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 President “We should guard their graves with Cemetery, across the Potomac River Lyndon Johnson declared sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant from Washington, 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 Three Rivers Historical Times P a g e 2 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 Mineral King 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. Three Rivers Historical Times P a g e 3 Memorial Day, cont... Mr. and Mrs. Hale Tharp 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 California. 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.