Some history on Magnolia Old Settlers
Some of you may already know this history, but I think it's cool. I've only been here for a couple years and this is my column, so please allow me to rehash some information that may already be common knowledge.
First, it is important to know that Magnolia was the only town in the county from 1853 – 1870. This means it was the center of everything, essentially, from trade and commerce to churches and schools. The first Old Settlers meeting was held on Aug. 25, 1885 in the grove surrounding the school house, with Hon. Phineas Caldwell as president and Judge King and Judge Ford addressing the meeting, which is believed to have had 1,000 people present.
Some of those early pioneers (last names include Hardy, Merchant, Bedsaul, Cutler, Chatburn, Mahoney, Seeley, Brown and others) have descendants who still keep up the tradition with annual celebration in Magnolia. Only two years have been missed as far as anyone knows: 1943 because of food and gas rationing during World War II and 1948 when a polio epidemic was prevalent in Harrison County.
In 1926, a log cabin was built in the park and dedicated to the memory of those early pioneers on Aug. 26, the day Old Settlers Day was held that year. It was “dedicated in loving memory to our pioneers, with tender memories for the aged, for inspiration and education for the youth.” A sculptured head of Abraham Lincoln was was also placed above the inscription, “From Log Cabin to White House.” Pictures of early Magnolia settlers were also placed in the cabin.
With the 2024 edition of the celebration being held this past weekend, it's appropriate to stop and think about where it started, who it has been passed down from and how it is still keeping up today. These traditions are the often the lifeblood of a community.
My trip to Colorado
A couple weeks ago I took a four day trip to Colorado with eight of my friends for my bachelor trip (my wedding is quickly approaching – how terrifying). This vacation was conveniently placed after fair season and before the school year started. Such is the life of a newspaperman.
The place we stayed at had a view of Pikes Peak from the front porch, which was nice for an early morning coffee hangout spot. We spent the days hiking and seeing the sights and the nights hanging out and catching up.
As my wedding is approaching, I've had time to think about what it will mean to have so many people who are important to me gathered in one place. I'm sure it won't hit me until the day actually comes, but I would say this vacation was definitely a foretaste.
A combination of the guys who mean a lot to me in my life – family, high school friends and college friends – were all together under one roof and doing activities together throughout the day. But the most special part of the trip wasn't hiking in the mountains or going 1,000 feet underground into a gold mine (although that was awesome). The most special part was being together with the eight guys who I call my brothers, all at the same time. It was exactly what I needed as I took a break from the hustle and bustle of putting the paper together and really put my life in perspective.
An incident near my hometown
Maybe some of you have seen it, but there was a recent incident up in Hampton that drew plenty of attention around the region.
The Hampton Police Department arrested Daniel Embree, 38, of Hampton, who is charged with eight counts of second-degree harassment for “allegedly placing paper printouts on several business doors,” according to the Des Moines Register.
The catch is that these printouts were specifically placed on Hispanic-owned businesses and read, “Illegal immigrant hunting permit. No bag limit. Tagging not required. Trump 2024.”
I grew up about 30 minutes from Hampton and, back when I was an intern for my hometown newspaper, I often covered games there. I can tell you wholeheartedly that that town would either not exist or would be a complete shell of itself without the work of the Hispanic community.
Fortunately, many people flocked to these businesses to show their support. Embree's actions have been denounced by area political figures and it seems that all is right in the world as far as the correction goes.
But, let's not forget what contributes to this line of thinking. Posters talking about the hunting of illegal immigrants were placed on legally owned and operated Hispanic businesses. There's a disconnect there, and Embree isn't the only person suffering from that disconnect. The unfortunate part is that this delusion and suffering contributes to the suffering of others.
I really despise politics and I don't care to comment too much on the presidential candidates who are placed in front of us this year. But, the candidates we get are a symptom of a deeper issue in American society that would require much more space than this for me to expound upon. And even then it would just be my opinion – I don't know anything. All I will say is that we should look to the people who recognize the humanity of others and invite us to participate in that recognition. Those people are usually in our day-to-day lives and not on television.
Everyone has their opinion on how we're going to save America. Let's say you get what you want, and you or your favorite politician saves America in whatever form or fashion you think is best. Congratulations – you've saved America. But you didn't save your soul. Let's keep ourselves oriented toward what's most important.
