| Show IN ARIZONA if we dont live in utah we still respect pioneer day at the celebration that took place here on the fourth of july the features were a parade program in the academy hall racing in the afternoon and a ball in the evening A motion was made there to celebrate the twenty fourth in accordance with the proclamation made by the first presidency Preal dency and circular letters received by our bishops from the committee elders heber J grant and B H roberts the people of the different wards showed their patriotism to the government and reverence to the brave men who died in the maine explosion pl oslon in our ward in thatcher we had a nice program the singing was w as appropriate for the ocoa occasion sion the songs were 0 10 my father and nearer my god to thee the bishops first counselor john hill jr read the memorial call brothers george duff cluff john hill J jr r and W W pace spoke after which a collection was taken up and the people donated liberally it was thought that the thatcher Tb atcher war ward d did themselves honor on the fourth but it was not to be co compared with the time we had on pioneer day which was waa celebrated on monday the shortly after 9 the parade was w as moving toward safford eafford which is three miles east t here they almost needed that much space to accommodate them in all there were sixty four floats wagons and carriages and forty men and ladies on horseback the first were f four our young ladies dresek in white on ho hosn and carrying earing caring ry ing the flag next was the thatcher brass band just back or the band float were two floats of and Ari zonas pioneers 1847 was represented by an odd old team and cart with a boy dressed as an old woman with asun a gun bonnet and dress on and a man dressed old fashioned old harness and cooking utensils and two little children oh ildren and other things were in the back of the cart next was a wagon with a wigwam and some iome indians around it home industry varne came next on this float were ladies knitting spinning and working at the loom next was a very pretty carriage with six ladles dressed in white with yellow badges and sunflowers sun flowers and the carriage was decorated with yellow and white representing gold and sivler it was called equal rights several carriages representing 1898 earn cam 2 next there was wa s quite a difference between 1847 wagon and 1898 carriages the Y th and Y M 1 I A had a pretty float represent ing temperance on the front in large letters was as written improvement our motto perfection our alm aim and on this float were a number of young la dies and young men next came a float containing the sunday school filled with children childr en there were so many in the sunday school float that it took a grain header box to hold them and two span of horses to pun pull them the primary float came next decorated with white which was very pretty in the float were twenty four little girls dressed in white and the same number of boys dressed in white drawing the float were three spans spam of horses on the horses were six little boys dressed in white there was a wagon with fruit and vegetables some stock 4 of corn that they had were fully fourteen feet high and it had not tas meled yet there were some very nice apples peaches grapes grape water melons etc C layton co had a merchandise display next came a float with a broom factory on it and two men man were making brooms while they were parading A little carriage was next drawn by two small donkeys A wagon with lumber pine trees on it were next representing the lumber yard then the procession was made up of citizens they all paraded the street of safford stopping on the square while the band played some music at safford a float representing pioneer day came in wlm with us the people of layton ward got gat it up the day before our celebration it was very warm but a wind came up in the evening and cooled the atmosphere so that it was nice and cool the next day after the parade was over the people had lunch and then went to the program which was very vilce nice roberi koban sons large hall was overflowing wibb people elder U D johnson of ohp th presidency of the stake was orator of the day the band furnished sheil a few pieces of music some of our people furnished us with songs recitations readings orations duets etc three living pioneers of 1847 vere present holding badges from aaa last years jubilee brother philemon merrhl cased through part of this C country on ahw way to california as a member of the mormon battalion and nd later in tie season joined the pioneers in utah he was one of the speakers Rp eakers azil ani during his remarks he spoke of that remarkable journey the other two pioneers were isaac P Hobi Robin naon aou and sister ollerton who came into hito utah as children about fifteen years of age the hall ball was waa decorated lovely on the wall were pictures of some of our departed pioneers who were 13 president resl brigham young and mcgrand my grandfather heber C kimball and also our former stake president christopher layton who was tt a member ot the mormon battalion and there them were others at the close of the program was a dance given for the children in the evening there was wall 4 party for the older people where they danced the step of 1847 thatcher celebration to be b drawing place for the entire county there were many people from diff different erent settlements and many distinguished men from Solo monville our county seat it has been very warm down here lately and Is still very warm it has been degrees lo in the shade once or twice but one good thins thing there az ar little breezes sometimes when you think that you cannot stand the het any longer the wind blows up a towa sabra and clears tue atmosphere the other evening there wai was N V pleasant social given civen by the of the eighty quorum of seventy thero was a nice program and nice refreshments such as watermelon ice cream etc and it wa waft waa A held at the house of brother Br otheir george bluffs duffs besides the seven presidents and their wives there were the presidency of the stake and their wives peaches grown here are the largest I 1 have ever seen we have had our first crop of peaches and now have our second and will soon have our third peach seasons season sare are only abut two weeks apart after they start we had some clinge clingstone tone peaches given to us that were very large we had to out cut them 0 to o et el them into the bottle our seedless grapes are just delicious when fruit starts june bugs start too and it if you want music just come to arizona you can hear music from a fly to a june bug respectfully CLARE KIMBALL thatcher her arizona july 26 1898 |
