Genuine Original Photographs of the Bower Family Band · range. In the spring of 188Ó, the Fremont, Elkhom & Missouri Valley Raüioad was laying micks from westem Nebraska into Dakota

Genuine OriginalPhotographs of theBower Family Band

Maxwell Van Nuys

Editor's Note: The Walt Disney production o/The One and OnlyGenuine Original Family Band, with its all-star cast of Hollywoodnotables, dreiv excited crowds ivben il opened in South Dakota in1968. In fact, the movie had tivo premiers—one at Radio City MusicHall in Neiv York City and the other in Rapid City, for it was auniquely South Dakota stoty. It was based on the real-life e.'xpen-ences of the Bower Family Band, composed of seven oj" the eightchildren of John Calvin (Cal") Bower and Keziah Bower of Verrnil-lion. Soon after giving its first concert there in 1884, the family mi-grated to the Black Hills, wheiv it achieved a measure of local Jameduring the 1880s and 189()s.

Nearly sixty years later, the band's youngest member, Laura BowerVanNuys, recorded her family's story in a book entitled The FamilyBand: From the Missouri to the Black Hills, 1881-1900 (universityof Nebraska Press, 1961). She bad been encouraged to presence thestories by her son, Maxwell Van Nuys, who also harbored "a fainthope that such a bixjk m ight appeal to Walt Disney as the basis for amusical." That divam became a reality, but Van Nuys remaineddisappointed that his mothers book had been published uHthout il-lustrations. Several years later he assembled an album of photo-graphs of the places and people she had mentioned, gathering themfromfamily members and archival collections. VanNuysalso u/rotean accompanying narrative, basing it on The Family Band and onhis own n'collections and obsen.>ations. Adapted here to fit thefor-matqfSouth Dakota History, the album adds yet another dimensionto the story of the Bower Family Band.

Copyright © 2001 by the South Dakota State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved.

114 South Dakota History Vol. 31, no. 2

fohn CalvinBower atiäKeziabHuntingtonBower

C alvin and Keziah Bower set out from Lodi, Wisconsin, in a cov-ered wagon bound for Vennillion, in tlie southeast comer ofDakota Territory, in 1870. With tliem were their four young-

sters, Alice, Sidney, Mayi), and Lulu. Tlie family was one of die earli-est to settle in Dakota Territory, preceding the Great Dakota Boom

Vermillion. Dakota Territory


Summer 2001 Bower Family Band 115

Vermillioit rircrfront, with

by several years. In Vermillion, the Bowers ocaipied a two-storyhouse (marked with a white cross in the photograph of Vermillion)just up the stieet from the grocery store (marked 'C.I.K." for"Qi.sh IsKing"). The town, as tlie Bowers and others would ieam to their sonow,was kxated loo low and too near the banks of the marauding MissouriRiver. Not far in the distance re.sidents could .see the bluffs acrossthe river in Nebraska.

Cal Bower worked as a stonemason, bridge builder, and housemover and ran a ferry across die Missouri. At left in the photographof the Vermillion river front is the flat boat he used in bridge build-ing, and his crew appears to be laying a willow mat for a steamboatlanding. In addition to his other jobs, Bower conducted a singingschool iind played die fife and snare drum. In a few years, the familywas joined by Cal Bower's parents, Rensselaerand Christina CamackBower, staunch abolitionists who Ixícame active in the county Biblesociety. They brought with them their youngest children, Willis andMary Uda.


116 Soutb Dakota History Vol.31, no. 2

Cal and Keziah Bower'soldest child, Alice (nick-named "Od"), was sewn

playing the oigan for churchand the piano for dances, al-tliough she and the rest of thefamily never danced them-selves. Alice supported hei-selffrom age fifteen by giving pi-ano lessons and teaching inthe town's log schoolhouse,where she spanked a future

South Dakota governor, Carl Gunderson. Her driving ambition wasto become a journalist, and she defied convention to learn theprinter's trade while working for the local newspaper, the Stan-dard. As the years passed, the oldest boy, Sidney, found himself

Alice Botrer


Summer 2001 Bouger Family Band 117

r n n

"stiTJck" for a schoolmate, Agnes ("Aggie") Walker, whom he wouldlove for the rest of hiy life. By 1881, four more cliildren, all girls, hadbeen added to tlie family: Rose and Nettie, twins, Quinnie, andLaLira.

