Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-08-06
Pioneers
Celebrate At
.Annua1PiCniC
Large Numbers Spend En-
joyable Day Talking Over
Old Times and Feasting
PAGEANT DEPICTS
EARLY DAY EVENTS

in Pioneer Park last Sunday after
noon. It surely was a happy gather
ing and the pioneers coming from all
directions loaded with baskets and
boxes of good things to eat, belied the
statements of limitations and hard
times for these old pioneers have gone
through times that were bad and are
still here to tell the tale.
A very splendid program was given
in the early part OF the afternoon. A
pageant worked out from dream OF
one of the old timers was the first on
the program.
From the woods came the Indian and
his squaw. Mrs. Ferd Peterson and
the little papoose were very real. Then
came A. C.. Herbst, the stately Indian
with war paint and feathers. In their
peaceful domain came the early trap
per Earl SWitzer) The history of his
suit was most interesting. While
building his campfire, comes the pros
pector George BlackwelD with gold
pan and packsack Then comes the
covered wagon-the early settlers rep
resented by Floyd Bowen with his old
corncob pipe and his wife with her
long blue calico dress, white apron and
sunbonnet, and all the children. JIM
nv Shaws horses and wagon took Us
back to the days of horses and dead
ak wagons. Those were the days when
it took all day to get to picnic and
now fine automobiles circle the picnic
grounds.
Many interesting speeches were CIV
en-. Names called by alphabet were
responded to by early experiences aid
stories.
One told OF jumping out of bed
early in the morning to kill deer
for meat and tracked it for such dis
lance he could hardly find the way
back to get his clothes.
Another. relating a bear hunt, stated
the bear got the seat Of his pants and
when he turned to his fellow comrades
for help, one was up tree and the
other had fallen off a log into the
swamp.
Judge Hoffman's little girl was found
to be big girl whose name refers to
money.
A very interesting paper was read,
written by Mrs. George Blackwell, Sr-
Many of the young people who have
grown up here recalled interesting
events.
And then the call came for eats.
Such feed! After all the pie and
cake came watermelon.
The account of this excellent picnic
can be closed in no better way than
by quoting an original poem written
hv Mrs James Blackboard and copied
from the Old Time History. The poem
reads.
Let us drink a toast to the pioneer
To those passed on and those still here
IN a cup of water crystal clear.
From the snow-ca capped Kootenai-
To those strong backed men upright
as pines,
Stern of purpose and vision fine,
Who an empire shaped by their design
They won the West for us.
Lift high the cup, give a mighty cheer
Qusff deep and long to the pioneer.
His way was hard but he knew no.
fear
AS he blazed the trail for US.
Following is the paper written b,
Mrs. Blackwell and which racounts hel
first visit to- Libby:
| doubt If any memory OF pacA
trains, long tricks, fear OF Indian en-
counters. or short rations could o.
more indellibly imprinted on one
memory than my recollection OF m.
first trip to Libby by slow train.
NE. I'll. 1fr.x.o1 LoI ynndo fhrpp r1rp
vious trip. The first over the pas
from Noxon, entered this district 3,
way Of Granite Greek, where ne flrs
discovered the glacier that was names
for him. (The Blackwell Glacier abov
Granite Lake,
The second trip he came up tn
river from Bonners Ferry and on tina
trip he had an Indian compauol
whom YOU have seen in Libby an
who passed on to the happy huntin
grounds last spring (Sam Kootenai).
TIE third trip was made by way @
Thompson Falls, entering the Libh
district by way Of Libby creek.
He often told Of the hardships. tn
Indian scares and long hikes and
would marvel that he cared so niue
for adventure as to want to 60 to sue
an unchartered country.
am natural born coward and b
knew full well it would be impossibl
to bring me over the old trails althoug
my mother had come in by pack trai
and was living on Libby creek whe
came. The railroad had been lai
west SO -sa George and / came wit
him on his fourth trip. This was
July 1891.
We left Murray, Idaho, the mornir
of July End going by stage to Wa
lace. From Wallace we went by tral
to Harrison, Idaho, where we embark
ed on steamer and crossed the lal
to Occur d'Alene City, then again !
train to Spokane where we spent L
4th and 5th of July buying supple
The morning of the 9Th we left Spoil
ane by N. P. train for Standpoint, a
Continued on page eight