The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-07-04
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF FOURTH
CELEBRATION OF THE PAST
Trials and Tribulations of Committee Men Who
Tried to Stage Three Day Celebra-
ton Here Ten Years Ago
EDITOR MAN WAS HELD RESPONSIBLE

opened a three day celebration that
was called the Diamond Jubilee. It
was the seventy-fifth anniversary of
the beginning of settlement in this
country by white men; the seventy
fifth anniversary of the month when
the protestant religion was first
preached in the northwest. It COM
memorated the events at Fort Hall
from the fifteenth of July, 1884 to
the first of August of the same year.
On July Is the traders and trappers
commenced building old Fort Hall
at point on the banks of Snake
river about eighteen miles below
Blackfoot on what is known as Fort
Hall bottoms. On the twenty
seventh of July Jason Lee, a Metho-
dist missionary preached the first
sermon west of the Rockies. On the
first of August the stars and stripes
were raised for the first time in this
part of the world, it being the third
time the flag had been unfurled on
this continent west of the Rocky
mountains.
Blackfoot planned a three day
celebration which was in some re-
spects marked success and in some
decided failure. A short review of
some of these matters is the purpose
of this article.
When Jason Lee preached the first
sermon, he had for his audience
Indians, white men and mixed races.
They sat down together in friendship
and good will. In the seventy-five
years that followed there had been
periods of trouble and some wars be-
tween the white men and the Indians.
1t was proposed that on Sunday,
July 5, the Indians and whites
should sit down together to listen
to another Methodist sermon At
the same time there was to be the
unveiling of memorial window in
the Methodist church of Blackfoot,
in cOmmemoration of the introdue-
ton of the protestant religion west
of the Rocky mountains. This
window occupies the front or west
end of the church as it stands today.
The inscription on the window is the
text that Rev. Lee used on the
occasion commemorated.
This happened in the year that
the national convention of the Ep-
worth league was being held in
Seattle and the representative of that
organization at Blackfoot proposed
that some of the special trains of
excursionists of the Epworth league
convention, going from east to west,
be routed thru Blackfoot and spend
Sunday participating in the memorial
event.
1t was proposed that a flag forty
feet long should be purchased and
be unfurled on the court house flag
staff on the Fourth in commemora-
tiOn of the event of July Is, seventy
five years earlier. 1t was proposed
that all the Indians should be in
vited in to participate in the demon
strations of three days and especially
that representatives of the tribes
should attend the Sunday services,
dressed in full regalia. 1t was part
of the plan that several photographs
should be taken of the congregation
and of the Indians and white men
coming in and going out Of the
This was very much desired
because of the fact that it might be
impossible to ever again secure such
a picture or pictures. They were
looked upon as having considerable
historic value.
1t was proposed that huge
Indian encampment should be made
in the town and visitors from every
where were invited. One Blackfoot
newspaper man was appointed to
arrange all the Indian affairs for the
three days and the other newspaper
man of the town was to attend to
all the publicity of the whole affair.
A purse of $1,000 was raised to de-
fray the expenses of the celebration
and the money was apportioned to
the superintendent of the various
with the full knowledge
among the committeeman that it was
not enough, but that they would have
to make it do.
A review of how the program was
carried out shows that Burns was
right when he said, "The best laid
plans o. mice and men, gang aft
agley."
The Diamond Jubilee was adver-
LlS0u Ill dil Clo newspapers VI Iuo
upper Snake river valley and people
were invited to come for three-day
celebration. Grand posters were
printed and the old mistake was
made that is still made by many
people, charged with the duty of dis
tributing printed matter such as an
of the Fourth of July
celebrations. 1t was done in this
way and is still being done. A little
roll of posters is mailed to some
friend in st. Anthony with a request
that he post them up in his locality.
Other rolls are sent to some acquaint-
ances in other towns and villages,
and in the larger places like Idaho
Falls and Pocatello special mes
senger Is sent out to attend person
ally to the posting Of the bills.
People who watch results know that
sending a roll Of posters to some
friend and asking that he post them,
know that those bills usually go into
the waste basket as he Is too busy to
bother with them. IL he undertakes
to distribute them he goes into the
stores and asks permission to put
Continued on page four