Boti^er girls(from lift)Qu in I lie.

Nettie, Lulu.Rose



Standard of/ice, witij sbaif bill

niiiiii street, witb Standard prí»íí;zg office


Summer2001 Bower Family Band 179

I n the spring of 1881, flooding caused by huge ice jams on theMissouri River nearly wiped out the town of Vennillion. Amongthe casualties were numerous steamboats, houses, and busi-

nesses, including the Vermillion Standard newspaper office. As fordie Bc^wers' house, it was swallowed up by tlie voracious Missouri,and the family lost everytiiing except some cows, two pigs, andone load of goods hurriedly piled onto Cal Bower's flatboat. Theforlorn family of ten moved in witli liis parents, whose small loghouse sat just out of reach of the fioodwaters. A close look at theflood-ravaged Standard office reveals a bill announcing "Montanioand Iibemians New York Show and Comet Band." 'Iliis perfor-mance, if not flooded out, would certainly have been attended bythe musical Bowers and may well have provided inspiration for theBower Family Band.



A any rate, Ver-niillion's townband welcomed

anybody with musi-cal taient. Sidney andMayo, seventeen andfifteen years of age,joined up the year af-ter the flood. Their fiveyounger sisters allwanted to play homs,too, but in those days,bands were not forgiris. Nevertheiess, tlieboys soon had eachsister playing a bandins t rument—evenLaura could play abaritone horn at theage of four—and afamily band becamepractically inevitable.The first appearance ofthe Bower FamilyBand was at a Christ-mas concert given bythe Vermillion band.The Icx'al newspaperpraised the perfomianceof the Bower children,"who all played uponbrass instruments witha meiody and preci-sion in time that com-pletely took the audi-ence by storm."

Laura Bower



Bauer líiiiüly lÍLiiii¡ {sltuuiih,, . ., . Rosr. Lnlií.Nettie, Sidtiey; (seated) Qutnnif.

Vermillion hand, with Sidney (third from right) and Mayo (far right)


Intent on her journalistic ca-|-eer, Alice did not join herbrothers and sisters as a

famñy band member. Word ofher unu.sual ambition had ti-av-eled west to the Black Hills,which had been wrested fromthe Lakota (Sioux) Indians buta few years earlier. Joseph R.Gossage, an eligible bachelorwho had established the BlackHills Journal at Rapid City,sought to miike her acquíüntance.

Alice Bower

Joseph R. Gossage

Aftei' corresponding for sometime, they exchanged picaires."In commenting on your pho-tograph," Alice wrote Joe, "Iomitted speaking of your mous-tache. You would never foigiveme if I did not tell you it wasgrand, perfectly lovely too nicefor anytliing, etc." She, in aim,gave him a tintype of herselfholding a card case he had senther as a gift. A diary entry shehad recorded two years earlierproved prophetic: "My fLiturehusband must be; A strong tem-perance man; . . . If possible, Iw^nt him to be an editor of a Re-publican newspaper. By theway, he must be a republicanin politics." Joe Gossage passed



the test with flying colors. After sixteen months of corresponding,diey met for the first time. Tiiey wed in June 1882 and left immedi-ately for die Black Hills, aniving in Rapid City by stagecoach fromSidney, Nebraska.

Cal Bower's deteniiination to remain in Vermillion v 'as badlyshaken by die sight of wagons heading west, and both he and hiswife missed their eldest daughter. When other relatives decided to

r

f-'ort Pierre. Dakota Territory, with Bad River (fbreground)

move west, the Bowers could not long remain behind. The BowerFamily Band gave a farewell concert in Veniiillion in May 1885,and two days later a vanguard consisting of Sidney, Rose, and CalBowers sister LicUi left for die Black Hills. The l-est of tlie family followeda mondi later, traveling by coven^d wagon up the east bank of theMissouri River to die dusty frontier town of Pien-e. Crossing to FortPierre, they took a trail across the Great Sioux Reservadon, follow-ing the Bad River for much of the way. After about two weeks oftraveling at an average of eighteen miles a day, they at last saw thedark profile of the Black Hills.


Rapid City. Dakota Territory, with Cossage house (center)

AS the party crossed a ridge the next day, the village of RapidCity sucidenly came into view. Tliey soon found the Gos-

. sages' litde white house (at center, between die long whitebuilding and the larger white house in the photograph of Rapid City).There, while tlie trail-weary group rested, Alice played for them onher new piano.

