Odebolt, Iowa - 1907 Fourth of July Celebration

Vol. 21, No. 11, Chronicle, July 11, 1907

ODEBOLT’S GREATEST THRONG

SIX THOUSAND VISITORS WERE HERE

They Came From Far and Near to Celebrate the Fourth in Odebolt
and Everybody Enjoyed the Day--Good Weather, an Orderly Crowd and Something Doing All the Time

All the old settlers agree that the largest crowd ever seen in Odebolt spent the day here on the Fourth.  Shortly after seven o’clock in the morning the teams were stringing into town and two hours later thousands were on the streets.  Over 100 came from Lake City, as many from Auburn, and hundreds from Ida Grove, Kiron, Arthur, Wall Lake, Lake View, Early and Schaller, and few country families within fifteen miles were not represented.  One thousand people, by actual count, were at the ball game in the afternoon and their absence from the streets made no perceptible shortage in the crowd which filled the business center.  We think a conservative estimate would be 6,000 visitors in addition to the population of the town, and many think this guess too low.

The weather was the hottest of the season.  Observer Starner’s thermometer registered 97 degrees in the shade, but a breeze throughout the day tempered the heat.

Congressman Hubbard failed to reach Odebolt until noon, and hence had no opportunity to deliver his address with out interfering with the other features of the program.  Everybody was disappointed, but his chagrin was greater than anybody’s, for he had made strenuous efforts to get here on time, only to encounter one piece of hard luck after another.  Mr. Hubbard has been spending a month in a cottage with his family near Manhattan Beach, Lake Okoboji.  He came across the lake on the morning of July 3 to the Milwaukee station and found that the train had changed time July 1 without notice and had pulled out when he arrived.  This delayed him half a day.  He got to Storm Lake in the evening, but as every rig and automobile was engaged, he could get no one to bring him across the country to Odebolt.  At seven o’clock in the evening he wired Charley Early at Sac City to have a team ready to take him to Odebolt when he arrived there at 8:35 on the Milwaukee in the morning.  At the same time he wired the editor of THE CHRONICLE that he would drive to Odebolt from Sac City in the morning.  His telegram to Mr. Early had not reached Sac City at ten o’clock next day and his message to W. E. Hamilton was not received by the operator in Odebolt until 1:10 in the afternoon of the Fourth.  When he reached Sac City there was no team waiting for him, and for nearly two hours Mr. Hubbard and a number of others offered any price for a conveyance, without success.  Finally, at ten o’clock, an automobile was engaged and Mr. Hubbard started for Odebolt, hoping to make the trip in an hour.  But there were many teams on the road and top speed could not be made.  He would have arrived only a few minutes late, however, had not a tire been lost.  The machine ran on a rim the last seven miles.  He arrived in Odebolt about noon, by which time the crowd at the park had dispersed.  The matter of a speech in the afternoon was discussed but the amusement program was behind time and he could not have spoken without interfering with other features.  Mr. Hubbard expressed the keenest regret, and although his expenses were heavy, stated that he did not expect reimbursement.  He made an earnest effort to fill the appointment and started in ample time, but was prevented from arriving on time by unforeseen obstacles; and the members of the committee who invited him to speak here and know the circumstances are not disposed to listen with patience to criticism from those who are either ignorant of or deliberately mispresent [sic] the facts. 

A double quartette rendered excellent music at the park, and Rev. Joshua Oden, who offered the invocation, made a brief but eloquent and thoughtful speech which pleased the audience.  Mr. Oden had not expected to speak and his remarks were highly creditable to him.  After listening to Mr. Oden’s happy address and enjoying selections by the double quartette and the band, the audience went in search of refreshment for the inner man, and after all had been given an opportunity to eat dinner and quench thirst the amusements began. 

The Wallace Amusement company’s apparatus was delayed in transit and did not arrive until the 1:20 train came in, so that feature was not given until three o’clock.  The foot races and other contests filled in the time until four o’clock, when 1,000 of the crowd went to the ball ground and saw the Odebolt boys defeat the Ida Grove team by a score of 13 to 0.  (A report and score of the game will be found elsewhere in this issue.)  After supper came the sawhorse pillow fight, the battle royal and a second entertainment given by the Wallace company; and then at least 3,500 people gathered on the hill near the water tank and saw the fireworks.

 

The parade in the morning was one of the notable features, surpassing expectations.  Most of the firms in town were represented by original and well designed floats.  The Iverson Dinges company won the prize for the best float; Marshal Hoff had a cinch on the $250 [$2.50?] offered for the most comical float with his “Hotel de Hoff,” a representation of a town bastile [sic] on wheels with a hobo looking through the bars; and Will McIntosh deserved the ragmuffin prize awarded to him.  The car of state, with its pretty girls, attracted much attention.

iverson_dinges_co.jpg (92920 bytes)
Iverson-Dinges Company
(Click for enlargement)

Single blessedness and race suicide are evidently getting hold in this locality, for the prize offered by THE CHRONICLE to the couple getting married on the stand in the park and the prize hung up by the Perkins Drug company for the largest family in attendance were unclaimed.

There were fifty entries for the three baby prizes offered by Drs. Crane & Crane.  It was easy enough to weigh the youngsters and award prizes for the largest and smallest; but when it came to the prettiest the two judges were afraid to take the responsibility and called four others in consultation before arriving at a decision.  The awards were as follows:  Largest baby, Augustine Lunkenheimer, aged thirteen months, weight twenty eight pounds; smallest baby, Jessie McDonough, aged two months, weight ten pounds; prettiest baby, Wayne Therkelsen.

The hundred yard dash, open to all, was won easily by Jim Williams, the Onawa professional.  Vincent Ballard was second and Will Davenport third.

Burgess Level was first in the hundred yard dash for boys under fifteen, John Kampmeyer second and Floyd Level third.

Len Simon won the novelty hurdle race, Neal Currie second, Earl Wagner third.

Jim Williams and Len Simon were first in the wheelbarrow race.  Neal Currie and Earl Wagner second.  Myron Paul and Cliford Cranston third.

First in the flag race went to the team composed of the two Cranstons, two Blasses, Williams, Simon, Frevert and Dannenberg.   Stratton, Ortberg, Currie, Wagner, Davenport, Currie, Ballard and Paul made up the second team.  Time of winner 36 2.5; second, 37 1.5.

Marguerite Motie won the fifty yard dash [for] girls, Frances Deik second, Emma Schramm third.

First prize in the spoon race was captured by Frances Deik, Marguerite Motie second, Emma Schramm third.

Burgess Level won the hop toad race, Russell Cooper second, Oliver Hansen third.

Alden Robinson took the barrel race, Martin Carlson second.

J.O. Vance’s nag was first in the novelty horse race, Forrest Chandler’s second, John Kampmeyer’s third.

Will Godbersen held his place against all comers in the sawhorse pillow fight and Fred Blass cleared the ring in the battle royal.

The Odebolt band discoursed great music throughout the day.

Col. Teaquist, the marshal, was mounted on a beautiful charger donated by Lincoln H. Davenport, and made a soldierly appearance.  His stentorian tones could be heard for blocks, and his energy and grasp of the situation put the program through without a hitch.

All the committees worked hard and the members were a weary lot of fellows when the day closed.

We didn’t hear of a scrap, there were few cases of intoxication and no accidents with the exception of the injury to Conrad Nagel, reported in another column.

Nothing was stolen from any of the houses or stores, and at this writing no one has reported a pocket picked.  Evidently burglars and petty thieves were doing business elsewhere.

 - Researched and transcribed by B. Ekse

 

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