Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-11-22
fRY A. j. MoKLER)

(BY A. j. MoKLER)
On the Fourth of July, 1862, there
were nearly thousand men, women
and children congregated at Lndepend
ence Rock. the most of whom were
travelling toward the setting sun, seek
ing fame and fortune, but not few of
these thousand souls who were there
were on theft way back from the new
and wild country, retracing their steps
TO the settlements" where the hard.
ships were not so many, where hostile
Indians were not to be found and
where life was more secure.
independence Rock is in Natrona
County, about forty-nine miles south
west from the City of Casper. It was
the resting place for the emigrants in
the early days, and it was here they
all stopped for a few days to repair
their wagons, rest their horses, mules
and oxen, mend and wash their cloth
ing, administer to the sick and weary
sometimes to bury their dead, and to
do such other things that they could
not do while travelling over the rough
and rugged country in prairie
schooner"
When the travellers who We're head
ed for the Far West, that is to say,
the OREGON country, reached Independ-
nool- tIoxy octipoafad that thew
were half way between Westport, or
Independence, near where Kansas City
is now located, and the Pacific Coast
the di lance being about 1000 miles
from their starting point to their desti-
iation.
On the particular day mentioned,
which will have been fifty-eight years
ago this coming Fourth of July, among
the~hundreds of people who had gath
cred at this interesting and historical
spot on the desert, there were about
twenty men present who could and did
prove themselves as Master Masons,
and it was decided by these men to
hold a Masonic meeting on the summit
of the rock, this being. the first time
that a Masonic meeting was to be
opened and closed in form in what is
now the State of Wyoming, and a
communication from Asa l.. Brown, a
past grand master of Washington Ter.
itory,to Edgar P Snow, grand master
of Masons in the Territory of WyOm-
ing in 1875, thus explains how the
meeting was planned and carried out:
"We had just concluded our arrange.
ments for celebration on the rock,
when Capt Kennedys train from Osh-
aloosa, la. came in, bringing the body
of a man who had been accidentally
shot and killed that morning. OF
course, we all turned out to the burial
deferring our. celebration until p. m.
at which time we were visited by one
of those short, severe storms, peculiar
to that locality, which, in the language
of ONE of the boys busted the celebra-
ton. But some of us determined on
having some sort of a celebration, as
we'll as a remembrance OF the day and
place, and so about the time the sun
set in the west, to close the day, about
twenty who could vouch, and so to
sneak. intervouch for each other, Wend
ed their way to the summit of the
rock, and soon discovered a recess, or,
rather depression, in the rock, the
form and situation of which seemed
prepared by nature for our special use.
An altar of twelve stones was i'm
provised, to which, a more thought
full, or patriotic traveller added the
thirteenth, emblematical of the origi-
nal colonies, and being elected to the
East by reclamation, was duly install
ed. j. e. led to the granite seat. The
several stations and places were fill
ed, and the tyler, a venerable traveller,
with flowing hair and beard of almost
snowy whiteness, took his place with
out the western gate on little pin
nacla, which gave him a perfect COM
mand of view for the entire summit OF
the rock, so he could easily guard
against the approach Of ALL either as
cending or descending. | then inform
ally opened independence Lodge, No.
/, on the degrees of Entered Appren-
tice Fellowcraft and Master Mason,
when several Of the brethren made
short, appropriate addresses, and our
venerable tyler gave us "reminiscences
of his early Masonic history, extend
ing from 1921 to 1862. 1t was meet
ing which is no doubt remembered by
all of the participants, who are yet
living, and some of those who there