Celebrating History: Picnics, carnivals and flies

We return to Box Elder for this 22nd installment celebrating Montana Territory’s 150th anniversary. The following entries were found in the June 5, 1914, issue of The Box Elder Valley Press.

The Farmers’ Picnic

Everybody Invited to Help Make It Big Success — Arrangements Are Under Way Towards Securing Some Speakers — Come and Bring the Whole Family.

Everybody is invited to help hold the annual Farmers’ Basket Picnic on June 18 at the Schwartz grove on the creek two miles west of Box Elder. Arrangements are under way for speakers interested in farmers’ organizations, a musical program and recitations by the young people. Don’t forget the date. Come and bring the while family, even to the babies, as the Social club plan to have a tent erected as a shelter for them that day. Lemonade and lunches will also be sold by the ladies.

Carnival Postponed Until A Later Date

The Booster club held their regular meeting on last Wednesday evening and one new chicken was admitted to the flock. On account of not being able to secure speakers and entertainment features it was decided not to hold the carnival as planned the latter part of June but to hold it at some future date. Several committees were appointed to see about securing attractions and are to report at the next regular meeting on June 17. All members are urged to attend this meeting.

We all know life was much different one hundred years ago, but sometimes we forget about the modern conveniences that make life easier that were simply not available anywhere back then. There were two articles regarding the elimination of flies. Here is one of them:

Flies Breed In Filth

If at first you don’t succeed, swat, swat again.

A mild winter and spring presage the early arrival of our bitterest enemies-flies-in vastly increased numbers. Immediate, well directed of forts must be put forth if the threatening dangers are to be minimized. The time to fight flies is before they become flies-when in the egg or when they are maggots.

The problem of elimination of flies is one of elimination of filth. No filth, no flies.

Flies breed in filth, play on filth, eat filth and distribute filth-the filthiest kind of filth too. If we do away with the breeding places of flies there will be no flies.

Therefore the way to swat flies now is to clean up the fly breeding filth.

Clean up, keep clean and see that your neighbors keep likewise, and you will have few, if any, flies to contend with. Of course have your swatter ready for the first arrivals.

Did they also mention flies bring in filth?

Of course, there were several interesting entries in the social pages:

In And About Our Town

R. L. Driskell has negotiated the sale of Lution Dyer’s homestead to Chris Meyers of Big Sandy.

———

Ever Neilsen is having some extensive alterations made to his domicile and is also having an addition put on.

———

The executive committee of the Development Association met yesterday afternoon at the home of Walter Brown and Dr. J. W. MacKenzie was elected as chairman and C. L. Herzog as secretary.

———

The following Box Elderites have been admitted to citizenship by Judge Utter: O. A. Johnson, A. E. Johnson, L. Jarosz, C. J. S. Carlson, John Johnson and John A. Svendsen.

Notes From The West Bench

The Ladies club met with Mrs. Ray Bangs Wednesday. A good report of the social was read and considerable other business attended to. An extra meeting will be held at the school house Wednesday, June 10 to complete the plans for running a lunch and lemonade counter at the Farmers’ Picnic. All members are urged to be present.

Half Way Coulee Items

Sunday School will be held in the Half-way Coulee school house Sunday afternoons at 2:30. Everybody is welcome.