The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-25

bration of Independence day. The enthusiasm OF
our people for their country and flag can usually
be measured by the beat of the national pulse
A typical celebration Of the day is that of 1881 IN
Buffalo. N. Y, which is described ut some lehs''
in the Buffalo Journal. That newspaper says:
THE return Of our national jubilee was ceie-
brated i'm this village with more than ordinar!
s%plendour and the day was duly honoured NOT III
the breach but the observance"
The procession formed at the Eagle-a famous
tavern located on Main street between Court anu
Eagle streets-and consisted of veterans OF the
Revolution citizens and strangers, escorted d! tue
Washington and Frontier guard and the cadets OF
the Western Literary and Scientific academy. THE
whole enlivened by musick from the Buffalo band.
The Grafton was pronounced by Sheldon Smith,
ESQ. at the Baptist church and religious services
were conducted by Rev. Mr.. Shelton of st. Paurs.
From the church the procession marched 10 the
Buffalo HOUSE in Seneca street and there an Eek
cellent dinner was %partaken Of" DR.. Powell was
landlord of the house at that time and the papers
recorded as something worthy of special mention
that there were no liquors on the table. But the
good lesson this statement was intended to convey
loses its moral in the very next line of the nara
tive: after the cloth was removed wine was
served with the tOasts, which were drank with the
utmost regularity" 1t is hardly necessary to draw
on the imagination to any extent to picture the
final state of many in that noble company Of 100
who drank the wine with the utmost regularity"
But that was before the days Of temperance soci-
cites and adulterated liquors.
The marshal of the day was Colonel, afterward
General, Sylvester Mathews, a veteran of the war
of 1912 Il hero of the Battle Of Chippewa.
Apart from these proceedings was discourse by
Rev. MI. Eaton Of the Presbyterian church on civil
and religious liberty. The festivities closed ac-
cOrding to time hOnOred custom with q ball in the
evening. No mention is made of any fireworks.
The celebrations of several succeeding years
seem to have been much like this one, according
to the Journals files. In 1S49, hOwever-pre-
sumably because of the Mexican war-the celebra-
ton was regarded by the Journal as noteworthy.
The Sixty-fifth regiment made its first appear
ance on this occasion. At 8 o'clock in the morning
n detachment marched to the Fillmore House and
fired some small arms in honor of the vice presi-
dent. The line Of march included Revolutionary
soldiers. Think how old they must have been
sixty-eight years after the surrender Of Yorktown
and sevehty-twO years after the battle Of LeXing-
tom There were also soldiers Of the War Of 1912
in the line, officers and soldiers of the army and Of
the Mexican war. The Friendly Sons of st. Pat
rick. the Sons of Erin and the German Young
Mems association sure sign that the city was
beginning to take on cosmopolitan fOrm-were in
the line of march. The exercises were held at
Johnson's park, the orator of the day being II. X.
Smith. Vice president Fillmore attended tie ex-
ercises and was Justify cheered.
The Sons Of Temperance had charge of the
celebration in 1850, which was held 'at the grove
near the workhouse.'' JVhn b. Cough. the leading
Temperance speaker of the day, was orator.
With the breaking out Of the Civil war Buffalo
broke loose on It's celebration of 1861. The parade