Peek at the Past

100 Years Ago

May 19, 1920

The American Legion, cooperating with the town officials and the commercial club, has arranged the following program for Decoration Day (Monday, May 31). Mayor Roberts has been requested to act as marshal and Judge Nichols as speaker of the day. At seven o’clock in the morning, reveille will be played and the flag raised to half mast. At ten o’clock the school children, veterans and others will form in a procession at the court house to march to the cemetery, where the exercises will be in charge of the marshal of the day, including the firing of a salute in honor of the dead followed by decorating of the graves. At eleven thirty at the commercial club hall there will be community singing and Judge Nichols will deliver the address of the day, after which the flag will be raised to full mast. At half past two there will be a baseball game at the Sundance diamond. A team of married men will be chosen by Harry Schloredt, while Fred Good will lead the singles. At five in the afternoon retreat will be played and the flag lowered. The commercial club has been fortunate in securing a patriotic moving picture by Griffith, “The Girl Who Stayed Home,” to be shown on the evening of Decoration Day, thus fittingly closing the day’s observance.

75 Years Ago

May 24, 1945

Announcement was made this week of the purchase of the Bear Lodge hotel by the Mason Roberts, formerly of Devils Tower. They have been living in Rapid City during recent months and are moving here Friday to assume their new business. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Williams, who have operated the Bear Lodge hotel since it was built in 1939, are moving to the Maurice Williams ranch near Beulah.

One of the last of the Texas cowboys who followed the trail herds north in the late `70’s, Joseph W. Driskill, 83, died May 22in Belle Fourche following an illness of several years. Born at San Marcos, Texas, the son of a cattle rancher, Mr. Driskill took to the life of a cowboy in his early teens, and followed that life until the close of the open range days. He came north in 1879 as a horse wrangler with a crew of 17 men driving 1700 head of cattle. His cousin, Tolbert Driskill, was trail boss and the cattle formed the start of the range operations of the Driskills in this area.

50 Years Ago

May 21, 1970

A group of bleary-eyed Sundance seniors will leave here at 4 a.m. Thursday to start off a 3-day class trip to the Jackson area. Seniors and their chaperones will stay at the Heart Six Ranch at Moran and will dine in the first night at Jackson Lake Lodge. They will visit the Jackson tramway, wax museum, game refuge and feed grounds and will also swim at Jackson and Thermopolis.

Six members of the Bear Lodge FFA chapter were all honored for their achievements during the past year at the chapter’s annual banquet Monday night. Awards were presented to Larry Ellsbury, Star Green Hand; Perry Livingston, DeKalb award and Star Chapter Farmer; John Mitchell, Green Hand creed contest; Joe Engelhaupt, agriculture mechanics award; Dan Moline, scholastic achievement award; and Bruce Cundy, public speaking award.

25 Years Ago

May 25, 1995

The third annual Murray Moeller Memorial Run was recently held in San Diego, CA. This year the run not only was a tribute to Murray’s memory, but it also began a yearly pledge effort to finance a scholarship in his name. The event raised a total of $1280 which was matched by John Landis, one of Murray’s employers.