The reunion v^ràs brief, for the family had to hurry to build theirnew home on lower Battle Creek, located about midway betweenthe Black Hills and tiie Badlands. Later, they took claims on FrenchCreek, not far nom the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. At Ixjdi pbces.Cal Bower and the boys built log cabins, which could be put up more

Huuvr ranch, French Creek



r

quickly than a frame house and were cooler in summer and warm-er in winter. Once again, the Bowers were on tlie leading edge of awave of homesteading. Tiie small fanns and ranches where fami-lies raised their own cattle, pigs, and chickens would soon dot thelandscape and help put an end to the days of the cowboys' openrange.

In the spring of 188Ó, the Fremont, Elkhom & Missouri ValleyRaüioad was laying micks from westem Nebraska into Dakota alongthe eastern edge of tiie Black Hiils.Anticipating its arrival in Rapid Cityon the Fourth of Juiy. officiaisplanned a gieat pai-ade and celebra-tion. In hopes of being invited toparticipate, the Bower Family Banddecided to raise .some publicity bygiving a concert on 5 June at Li-brary Hall, the center of theatricaland musical enteitainment in RapidCity. The band had Joe Gossage'sBlack Hills Joitnial working for itas well, and the invitation wasforthcoming.

When the Fourth arrived, theBower Family Band was seated inthe grandstand, with the FortMeade military band posted in thebalcony above them. GeneralGeorge Crook was the guest ofhonor among a host of other dig-nitaries. At the close of each ora-tion, the chairman waved for mu-sic and tlie militaiy band took it for granted that it should respond.During the closing speech, Sidney Bower told liis band members tobe ready the instant the speaker finished. This time, the chainnanhad hardly risen from his seat when Sidney did his own waving anddie Bower Family Band stixick up "Hail Columbia.' llie stirringtune brought the audience to its feet, clapping and shouting, whilethe disgruntled Fort Meade band folded up their music racks andleft the platfomi.

Library Hall. lUipid City



O ther engagementsfollowed in thewake of die Rapid

City celebration. In Sep-tember 1886, the BowerFamily Band gave a con-cert in Custer, site of thefirst gold discovery in theBlack Hills. On the longtrip through the Hills, theBowers camped out over-night, getting out theirhorns to rehearse beforesundown. Unbeknownstto the band, a lone .sheep-herder stood spellboundsome distance away, lis-tening to the strains of mu-sic echiiing over tlie liills.Not until years later didtlie shepherd. Mit Everly,learn of tlie explanationfor the serenade fromQuinnie, the woman whobecame his wife. On re-tuming from another con-cert tour, tlie band dLscov-ered that tire had ravagedthe main street of Her-mosa, the town neare.sttheir ranch. Tlie people ofHermosa gladly acceptedSidney's offer to put on aconcert tlie veiy next day

Thii OdsbMtod PAHTLT BIHD II H U J Ú B si HiDako«« huriiii •noUd the loTitattai of Ikt

peofla ol dtttrr U i ln •

CONCERTA T.T=1

Cusler, Tlmrsda; Jve., Sept. 30lli.llmFnl AdaiiiiUn SO « L CfaildnD aodpr It f n n . IB CUL

•• • l ^ t * t I'riRt ^ •» <f • * ttM- 4*«, • • h MUH n l

Door o|wn it 7dU odook. CsiUin riwi • ! B a'Hci

I * - DONT FAIL TO BE IN ATTENDANCE 1 -

HandbUi Custer concert. 1886

Mit Everly



r AT'

L RofTert Bale Jple to his liking, he evenui-ally tcx>k a claim nearby andin tlie next several months wasjoined by his parents, threeyounger brotliers, and two sis-ters. "Gentleman fanners," theyhad lost their landhoklings inEngland and sought txítter tbi-tune in America. One brother,George Bale, began to takesome notice of Nettie Bower,and she of him.

and donate tlie proceedsto those most in need.

