The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-21
NAMING TRAILS
TO Be MARKED.
Committee From .. A. RS Met in
Dec Moines Yesterday and
Decided on Location
Of Markers.
PROGRAM FOR MEETING
This Also Was Discussed at Session
At Which Several keokuk
Women Wore In
Attendance.
PROGRAM FOR MEETING
! Especial to The Gate City.]

meeting OF the executive committee
of the Iowa society D, A. R. was |
held yesterday In the state historical
building. The morning session was
joint conference of the executive
committee, the Early Iowa Trails com
mittee, with the curator Of, the his
torical department of Iowa. The
afternoon session was given to the
planning Of the program of the an
nuai conference to be held in Water
loo in October. Mrs Dixie Cornell
Gebhardt, the state regent, presided,
and the following members of the
Mrs. George Harpel, Des Moines;
Mrs. Frank L. Miner, Des Moines;
Mrs. Carrie Foote Mann, Onawa;
Mrs. Winona E. Reeves, Keokuk.
The two members absent were Mrs.
Cate Gilbert Wells of Burlington,
and Mrs. Sherman /. Poole of Waiver
ly. Mrs. D. A. Collier, representing
the last administration as vice regent,
was present, as was also Mrs. Harold
R. Howell, vice president general of
the national society. The Early Iowa
Trails committee was represented by
Mrs. Drayton W. Bushnell Of Council
Bluffs; Miss Amy Gilbert of State
Center; Mrs. H. r. Howell of Des
Moines, and Mrs. Copeland Of Char
iton. Mrs. Brooks of Waterloo, re-
gent of the chapter to entertain the
next conference, was also present.
The important decision made was
of the points to be marked between
this date and October l, on the Nor
mon trail, which crosses southern
Iowa from Keokuk to Council Bluffs:
A tablet on one side Of the Keokuk
monument in Rand park, is the first
marker. Other points to be marked
by ;houlders, carrying bronze tablet
are at Utica in Van Buren, county, at
Drakeville in Davis county, at Char
iton and at Charlton Point (the lat
ter a location one and one-half miles
from the town., at Lewis which is
the site Of an old Indian village, at
point in Union county, where the
| western boundary Of Iowa was placed
as proposed in the constitution OF
1874. The point marked is to be the
spot where this boundary crosses
the Mormon trail-thus marking two
points of interest in Iowa history.
The last place to be marked is the
end of the trail at Council Bluffs
The markers are to be of granite,
preferably boulders, on which will be
placed a bronze tablet, bearing on it
a small outline of Iowa on which is
traced the line of the Mormon trail.
The words to appear on the tablet
emphasize that it is in commemora-
ton of the first highway across Iowa
that the markers are placed, CO
Jointly by the State Historical de-
partment and the Iowa society d. A.
r.
Scale Of Society.
The seal of the historical depart
ment and the insignia Of the D. A. R.
is also to appear. The D. A. RS
pay three-fourths of the cost and the
historical department one-fourth.
Mr.. Edgar r. Harlan, curator, gives
his service to establishing beyond
question that the points marked are
historically correct He Is to furnish
also a part of the stones and the
free transit of the same to the
points to be marked.
About the only time in the Iowa
society of d. "A. r. when the spirit
Of fight which characterized their
ancestors of 17T6 appears Is over the
name Mormon trail" At such times
Mr.. Harlan gives evidence of his
descent also from fighting stock, for
he stands pat for the name Mormon
trail because it is so written in all
the surveys and through early Iowa
history was SO called. The women,
some of them, object to perpetuating
the history of Mormonism or even of
the name, and some argued to call
il the Pioneer trail. Mr.. Haran once
said: "Why not call it the lemonade
trail or some other name, If you are
going to name in 1916 trail which
was named in 1876 and '4S, and
which through all the intervening
wears has borne the same name in
history" The D. A. RS have come
to see that historic facts cannot be
changed because of religious senti-
ment or beliefs and so the markers
are to read Mormon Trail"
Social Features Of Meeting. :.
The social features of the day were
most elaborate. Mrs. Dixie Cornell
Gebhardt, state regent, entertained
at a / O'Clock luncheon in the Harms
Emery. tea room, at which covers
were laid for sixteen and seven
course luncheon served. Killarney
roses were used in decoration OF the
table and the place cards were very
handsome ones, embossed with tne
D. A. R.. insignia. The guests were:
Mr. Edgar r, Harlan, Mrs. Frank
Miner. Mrs. H. r. Howell, Mrs.
Charles Clark, Mrs. Caroline Ogelvie,
Mrs. Geo. Harpe1, Mrs. Charles
Tresler of Des Moines, Mrs. Carrie
Mann Foote of Onawa, Mrs. Drayton
w. Bushnell of Council Bluffs, Mrs.
COPELAND of Charlton, Miss Gilbert
Of State Center, Mrs. Collier. Miss
Anne B. Davis and Mrs. Reeves of
Keosuk. In the evening at half past
six o'clock the same company, with
the addition Of Messrs. H. r. Howell
and F. L. Miner and James c. Davis.
was entertained at the Golf and
country club at an elaborate din