On March 5, 1918,
the Buena Vista Chapter was organized in
Storm Lake, Iowa. The chapter was chartered
July 19, 1918 and had 18 members. The
original officers were Louise Thatcher
Harrison (Mrs. Albert E.), organizing regent
and regent; Lucile Thompson Spooner (Mrs.
John E.), vice regent; Miss Alice E. Wilcox,
recording secretary; Miss Edith Cooke,
corresponding secretary; Helen McMakin (Mrs.
S. P.), treasurer; Ione Underwood Kerlin
(Mrs. William W.), registrar; and Miss Grace
Clemons, historian.
Two real
granddaughters became members. Lucy
Robinson, granddaughter of Thomas Treat, and
Lodisa Allen Stanton, granddaughter of Abel
Allin, held that distinction.
One of the early
undertakings of the chapter was a Colonial
Fete. All were prepared to perform dances of
the Colonial period, play games of that
time, and dress accordingly. A flu epidemic
postponed the Fete to spring. The
proceeds benefited the Red Cross and the
French Orphan’s Fund.
The first Old
Settler’s Party was held in the winter of
1920. All the pioneers and their families
were invited to a gathering to share stories
about their treks to Buena Vista County and
to bring some of the treasures they still
had. This continued for many years with as
few as 20 or as many as 50 attending each
year. A commemorative plaque to these
settlers was placed on the shore of Storm
Lake in 1926 at “the most beautiful spot in
the county.” The boulder of gray granite
holding a bronze shield still stands as a
memorial to these pioneers. The plaque reads
"1856-1926, Dedicated to the Early Settlers
of Buena Vista County by the Buena Vista
Chapter, Daughters of the American
Revolution.”
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