One cold and rainyevening late in 1887, tlieBowers were startled by aknock on tlieir door Open-ing it, the}^ found a yoLingman whose muddy, l~>e-draggled appearance wasin complete contrast to hisrefined manners andclipped accent. RobertBale, Escj.. fresh from Nor-folk, England, had gouen"Iahst" on liis way to aneighlxir's ranch. Findingdie countiy and tlie p e o

Hermosa concert, 1887

BENEFITIÍNTERTAINMEN 1

TO-NIGHT.at 7:30 Sharp.

The BOWER FAMILY BAND

CONCERTThis Evening 31 Sleiiger's Hall for iht

hcncfil of the most seriotis sufferers from bslnigh I'5 canllagralioii.

i;Vl-.RVONE SHOULD ATTliNl).A Committci will be appointed to iliiilrihiili:

the proceeds.

Admission of Adults 25 cents.Children 15 cents.


128 South Dakota History Vol. 31. no. 2

r

Aits renown grew, the band played many engagements in thenext few years, including Fourdi of July celebnitions, polidcalrallies, county fairs, weddings, and school entertainments. At

the annual Custer County Stock, Mineral, and Agricultural Fair atHermosa in September 1888. the band was at iLs best, sporting newoutfits. Besides die usual games and races, an added attraction was agroup of Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Indians from the Pine Ridge IndianReservation. Sidney Bower posed for a photograph with the group(he Is standing lieneath the "X" to the left of center), which per-formed dances at die fair. Two years later, many Oglalas joined diemessianic Ghost Dance movement, which promised to do away withwhite people but instead culminated in die massacre of Indians atWounded Knee.

Oglata dancers at Custer County Stock, Mineral, and Agriciitturat Fair


Summer2001 Boiver Family Band 129

UBHrin

j„, „¡11 coociudí with

m



I n May of 1889, Sidney wrote his sister Lulu, who was teachingschool in Pacióla, tliat he and a friend were planning to workin a logging camp. 'We are tiying to get some oxen broken to

haul logs but they are so dumb that 1 dont know whetlier they willever learn 'Gee' from 'Haw,'" he quipped, adding. "We played someaines on our horns today." Lulu wrote back to inquire whether theband had a bcx)king for the Fourth of July. "I wish that we could goto Rapid," she wrote. "1 see by the paper that they talk of cele-

Buuvrfamity: (hack, from lejtj Sidtic}. .\C1UL'. Lulu, AUM-. .Mayo-(front, from lefi) Alice. Laura. Cal, Keziah, Quinnie

brating. . . . Try to get some place to play." Instead, the Bowersended up perfomiing for tlie holiday celebration at Whitewood,nortli t)f Rapid City. Their uncle Willis Bower also contributed theoration for the day, filling in for a speaker who did not show up,and Sidney sang "Sherman's March to tlie Sea."

The following day, a patient photographer recorded tlie last pic-ture of the entire Bower family. He liad quite a time arranging asatisfactory grouping, and when Quinnie ripped her tight sleeve


¡xiura. tAilu. Rose. Nettie,Quinnie (dock/vise from fop)

Logging camp, inth ^uhtcy {icjt)

bending her elbow to place in her mtJtlier's lap, he made sugges-tions that would keep the rent from showing. Upon seeing the fin-ished image, Quinnie told Sidney, "Papa's picture is just splendid,he has his heavenly smile, but Od [Alice] is holding Cleveland'sGrand Maich. She must have been in a terrible hurry when she grabbedthat piece of music!" Lulucalled it "die one-eyed band"picture because everyone wastired out from the previousday's activities.

Tlie day after die picairewas taken, Sidney went backto his work in the loggingcamp near Hill City, wherehis oxen presumably leamed"gee" from "liaw." The youngergirls, in airn, all went hometo the ranch where, not longafter^'ards, a traveling pho-tographer came by. Nettiewrote to Sidney: "We five girlshad our pictures taken, justour five heads in one groLip.Mama was not home and weare not going to let her knowit until they are done."


