Ellis S. CRAWFORD Attends Boy's Camp, 1917

CRAWFORD, ASKREN

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 9/30/2011 at 00:22:25

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Wednesday, February 14, 1917

BOYS' ENCAMPMENT AT STATE FAIR

Ellis S. Crawford, Ringgold County Boy
Who Won in Essay Contest Last Year,
Thinks It Is Great.

Ellis S. CRAWFORD, the Ringgold county boy who won in the essay contest last year and enjoyed a free trip to the state fair, wants to encourage other boys of the county to enter the contest this year. In a letter to County Superintendent Louise ASKREN, he tells of his experiences and what is required of the boys who go.

My Trip to the State Fair.
From his letter:
Boys, if you want to have the time of your life, now's your chance; take it from one who knows, 'cause I've been there.

Last year I saw this same advertisement in the paper (about the state fair contest) but I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it would be all work and no fun, but I wrote anyway, and I sure found out different when I took my trip.

I started from home on Thursday, August 24, 1916, and went out to the "Fair Grounds" that p.m. and registered.

I will tell you about the way we lived. There were two large tents with about fifty (50) boys in each. The cots were arranged in a circle, with enough room for pillow fights, "wrestling matches" and everthing that fifty boys could think of. We had three good square meals each day, which we obtained at the administration building.

. . . rest of article missing. . .

Submission by Mike Avitt, September of 2011