The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-12-30
new YEARS AT THE
STOCKADE RECALLED
MRS. EMMA TOBEY VIVIDLY RE-
MEMBERS YULETIDE FES-
TIVITIES OF 1923
HAVE BANQUET OF BEAR MEAT
CHRISTMAS TREE TRIMMINGS
WERE "HOME MADE" BUT
VERY EFFECTIVE

New Years Day In the pioneer
times of Sank Centre-New Years
Day in the old stockade when the
wild game was in abundance in this
vicinity and when the entire popula-
ton of the village was composed of
few families huddled together in
a military stockade in defense
against the roaming Sioux, was a
different New Years Day from that
which will be celebrated in Sank
Centre on Saturday, January L, 1921.
Mrs. Emma Boobar Tobey, now a
matron at the Minnesota Home
School for Girls, and one of the very
first pioneers of Sank Centre, re-
calls the New Year festivities Of
1868 in the old stockade. Mrs. Tobey
was then a girl of years of age,
but her recollection Of the winter Of
1863 is perfect and particularly her
experience at the New Years dinner
within the stockade.
"All during the holiday week the
families and soldiers within the post
prepared for the big celebration"
said Mrs. Tobey. eve had celebrat-
ed our first Christmas in the four
walls of the fort and had enjoyed our
first Christmas tree. and the spirit
of festivity ran high in our little
community.
'The houses within the stockade
Were all too small to accommodate any
large gathering for the day so we
prepared to do our celebrating in the
big mess house of the soldiers. Here
long board table was set with
game of all kinds; svenison, bear
meat, prairie chicken and am not
sure about turkeys. l don't believe
that there were any wild turkeys in
this locality. We had a. number of
down-east yankee families with US
however, who insisted upon furnish
ing baked beans and brown bread
for the feast.
'In order that everything should
move smoothly and the dance which
followed the dinner progress with
out hitch, the master of ceremonies
on this occasion insisted that each
lady and gentleman choose, partner
for the event. remember that
was assigned to young lad good
deal older than myself for dinner. He
managed somehow to accompany me
to the table where we, sat astride of
a pine board, but after we were
% <Lo hnarl
failed to further interest my escort.
He was a big slow thinking, gawky
type of pioneer with an appetite
which well became his constitution.
Hardly had we been seated than he
began his attack upon the food; so
busy was he with his task that he
entirely forgot me and were it not
for a gentleman seated next to me,
fear that l should have Jared poor
ly at that dinner.
after satisfying himself and
checking in part the pangs of a
ravenous stomach, my. escort slid
from the bench seat and looked for
company elsewhere. However, l
managed to make out meal.
"Our New Years dance was al
ways the big social event of the
year. There was nothing much else
to do in, the way of entertainment
in the old stockade. Neighbors came
in this year from miles around the
country. They came IN bob sleds
drawn by oxen and wrapped in the
heavy furs Of the pioneer day. Those
living outside of the stackade, and
there were few, always spent the
night within the gates after a
dance. To return home was too
much of an undertaking.
eve had our first Christmas tree
that year and we were under obliga-
tons to young soldier in the stock
AIDE for that privilege. He wanted
real Christmas so he got a tree
and we trimmed it. In those days
there was little or nothing we could
buy to trim a tree with we used
colored papers and popcorn. One
little lad approached the tree on
Christmas Eve with his mothers
big white wooden stocking and asked
that it be hung up for his gifts.
"Cranberries were plentiful that
year in this territory and we had
plenty of them for the picking, al
though most of the trimmings that
now accompany New Years din
ner were then unheard of. But we
had big time and everybody in the
little community took part in the
celebration
Mrs. Tobey came to Sank Cen
tire in 1861 with her parents, Mr.. and