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SUSOUEHANN..
Vol. 76 No. 28 July 14, 1976
The first 100 miles were toughest
Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Buiietin
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
Eldora and Neil Larson relax in the Howells’ backyard in Marietta after their long
journey in the Bicentennial Wagon Train.
Neil Larson has been
driving a covered wagon
since May, 1975.
“l was the granddaddy
of the Bicentennial Wagon
Train,”’ says Mr. Larson,
who is approaching his
80th birthday.
Neil’s own grandaddy
arrived in the state of Utah
in a covered wagon.
Neil made the same trip,
in the opposite direction
with the Utah state flag
waving from his wagon.
After a three month
fund-raising trek through
Utah, Mr. Larson joined
the Bicentennial wagon
train at the Nevada-Utah
border.
The first 100 miles of the
old Immigrant Trail led
through rugged desert. The
ground was so rough,
horses had to be reshod
after a few days.
When the wagons reach-
ed Wyoming, the wagon-
eers discovered that por-
tions of the old trail had
washed away. Wagons
mired in the prairie and
threatened to tip over.
Horses died from drinking
alkaline water.
To pull the wagon across
one river, Mr. Larson's
horses had to jump from
chest-deep water onto a
steep bank that projected 3
feet above the current.
‘“When those wheels hit
the bank, 1 was sure the
wagon was going to break
apart, but it didn’t break,”
Mr. Larson recalls.
After wintering at Fort
Laramie, wagons crossed
Nebraska in sub-zero
March weather. At Omaha,
the wagons were loaded on
barges, and were shipped
down the Missouri and up
the Ohio River. They were
unloaded at Pittsburg.
Mr. Larson, who had
been joined by his wife,
Eldora, for the final trek
across PA, had a bit of
trouble unloading his
wagon.
[continued on page 2]
Neil Larson guides Molly and Polly across Pennsylvania.
Kevin Lestrange (left) and shipmate
Rapph M, Snyder
R. Dg 2 yo
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Bicentennial visitors from wagon train & Royal Navy
FIFTEEN CENTS
Ragan
John Gross (right) serve on Her Majesty's Ship
Eskimo, which escorted the queen’s yacht to Philadelphia. They are visiting Al and
Edna Huck of Marietta.
Escorted queen, didn’t see her
Two able seamen from
Queen Elizabeth's escort
ship, H.M.S. Eskimo, visit-
ed the home of Al and
Edna Huck in Marietta last
week.
Nephew Kevin Lestrange
and his buddy John Gross
have been following Her
Majesty across the Atlantic
since she boarded the royal
yacht in Bermuda.
The boys didn’t get a
good look at the queen
until she paraded through
the streets of Philadelphia.
“We have to be very
discreet when she’s
around,’’ Kevin explained.
“For example, if she wants
to go to the upper deck, we
have to go to the lower
deck.”
John says, ‘We saw her
in Philadephia when she
presented you with a new
Liberty Bell. The old one’s
got a crack in it, you
know.’
The two British sailors
got an enthusiastic recep-
tion from the people of
Philadelphia. Strangers
stopped them on the street
to shake hands.
We asked what impres-
sions John and Kevin had
formed of Americans.
“There are no limits
here,’’ said Kevin.
“*You're very friendly,
you're immoderate, and |
suspect you're a bit lazy
because of all your mech-
anical contrivances,’ said
John.
“You eat too much
food,’ said Kevin, who had
an - unfortunate experience
with a pizza shortly after
landing on our shores.
Restoration Associates planning
to fix old Zion Lutheran Church
The Marietta Restoration
Associates have written to
Marietta Borough Council
concerning the future of
the recently vacated Zion
Church on Waterford Ave.,
Marietta. This building is
owned by the Borough, but
has recently been vacated
by the congregation which
had maintained it over the
past several years.
The Associates would
like to lease the building
for a nominal sum on a
long term basis, for the
purpose of restoring and
preserving the building. It
is believed to be the first
building in Marietta to be
built specifically as a
church.
The Associates plan
would not change the basic
structure of the building
and it would be preserved
as an example of an early
church building.
Bids solicited for treatment plant
The Mount Joy Borough
Authority announcéd Tues-
day night that it will open
bids for construction of a
water treatment facility on
September 9.
The authority will adver-
tise for bids for the follow-
ing five contracts in the
construction project:
-a water softener plant
and well stations.
—electrical work
—plumbing and ventilation
work
—8, 12, and 16 inch water
transmission lines
—a one million gallon
standpipe
The authority plans to
award contracts 90 days
after the bids are opened.
The wells for the water
treatment facilities will be
located on Carmany Road
one mile west of the
borough in the Florin Farm
development.