Every July 24 the Latter-day Saints keep Pioneer Day, the anniversary of the first pioneer company's arrival in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Arbon Valley, where many first families had come from Latter-day Saint towns such as Samaria, Mendon and Wellsville, kept it too, and the American Falls Press and later the Salt Lake Tribune reported how.
In 1909, when the valley was still in Oneida County, the Arbon column expected "an enjoyable time" at the celebration on the 24th. In 1915 a large crowd kept the day at the Pauline L.D.S. grounds, at the valley's north end, with a morning program and racing of various kinds.
1916: a parade to the Central school
The fullest account, with the whole program and committees, came in the Press's Arbon News of August 3, 1916.
The 24th of July, Pioneer Day, was a big event here and was on in full force at Central school and Pauline. The celebration opened with parades and followed by a splendid program. The afternoon was given over to races and various sports and a big game and dance at night.
At Pauline they celebrated for two days. The prizes were paid "in the form of orders to the various stores at Pocatello who contributed to the celebration."
The Central school was the District 12 schoolhouse on the north Arbon floor, on land given by T. B. Evans; the valley later called it Green Top. The parade ran at 10 a.m. from Joe Evans's corner to the schoolhouse. Joe Arbon and Joe Evans raised the flag and fired the guns; they were probably Joseph N. Arbon, the Arbon Ward's first bishop, and T. B. Evans's son Jonah E. "Joe" Evans. The marshal of the day was E. T. Anderson, whom the Andersen family history identifies as Ezra Taft Andersen. A male quartette was directed by a Bailey whose first name the digitized text garbles, probably Lorin Bailey, the Arbon choir leader. E. H. Davis and J. R. Bailey were the finance committee, and Mrs. T. B. Evans, Mrs. Ren Bailey and Mrs. Annie Smith had charge of the floats.
The committees show how the bowery, a shelter roofed with brush, went up. George Iverson, Frank Turner, Mr. Thyberg and Eddie Davis were among those named for brush; Jim and Chance Payne helped set the poles and posts; and John Payne, Chas. Porter and David Ripley saw to the seats. Mamie Arbon, the John Bullocks, the Ren Evanses, the Julius Abters and the John Andersons were among those named for the pioneer parade. David Ripley and John Payne had charge of an auto parade, an early sign of the automobile in the valley.
Pauline and Crystal, 1917–1920
In 1917, the first summer after the United States entered the war, the Press page that listed the draft numbers of Pauline and Arbon men also reported that "Pioneer Day at Pauline was celebrated with usual ceremony and the usual good time, in honor of the early settlers who came to this section of the west." The celebration centered on a store, its owner's name garbled in the digitized text, where refreshments were served for everyone; "a heavy rainstorm came up during the bucking contest" and sent the crowd hurrying for shelter.
In 1918 the column from Crystal, the high basin of homesteads on Midnight and Rattlesnake creeks, reported a pioneer celebration, probably held there. A finance committee, apparently Crystal's, had gone to Pocatello beforehand and "secured about 25 or 30 handsome premiums" for the race winners. On July 30 the column reported:
The pioneer celebration on the 24th of July was quite a success. A nice crowd attended, many coming from Pocatello and other vicinities. Quite a number of the Indians came and did some racing which was quite interesting. Over 30 prizes were given away to the winners of different races and at night two prizes were given for the best lady waltzer.
The paper does not name the Indian racers or say where they came from. Mrs. Spencer Breeze and Mrs. J. Smith won the waltz prizes for the young and the older ladies, and Ray Poorman auctioned a watermelon given by Hugh Poling for something over $15 for the Red Cross.
In 1920 the Arbon correspondent reminded readers that the day was "set apart for observation in commemoration of those who endured the hardships incident to the early settlement and development of the intermountain west." On Saturday, July 24, a large crowd gathered at Pauline, where "the warehouse was decorated up, and opened to the public. Free lemonade was served at all times." This was probably the valley's first grain warehouse. There were foot races, horse races, bucking contests and a program; the Pauline baseball team beat Crystal; and the dance in the warehouse lasted "until a late hour," with music by Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Cruse of Crystal. The correspondent added that drink was "quite in evidence," that people had to keep clear of "the drunken ones on horseback," and that women and children had several narrow escapes from injury.
The three wards by the oil well
On July 24, 1924, the Salt Lake Tribune printed a dispatch from Pocatello:
Pioneer day will be appropriately celebrated in Arbon valley and the three wards in the valley have cooperated for the celebration, which will be held at the schoolhouse near the oil well of the Gem State Petroleum company.
