Thank You For Your Service Three Rivers You Will Always Be Remembered Historical Times May—June 2018

The History of Memorial Day Article is from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Three years after the Civil War Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began Day on the last Monday of April, ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of there two years earlier. A stone in Alabama on the fourth Monday of an organization of Union veterans — a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery April, and Georgia on April 26. North the Grand Army of the Republic carries the statement that the first and South Carolina observe it on (GAR) — established Decoration Day Decoration Day ceremony took May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and as a time for the nation to decorate place there on April 29, 1866. Tennessee calls that date the graves of the war dead with Carbondale was the wartime home Confederate Decoration Day. Texas flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 celebrates Confederate Heroes Day declared that Decoration Day should places have been named in January 19 and Virginia calls the last be observed on May 30. It is believed connection with the origin of Monday in May Confederate that date was chosen because Memorial Day, many of them in Memorial Day. flowers would be in bloom all over the the South where most of the war Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to country. dead were buried. decorate graves in 1868 “with the The first large observance was held Official Birthplace Declared In choicest flowers of springtime” urged: that year at Arlington National 1966, Congress and “We should guard their graves with Cemetery, across the Potomac River Lyndon Johnson declared sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant from , D.C. Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of paths invite the coming and going of The ceremonies centered around the Memorial Day. There, a ceremony reverent visitors and fond mourners. mourning-draped veranda of the on May 5, 1866, honored local Let no neglect, no ravages of time, Arlington mansion, once the home of veterans who had fought in the testify to the present or to the coming Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Civil War. Businesses closed and generations that we have forgotten Washington officials, including Gen. residents flew flags at half-staff. as a people the cost of a free and and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say undivided republic.” over the ceremonies. After speeches, earlier observances in other children from the Soldiers’ and places were either informal, not Continued on page 3….. Sailors’ Orphan Home and members community-wide or one-time of the GAR made their way through events. the cemetery, strewing flowers on By the end of the 19th century, both Union and Confederate graves, Memorial Day ceremonies were reciting prayers and singing hymns. being held on May 30 throughout Local Observances Claim To Be the nation. State legislatures First Local springtime tributes to the passed proclamations designating Civil War dead already had been held the day, and the Army and Navy in various places. One of the first adopted regulations for proper occurred in Columbus, Miss., April observance at their facilities. 25, 1866, when a group of women It was not until after World War I, visited a cemetery to decorate the however, that the day was graves of Confederate soldiers who expanded to honor those who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby have died in all American wars. In were the graves of Union soldiers, 1971, Memorial Day was declared neglected because they were the a national holiday by an act of enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the Congress, though it is still often bare graves, the women placed some called Decoration Day. It was then of their flowers on those graves, as also placed on the last Monday in well. May, as were some other federal Today, cities in the North and the holidays. South claim to be the birthplace of Many Southern states also have Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon their own days for honoring the and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as Confederate dead. Mississippi well as Richmond, Va. The village of celebrates Confederate Memorial

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Editor’s Corner A New Addition To Our Outdoor Display…. with Tom Marshall The unique 1873 New England Tunnel and Smelting Company ore smelter from now has a safe, permanent home at the Three Rivers Museum. Thanks to Sequoia National You can tell its spring, everything, including Park for its work in hauling it down the mountain and settling it in the museum’s new outdoor my sinuses, are in full bloom. All the big display. More will be coming, including the smelter’s fascinating story. events around town have come and gone or is just ahead of us. It is a busy time at the museum also. By now I find that most people in town have heard about public restrooms and what the Historical Society is trying to work out with Tulare County. That is true. We have been at it for over a year now with meetings and site plans and drawings and who knows what. We are getting closer but it does take time and the big word MONEY keeps creeping into the conversations. When all this started we figured it best to not say anything public until it happens but it’s time to get everyone involved in showing support for what we want to do for our community. The Three Rivers Phone Book Is Coming! The program for the county’s portion of the project is going before the full Board of This edition is a joint effort of the Supervisors soon and we need letters from Three Rivers Historical Society and Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce everyone supporting the idea of public restrooms in Three Rivers. Not just from the businesses along Sierra Drive but from all of The museum board and the new chamber board felt it was time for a new edition. Yes, the us that support the idea. When visitors come current phone book has not been the most popular book in town. A lot of mistakes were made through town and find no restrooms they with collections, additions and deletions but that was then and this is now with a whole new have a different outlook on our village and we group working on it and publishing it ourselves. really don’t need that. It’s important here to know that putting out this book is a very big job and involves a lot of The next phase of this BIG plan is our barn volunteers checking, updating and a lot more to make it something that is so important to our and we could really use support here. By community. Yellow postcards have to put a various places around town so you can provide joining us for a day at Eagle Mountain and your information. We are not relying on the postcards only. They are just another source but a taking part in our events like the Hot Dog very good one to get your information to the joint group doing the book. Festival or the Drive-Thur BBQ all adds up Only land-line and/or cell phone numbers will be listed. NO addresses except in the business and be watching for announcement on a classified section. Don’t wait for us to call you, turn in your information now! major fund raiser for this project very soon. I don’t think you will be disappointed. Yellow Card fill out and drop off at the museum Email [email protected] Call me personally and let me know how Write Chamber Phone Book, PO Box 818, Three Rivers, CA 93271 you can help with our community plans.

