. Past and present of Mahaska County, Iowa : together with biographical sketches of many of its prominent and leading citizens and illustrious dead. ry was only announcedon occasions when the interest was at the high-est pitch and a great crowd was expected. OurAounger readers may be interested to knowsome of the particulars of such an event. Wegive them as they came to us from an enthusi-astic pioneer, who participated in these occa-sions. A local committee where the feast washeld had charge of the details. The day pre-ceding the roast a trench was dug some ten ortwelve feet long, four or fiv
. Past and present of Mahaska County, Iowa : together with biographical sketches of many of its prominent and leading citizens and illustrious dead. ry was only announcedon occasions when the interest was at the high-est pitch and a great crowd was expected. OurAounger readers may be interested to knowsome of the particulars of such an event. Wegive them as they came to us from an enthusi-astic pioneer, who participated in these occa-sions. A local committee where the feast washeld had charge of the details. The day pre-ceding the roast a trench was dug some ten ortwelve feet long, four or five feet wide and asmany deep. On the night previous, or earlythe next morning, a fire was built in this trenchand kept burning until a heavy bed of coals wasformed at the bottom. Then the ox was killedand dressed and cut up into pieces of convenientsize, then laid on bars of iron which were placedacross the trench over the bed of coals. Themaster of this part of the service watches thebeef while it roasts, turning it with a thoroughly cooked it is placed on im-provised tables and e\enone present was \vel-come to help WKST Sllil. Ill SOIAUK- lS(i4. )OS.\. IAST AXI) OF MAHASKA COUNTY. 91 Such a banquet as tliis was licM mi July 3,1853. Independence day coinint:^ on Sunday. Itwas made the occasion of the laying of the cor-ner stone of the old Xomial School building,as well as a Fourth of July celebration. FerrisGoodwin superintended the roast on this oc-casion. His st)n, James Goodwin, who livesnear Ruse Hill, has a distinct rec<illection of theevent. Two thousand fi\e hundred people aresaid to have been present and the event was con-sidered the beginning of better things in an edu-cational way for Oskaloosa. M. T. Williamsread the Declaration of Independence and Wil-liam Loughridge and W. H. Seevers were theorators of the day. After dinner there werenumerous toasts and responses, among whichwere the following: Heres to
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