132 South Dakota History Vol. 3?, fio. 2

m i

Late in August 1889, Aunt Uda went to Hill City to show Sidneyher new baby boy. Spencer. Holding the baby, the young

I man no doLibt thought c f the great happiness tliat seemed tobe in store for him. He told his aunt of his plans to marry Agnes

Walker, whom he had left

r ^^H^B behind in Vermiiiion, andI showed her a letter he had

^^^^^^ I just received from Aggie. Butthe next letter he receivedfrom his childhood sweet-heart was one in wliich sheasked for the return of hercorrespondence, for herheart now belonged to anoth-er. The disappointment wastoo great for Sidney. Takingfever and lacking the desireto fight it, he died within aweek. Leaderless, tlie bandmight have died with him,but it carried on for manymore years in the spirit inwhich Sidney had created,

Sidney Bowt-r ^^^^ trained, and led it.With the arrival of the

"Gay Nineties," the enterprising and influential Fred T. Evans pro-moted Hot Springs in the southern Black Flills as a rival to HotSprings, Arkansas, and other spas. Among his creations was EvansPlunge, the largest enclosed natural warm-water pool in the coun-try. During the summer of 1891. Evans engaged the Bower FamilyBand to play at the plunge, housing tliem in a cottitge along the ci eekon the Chautauqua grounds. The engagement, unforainately, was aqualified success, but lots of building activity in Hot Springs kept CalBower busy and made the venture wortliwhile.

Teaching at a difficult school the winter before had nearly brokenLulu's health, but by sLimmer she had exciting news—a beau idealwas coming to visit her. His name was Ed Bartliold, and one glancemade it clear why Lulu had fallen in love with him. He had an easymanner and wore liis well-cut clothes as though he were accus-

J



Hot Springs Chaiitauq

tomed to strolling on PallMall, but iiis hands showedthat he knew how to work.Before long, Ed, whoranched near Newcastle,Wyoming, wrote Lulu thathe would be the happie.stman in tlie Black Hills 'ifonly I had your consent,for my dear Lulu, you areeverything to me." Headded that he would waitwhile she thought thingsover, but LLIIU replied thevery next day: "I did not stopto consider matters tc)r tome diey needed no con-

Ed BarthoUi



sidering. My mind was made up as soon as I learned the object ofyour letter." They were manied at the end of 1892.

M ayo Bower liad an eye for the girls, but with six prim andproper sisters, he was looking for something quite different,and he foLind her at a Mediodist church social. Carrie Millis

•W2S already on her own, having left her family in the East, and wasamong the first females tobreak the Victorian tradi-tion that in town, nice girls,or any girls, ixxle sidesaddleonly. Came lx)ldly lxxle herpony down Main Street inRapid City, sitting astride aman's saddle, in a paradeled by the Bower FamilyBand. Everyone wasshocked, none more sothan die Bower girls. Overtheir protests. Mayo fell morein love with her dian ever.

In die faU of 1892, tiieBower Family Band did itsshare for South Dakota'scontribution to the World'sColumbian Exposition atChicago by touring the

Black Hills to raise money for the women's exliibit. The girls sewednew uniforms and, swallowing their pride, took dieir prospectivesister-in-law Carrie into the band. R(3se had dedicated herself tomastering Sidney's trumpet and brought in another musician, NinaEggleston, to take over her trombone. Lulu was on the drums. Herdoctor, fearing she had consumption, had advised her not to blowa hom. Mayo directed the band, which now bore the name "BowerFamily Concert Company and Ladies' Cornet Band."

Mayo Bower


Bower h'aitiily Concert (Company andladies Cornet Band :{hack fnnn left)

Ninci Eggleston. Rose. Carrie MillLs.(fn:>nt.from left) Quinnie. Laura, Nettie

Mayo needed more money inorder to get married, so he spentthe summer of 1893 working as acowboy in Montana. In one letterto Lulu he wrote, "Tonight I willcommence to night hawk thehorses. . . . Tlie other morning Igot thrown higher than a kite." Atthe end of summer, he came homeand married Carrie,

' Coratt Btai

Pw.lMtPi™™ Ovrnm. E. N. cuín.SIMP. DaTlInt. Skip, Ftmik Tilo. H. S. fVrfcln..

Miuií. RoH Ulli Oali nb.T«t Viiimi Trombimi! Solo, E. anota.

Wim d« Btll Rlnp .* îonj, Mu Vcmw.

TI» Purioi Polli,. ¿Mi l Sohl. W. f. CiMiabrn.

M«ltí Oyenuit Goiuir Dotu. Srlni«L

IndLuClab SwiniJnf.... Ro« mnd Quianto.

Kuiu Dvtir?^ Onhorra Ttrlli, lanil ftccompanrmcnc

LoTi'iO« Snn i So«!. .'ConluUo. L Hnlhn.

iíi;l'ü>.*Üo¿:'.*Óillan¿mml Líuri. ' " 'SrbiiRipiul GulurSoio. HenijWnmH.

