The Carbon County chronicle. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1924, 1924-09-03


stream flowing through it had
fair week., for the purpose of or
ganizing pioneers association, or
society of pioneers.
This society will not be organized
In any hostility to, or as a rival of
the Historical society, but in its
scope and purpose 1t will radically
differ from that corporation.
while it is probable that men,
bership will be permitted to those
reaching Montana at more recent
date than May 20, 1884, 1t has been
thought best to confine the present
call to those who were in Montana at
the time 1t was created territory by
act of congress.
Pioneers included in this CALL,
and those who desire to sign the
same and attend the meeting hereby
called, are respectfully requested to
send their names to Charles Rumely
at Helena.
I'm addition 1t has been suggested
that pioneers prepare papers relating
to their early experiences to be read
at the coming meeting"
Few Counties Then.
Then follows list of the pioneers
Of Beaverhead, Lewis and Clark,
Missoula, Gallatin, Meagher, Madi-
son. Silver Bow, Chouteau, Jefferson,
Yellowstone, Dawson and Deer
Lodge counties. These embraced the
entire territory in that day.
At the first meeting Samuel Hau-
ser was elected chairman, and James
Fergus was the first secretary.
Before the session adjourned Fer
gus was elected president and Col
w. #. Sanders was elected secretary,
q post which his son, J. u. Sanders
was also filling at the time of his
death.
The charter rolls were signed by
258 pioneers. Among them was John
r. Horsky of Helena, pioneer of
1854, who is now a member of the
executive committee of the society
The 1924 meeting OF the Society of
Montana Pioneers was held in Butte
on August 2S, 90, 80. The conven-
ton was opened by Levi Wild, and
Frank "Sandbar" Brown called the
roll. Butte listened with affectionate
interest and here and there a moist
eye was noted as white-haired men
and women who crossed the plains
behind OK teams, slept with pistols
under their pillows, lived in dugouts
and log cabins, and fought with ma
ture In the raw, to add another star
to the galaxy Of states, answered
here" In quavering voices.
The convention was we'll prepared
by the Butte committees OF both the
Pioneers and the Sons and Daughters
of Pioneers, and the ever-thinning
number of old-timers were guests at
a most enjoyable program.
There were many faces missing
this year from the banquet boards of
the Silver Bow and Country Clubs
where the old-timers were enter
tanned during the convention. II
would be saddening to recite the roll
of those who in most recent years
have, in the language of the pioneer,
crossed the great Divide"
Other active spirits of the associ-
alton were this year incapacitated by
illness from being present, but ev-
cry man of them who answered the
roll call had his part in the events
of the COS, when Montana, accord
ing to the early writer's, wasn't ex-
actly "a site for kindergarten" and
when only red-blooded men reached
the West because 'the weaklings
d{ad o,d tha coVvordo etovad ~
home"
"Dick Jockey" the duke OF Last
Chance Gulch-the genial soul who
made more than a statewide name
for himself by his wit and humor as
chairman of "the third house." an
organization analogous to the Glover
Leaf club of Washington, ID. G.,
where good-humored jokes were polk
ed at state officers and legislators at
biennial banquets-Dick Jockey,
president of the pioneers, was un-
able to be present. He is i'll In CAL
ifornia.
Stirring Times.
Old histories of this territory bris-
tie with accounts OF the stirring times
experienced by the pioneers who
came to Montana previous to 1854,
while more recent publications carry
the record OF struggles with Indians
and outlaws In the years following.
Levi Wild, who is vice-president
of the society for Silver Bow county,
and who opened the convention in
Butte this year, is the same Levi
Wild who, as a telegraph operator.
sent out the news of Lincoln's as
sasination. He can tell a tale or two
OF Indians so powerful and arrogant
that they lassoed soldiers from the
palisades of the fort, dragged their
victims over the stakes and butch
cred them before the eyes OF their
comrades who were powerless to eff
feet rescue.
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