The company's well, one of the valley's oil tests, was 730 feet down that May and stood on the Tom Evans place, as the Evans family history records, and in 1925 the county school report put the District 12 school "next door to the Arbon oil well." So the celebration was probably at the Central school, where the 1916 parade had ended. Morning exercises, with George Jorgenson of Pocatello as "orator of the day," were to be followed by a basket picnic at noon and an afternoon of bucking contests, races and sports, and many Pocatello people were expected. The Tribune does not name the three wards, and no report of how the day went has been found.
In 1929 the Tribune announced that Pioneer Day would be kept with "a community and sports program at Arbon, marking completion of the $11,000 meeting and amusement hall there," with sports in the afternoon and dancing in the evening. The site's entry on the first meetinghouses tells more of the building; accounts differ on when the new church house was dedicated.
The reports do not say who spoke in 1916, who won most of the races, or who rode in the bucking contests.
The article as printed
American Falls Press, August 3, 1916, page 4, the "Arbon News" column. The paragraph on Pioneer Day and the one after it are transcribed from the page scan; the rest is from the Library of Congress text of the page, so its paragraph breaks are inferred. The program was printed in two columns, items and performers, which that text reads apart: they are given here in the order it reads them, and which performer went with which item cannot be recovered. Five performers and two items that the text sets among the committees are given with the program.
ARBON NEWS.
Our rainy days have come. We have had several hard showers, also severe lightning. The grain is turning fast which means harvesting in a few days.
Harry Hill is passing the treats. It's a girl which came to gladden their home several days ago. Mother and child progressing nicely.
F. [illegible] Jones was in Arbon a few days ago talking with old acquaintances.
[illegible] Affleck and family were visitors at the home of Mrs. Affleck's parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Evans, last week.
A petition is in circulation for turning Knox canyon and tributaries into a forest reserve. The petition is to keep the sheep back and have pasture for the stock.
The 24th of July, Pioneer Day, was a big event here and was on in full force at Central school and Pauline. The celebration opened with parades and followed by a splendid program. The afternoon was given over to races and various sports and a big ball game and dance at night. At Pauline they celebrated two days, the 24th and 25th. A considerable amount of money was distributed in prizes given for various contests and amusements. The prizes were given in the form of orders to the various stores at Pocatello who contributed to the celebration. A general good time was enjoyed by all.
Mr. and Mrs. Madden and family, the village blacksmith, spent Pioneer Day at Dempsey, Idaho.
Program for the 24th of July.
Raising of flag and firing of guns Joe Arbon and Joe Evans.
Marshal of Day E. T. Anderson
J. R. Bailey
Loran Bailey
Choir
Chaplain
Choir
Chaplain of Day
Chorister
Singing
Prayer
Singing
Instrumental music Mrs. May Fuller and Son.
Recitation
Song
[illegible]
Song
Dialogue, direction of Mrs. Annie Smith
Male Quartette, direction of Loran Bailey.
Stump Speech
Song
Instrumental Music Mrs. Tracy [illegible]
Mrs. W. K. [illegible]
May Ripley and [illegible] Bowen
Sarah Payne
James and Lila Ripley
Mrs. Stella Bailey and Sister
Cliff Gerking
Mrs. L. B. Evans
Recitation
Song
Committees.
Finance E. H. Davis and J. R. Bailey
Floats Mrs. T. B. Evans, Mrs. Ren Bailey and Mrs. Annie Smith.
Pioneer Parade.... Mrs. Beth Arbon, Mamie Arbon, Mr. and Mrs. John Bullock, Mr. and Mrs. Ren Evans, Mr. and Mrs. Julius [illegible], Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson.
Auto Parade David Ripley and John Payne.
Sports Jerry Baker and [illegible].
Brush for Bowery Ora Darling, [illegible] Porter, Cliff Gerking, Joe and Ren Evans, Chas. and Thomas Bailey, Emerson Fuller, Ralph Ripley, Mr. [illegible], Eddie Davis, Frank Turner, Mr. Thyberg, George Iverson, Roy and Homer [illegible].
Poles and Posts Melvin [illegible], Jim and Chance Payne.
Seats John Payne, Chas. Porter and David Ripley.
Parade started at 10 a. m. from Joe Evan's corner and ended at Central school house.
Sources
- American Falls Press, July 24, 1909, page 3
- American Falls Press, July 29, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, August 3, 1916, page 4
- American Falls Press, July 31, 1917, page 1
- American Falls Press, July 26, 1918, page 3
- American Falls Press, July 30, 1918, page 2
- American Falls Press, August 6, 1920, page 2
- American Falls Press, May 22, 1924, page 4
- Salt Lake Tribune, July 24, 1924, page 16
- American Falls Press, October 29, 1925, page 1
- Salt Lake Tribune, July 17, 1929, page 3