BpFliíbdb.. Tuba Sola, [xini] «comiMniiiMni. A. CUÍDJIL

•"""""

Columbian Exposition


136 South Dakota History Vol. 31 no. 2

Alice, meanwhile, was spending more time at the Black HillsJournal office, working as iDOtii a repíírter and typesetter,

k- Her husband liad tinally resigned himself to the arrange-ment, which saved the wages of a compositor. Thus, business senseas well as her own ambition had combined to make Alice an all-around newspapepA'oman, just as she had planned. When JoeGossage traveled back east to buy a press, the Deadwood Pioneer-Times reported admiringly. "Tlie publisher's wife prepared the en-tire copy, including editorial and local matter for yesterday moiTiing'sdaily." In time, she would eclipse her husband in the management ofthe newspaper, and her byline, "A.G.," would become a byword inthe Black Hills.

Rcxse was determined to make a career of playing comet and staickout on her own. She found great success in putting on benefitconcerts for churdies and societies in and about the Black Hills. Quinnieaccompanied her on at least one trip, whose program is repro-duced here. The sisters worked up an Indian club-swinging ad, and

with Rose's whistlingand Quinnie's tuba so-los and mellow con-tralto, diey needed torecmit little local talentin the towns they vis-ited to make up a goodentertainment.

That winter, whileeveryone concernedappeared or tried to ap-pear happy, all wereworried about Lulu. Tliecough she had devel-oped while teachingschool had never en-tiitly left her and, in faa,became much worse.Unable to cany the bur-den of her own hi iLse-liold, she sought refLigeat the family ranch onAlice Bouvr Gossage


Summer 2001 BoîverFamily Band 137

Rose Bower

French Creek, where Rosehelped care for her. With dieamval of spring came an endto her suffering. In but a coupleof years, a broken-heaned EdBarthold lay beside her indeath. The loss of Luki sodeeply affected Rose that shetelieved the "white plague" oftulxîrcukîSLs had marked her asits next victim. Much distressed,she ^ v e up the cornet andwent to Georgia to Find a newlife.


Keystone, with Haly Terror Mine <right) ciiui XUntiit Riishnmre

I n die iiiid-1890s, gold fever rekindled in the Black Hills by thenews in 1892 of a strike not far frt)in a great granite outcroplater known as Mount Ruslimore. Tlie resulting Keystone gold

mine gave its name to the town that soon grew up around it. Twoyears later, an even richer vein was discovered in the ai"ea by dieyoung daughter of a Mr. Franklin who, legend has it, named thelode die "Holy Terror," for die reaci:ion his wife exhibited when heretumed home following some heavy celebrating. Cal Bower wasexcited, too—not by gold, but by die demand for house builders. So,in the spring of 1895, most of the ciose-knit Bowers congregated inKeystone. Uncle Willis Bower joined them. Incoming Keystone school

Keystone schoolchildren



superintendent and teaching the upper grades. Quinnie becameteacher of die primary grades. Tliat ñül, fire eaipted in die KeystoneMine. All die schoolchildren joined die rest of the town in forminga bucket brigade and helping to save several lives. In appreciation,so the story goes, Mrs. Franklin of Holy Terror fame took the pupilsdown to the photography shop and had their picture taken. Willis,with the moustache, is in the second row with Quinnie on his left.Laura appears second from the right in the third row.

Keystone general stoiv. with Nettie hebind

Nettie was not entirely happy about living in Keystone, for shecould not see as much of diat attractive young Fnglisliman, GeorgeBale, as she would at the ranch. Before long, liowever, she found ajob clerking in the general niercliandise store where she loved tiilkingto customers. Mayo and Carrie had been staying on the ranch, butCarrie wanted to join the excitement at Keystone. Although hepreferred ranching. Mayo relented and soon found liimself work-ing in die mine. Rose, meanwhile, had gradually recovered herspirits in Georgia and, learning that her health never had been indanger, she returned to her family in Keystone and to her cornet.


