
Valley City's first white child was
born to them. Mrs. Seaman died out
west and this son is now living at Bill
lings, Mont, he has good practice as
dentist His father is living.
There are many other matters that
would like to mention, but intend
to soon visit your city and will have
some more to say.
The engineers who surveyed the
Northern Pacific from Fargo to Bis
marck were Mr.. Stebbins and Geo.
Beardsly. After reaching Bismarck
these men returned to Valley City and
took up claims. The claims were on
the bend of the river south of the
curve as you 60 west.
Game of all kind, fish, duck, goose,
antelope, deer, muskrat, mink, fox,
wolf and other wild animals were abun-
dant at that time. Fresh meat from
those animals was always on the
table.
The first caucus that was held in
your city was held in the fall of 1874.
The active party there was Geo.
Beardsly (now dead); was there seek
ing delegates to the republican con-
ton at Yankton in the interest of
Judge Kidder as delegate to congress.
promised Gov. White that would
some, time or other write about the
early times of the Valley and so this
is my first effort.
Yours truly, ".
PHIL McLOUGHLIN.
P. S.-Roman Catholis services were
held in the section house above referred
to in the summer and fall of 1875 and
summer and fall Of 1876 by the Rev. J.
B. M, Genin. o, M.