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Memorial Day, cont... Mr. and Mrs.

The crowd attending the first Memori- A bit of history excerpt submitted Big Oak Flat and empties into the al Day ceremony at Arlington Nation- by Mrs. W A Swanson from ‘The Kaweah. al Cemetery was approximately the Current’ newspaper 1948 The first house he built on the land same size as those that attend to- ———————————————— was a crude one of logs. The house day’s observance, about 5,000 peo- - is long gone but the oak tree under ple. Then, as now, small American We meet Mr. and Mrs. Hale D which it stood is still there. flags were placed on each grave — a Tharp, the first white settlers of the The house he built in 1874 is still tradition followed at many national Kaweah Valley, as they are crossing on the place but rather fallen in de- cemeteries today. In recent years, the plains in a covered wagon train cay. This was reported in 1948. the custom has grown in many fami- coming from the east to the golden There were many Indians in the lies to decorate the graves of all de- state of . valley at that time. Mr. Tharp was parted loved ones. At that time Mrs. Tharp was still a always friendly with them. He had fire The origins of special services to young widow by the name of Chloe arms. They had bows and arrows. honor those who die in war can be Ann Swanson, traveling to California He shot game and gave them the found in antiquity. The Athenian lead- with her four small sons, her mother- meat. They like him. He was their er Pericles offered a tribute to the in-law, and an uncle of her late hus- “white chief” always. fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian band, John Henry Swanson. War over 24 centuries ago that could White the wagon train was en- be applied today to the 1.1 million camped for a few days at one place Americans who have died in the na- along the route, the widow Swanson tion’s wars: “Not only are they com- was doing a bit of ironing when a memorated by columns and inscrip- man came near and began to get tions, but there dwells also an unwrit- “right fresh.” Mrs. Swanson threw ten memorial of them, graven not on the hot flat iron at him and he fled. stone but in the hearts of men.” Hale Tharp happened to be stand- To ensure the sacrifices of America ing near by and so witnessed the ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, proceedings, and he decided then in December 2000, the U.S. Con- and there that he wanted that widow gress passed and the president for his wife, and so they were mar- signed into law “The National Mo- ried. The year was 1852. ment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106 Their first home in California was -579, creating the White House Com- in Placerville, where Tharp worked mission on the National Moment of in the mines, but an explosion in Remembrance. The commission’s which he was working injured his charter is to “encourage the people health to such an extent that he was of the United States to give some- unable to continue the work in the Hale Tharp thing back to their country, which mines. and provides them so much freedom and He came down to Tulare county Chloe Tharp opportunity” by encouraging and co- and into this valley and liked what he ordinating commemorations in the saw here. The lushness of nature United States of Memorial Day and untouched by any hands but those the National Moment of Remem- of the Indians who disturbed it not brance. much. The singing , The National Moment of Remem- flowing over rocks, making music. brance encourages all Americans to Deer and other animals darting here pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. and there. And, over all, the quiet local time on Memorial Day for a mi- peace that pervaded the atmos- nute of silence to remember and phere. honor those who have died in service He went back to Placerville to tell to the nation. As Moment of Remem- his wife about what he had found brance founder Carmella LaSpada and she told him that she would be states: “It’s a way we can all help put contented there. He returned to the the memorial back in Memorial Day.” Kaweah valley and obtained an acreage along Horse Creek, a stream that has its source west of

Three Rivers Historical Society & Museum P.O. Box 162 42268 Sierra Dr Three Rivers, CA 93271 Phone: 559-561-2707 [email protected] www.3rmuseum.org

Established - December 1991 Museum Opened October 2000 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization Board of Directors Tom Marshall, President Nancy Brunson, Vice-President Dody Marshall, Treasurer/Secretary Susan Wolff, Docent Coordinator 2018 Events Rusty Crain, Director REDBUD FESTIVAL May 12-13 Bob Burke, Arts & Crafts Show At Memorial Building Director SENIOR LEAGUE YARD SALE Shivon Lavely, Did you know that we MAY 19, 9am - 3pm Director have garden stepping At Memorial Building Jackie Tuttle, stones representing each HOT DOG FESTIVAL Director/Facebook July 14 - 10am to 4pm of the services and At The Museum Kim Kauling, Director coming soon are roping EAGLE MOUNTAIN BUS TRIP and garden stones August 22 - 9am to 4pm Louise Jackson, Tickets available at Museum and Board Members Director NATIVE-AMERICAN DAYS Darlene Mayfield, September 25-26-27 Director Public Welcome To Observe Julie Britten-Bruns Drive Thru BBQ Dinner Night Director October 6, 4pm-7pm At The Museum Daryl Bruns Director FESTIVAL OF TREES November 28, 3:00pm Preview

November 29, 5:00pm, dinner & auction Finance Committee We have all services, I wonder COMMUNITY CAROLING Nancy Brunson why I picked Navy for display December 1, 5pm-7pm At The Museum Mike Little, CPA and Rusty Crain Shop in the Museum Or On-line at https://squareup.com/ store/3rmuseum