140 South Dakota History Vol. 3 h no. 2

T ogether again,the Bower Fani-ily Band be-

came die nucleus of dieKeystone band, whichmay well have beenamong die fii'st march-ing bands in the Westto admit women to itsranks. If eyebrows wereraised at this turn ofevents, they wereabout to rise higher atthe sight of Carrie,whose time vras draw-ing near for presentingthe family with its firstgrandchild. Tlie 1896Fourth of July paradewas coming up and

Keystone hand teadingfufy Fourth parade

Ctti Boux'r withfufy Fourth poat



Ma\r> and Carrie Miltis Bun er. with Marguerite

nodiing was go-ing to keep Car-rie from marcliingwidi tlie band. CaíBower worked toassemble the pa-triotic float onwhich he por-trayed Uncle Sam,as he had donemany times be-fore. Riding withhim in die wagonwere gjrLs dressedin white frocks,blue liats, and redsashes, represent-ing the forty states,

As die Keystone band struck up a aine and swTing down die dustystreet at die head of the parade, a photographer recorded the last

glimpse we have of the BowerFamily Band. Nettie is in front, withMayo and Laura beliind her. Carrie,whose baby Marguerite was I'xirnless than three weeks later, is justout of sight.

As the Holy Terror kxle ran out,die members of the Bower FamilyBand dispersed. Quinnie becamethe diird Bower daughter to marry,wedding Mit Everly, the sheep-herder who had gone on to be-come shift Ixjss at the Holy TerrorMine in 1899.

Mit and Quinnie Bower Everly


142 South Dakota History Vol. 31. no. 2

Nettie Bower Bale

Rose Bower

George Bale

N ettie aimed down several Keystone suitors in favorof tlie Englisliman, Getirge Bale. twcD years later.Rose, who some

considered the beauty ofthe family, rejected all suit-ors. In later years, she en-listed herself and her cometin the causes of women suf-frage and temperance. Mayoand Carrie, Nettie andGeorge, and Quinnie andMit all went into ranching.Tlieir parents. Cal and KeziahBower, returned to theFrench Creek ranch. Aliceand Joe Gossage continuedto make the Black HillsJournal, now the RapidCily DailyJuurfuil, tlie lead-ing newspaper of westernSouth Dakota.


Summer2001 Boîper Family Band 143


144 South Dakota History Vol. 31 no. 2

Laura, the youngest Bower child, went on to attend South DakotaAgriculairal College at Brcxîkings. Returning to Rapid City, she

' taught school and succeeded her sister Rose as city librarian. In1910, she married Claude Van Nuys, a professor at the Soutli Da-kota School of Mines. Following publication of her book The Fam-ily Band in 1961, producers from Walt Disney Studios read theIxx^k, agreed to produce it, and assembled a stellar cast. Laura, theonly surviving member of the band, and other family members en-

joyed watchingthe filming ofLaura Bower



"her" movie in die Disney studios in Los Angeles, California. All ofthe band meml^rs were accLirately represented in the film with theexception of Quinnie, who was depiaed as a lx)y, an adaptation diatclianged Mayo's role as well. Laura Bower Van Nuys enjoyed her famein Soudi Dakota to die flillest. In Rapid City, a writei-s' gixnip andcontest were named for her. She died in Denver, Colorado, in 1979at the age of ninety-eight.

Cast of The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band;(hack, from ¡eßj Walter Brenmin (Crandpa Bower), Debbie Smith (Lulu). Kurt Rnssetl (Sidney),

J^slie Ann Warren (Alice). Janet Blair (Keziah). Btiddy Eh.<:en (Cat): (front, from Icß) Bobby Riha(Mayo). Pamela Ferdin (Laura). .Smitty Worden (Nettie). Heidi Rook (Rose). John Walmsley

(Quinnie). Not pictured is Jnhn Davidson, trho portrayed fw Gossage.


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Typewritten Text

All illustrations in this issue are property of the South Dakota State Historical Society, State Archives Collection, except for those on the following pages: covers and pp. 114, 116–17, 120–23, 124–45, from Maxwell Van Nuys, Denver, Colo.; pp. 92, 99, from Yankton County Historical Society, Yankton, S.Dak.; p. 157, from L. Frank Baum Collection, Alexander Mitchell Library, Aberdeen, S.Dak.

Documents

Genuine Original Photographs of the Bower Family Band · range. In the spring of 188Ó, the Fremont, Elkhom & Missouri Valley Raüioad was laying micks from westem Nebraska into Dakota