March 11, 2026 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joy Neal Kidney, a regular contributor of Our American Stories, shares the tale behind a cherished family photograph taken on the Fourth of July in 1907. Through the memoirs of Leora Goff, we're transported to small-town Iowa, where parades, brass bands, picnics, and fireworks filled a long summer day of celebration in 1907. It is a vivid snapshot of how Americans celebrated Independence Day more than a century ago.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories.
And up next to story from our regular contributor out
of ten forty who in Des Moines. Joy Neil Kidney
Joy is the author of Leora's Letters and Leora's Dexter's Stories,
and today she shares with us a story entitled Independence
Day nineteen oh seven, Take it Away.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Joy, Independence Day nineteen seven. What a familiar photo this
was to me as a child Shard and Laura Goff
and all ten children who survived into adulthood. But it
wasn't until my grandmother, Leora, the oldest daughter, died and
left her handwritten memoirs that I learned the story behind
(00:53):
the photo. Her memories even lured my sister and me
to pay a visit to the county seat town of Ottoman, Iowa.
We always had a big celebration the fourth of July,
Leora wrote, Nearly every town or berg had something doing.
(01:14):
We used to get off at daybreak, get our work done,
farm chores, and get ready to go to town with
a wagon or buggy to see the big parade and
stay till the fireworks, and then do farm chores. When
we got home, we were all tired but glad to
have a big day the fourth of July when I
(01:36):
was sixteen years old. She said, that would have been
nineteen seven. The citizens of Ottobon were awakened that morning
by firecrackers in the boom of the old cannon, saluting
the forty five states comprising our great Republic. Ma was
probably frying chicken and packing the picnic basket while the
(01:57):
older boys were helping Pau hitch up the horses. The
older girls would have helped the four younger ones button
suspenders and high top shoes driving the eight miles over
dirt roads across the Nishnabotta River to Ottobon. Gofs made
it in time for the parade. They would have made
arrangements for the horses, joining probably dozens of others along
(02:22):
with their wagons and buggies. The old newspaper said that
the Autoban Marshall Band met the train, which had steamed
and huffed into the station from the south along Market
Street which is now Highway seventy one. Offstepped families with
(02:42):
their dinner baskets, members of the Atlantic Cornet Band, and
the day's a Order. Senator Shirley Gilliland of Glenwood, a
handsome young man pictured with a large mustache. At nine
forty five, the The Atlantic Band gave a concert of
(03:02):
high class music. A chorus sang patriotic songs. An hour later,
a reverend offered a prayer and a schoolboy recited Lincoln
Gettysburg's speech, then in a strong voice and with a
commanding personality. According to the article, Senator Gilliland made a
forty minute address that held the attention of the crowd
(03:26):
circumspect in character and conduct, with the only criticism the
paper said that the speech was too short. Picnicking began
at noon. Afterwards the men would have checked on the horses,
and the youngsters and the older folks probably napped on
old quilts while we were eating our dinner, wrote Leora.
(03:49):
At least seventy years later, the folks thought of having
a family picture taken while we were all together. Pa
was the only one of the men or boys who
had a tie on, and Rolla wanted to go barefoot,
as he claimed his shoes hurt his feet. I expect
they did, as he went barefoot most always. So we
(04:10):
went to the picture studio for the picture, and Rolla's
bare feet showed it was the only family picture we
ever had taken of us all. Her mother Laura was
pregnant then with Virgil Cleon, who would only live one year.
(04:30):
In the photo, Laura is wearing her wedding ring on
her middle finger, just as she did as an elderly woman.
Sports contests began at one thirty races, even one for
fat men of at least two hundred ten pounds, shot put,
tug of war, zack race, pole vault, wheelbarrow race, a
(04:52):
drill team, and a baseball game between Autoban and Dedham
were on the grounds near the electric light plant AUTUBN
one seven to one. There were cash prizes, but no
golfs were named among the winners. Although the sun was
hot and the mercury ran up to ninety five degrees
(05:13):
in the government thermometer, there was a delightful breeze in
that hilltop park, which is still a lovely area today.
Well into her eighties or early nineties, Leora GoF remembered
the day ended with a rain shower in the late PM.
There were no paved roads, so we came home in
(05:35):
the mud. Ruby wore white shoes and she got the muddy,
but all seemed happy anyway, Is there any wonder that
this old photograph taken Independence Day in nineteen seven is
one of my earthly treasures and the story behind it
made for a very pleasant day trip to the county
(05:55):
seat town of Ottobon, Iowa.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And great job on that piece by Monty, And a
special thanks to joy Neil Kidney for all she does here.
And just a treasure, by the way. What an idea
for someone to be the memoirst in a family too?
I mean, our American Stories hopefully prompts you to have
your American stories, your families American stories, and your towns
American stories. Send them to our Americanstories dot com. That's
(06:25):
Ouramerican Stories dot com. As you can tell there's some
of our favorites. We say that, but we really mean it.
By the way, He noted that in nineteen oh seven
there were forty five states. Oklahoma had just missed the cut.
They came in in nineteen oh seven in November, and
of course New Mexico in nineteen twelve. Arizona followed in
nineteen twelve, Alaska in nineteen fifty nine, and Hawaii followed
(06:48):
in August of fifty nine, making it fifty, but there
was a time when it was forty five, and there
was a time when it was thirteen, when there was
a time when there was none. Independence Day nineteen oh seven.
This is our American Stories. More continues after these messages.
(07:29):
Lee h Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help
our American Stories celebrate this country's two hundred and fiftieth
birthday coming soon. If you want to help inspire countless
others to love America like we do, and want to
help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here
about a good and beautiful country, please consider making a
tax deductible donation to our American Stories. Go to Our
(07:51):
Americanstories dot com and click the donate button. Any amount helps.
Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and give
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories.
And up next to story from our regular contributor out
of ten forty who in Des Moines. Joy Neil Kidney
Joy is the author of Leora's Letters and Leora's Dexter's Stories,
and today she shares with us a story entitled Independence
Day nineteen oh seven, Take it Away.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Joy, Independence Day nineteen seven. What a familiar photo this
was to me as a child Shard and Laura Goff
and all ten children who survived into adulthood. But it
wasn't until my grandmother, Leora, the oldest daughter, died and
left her handwritten memoirs that I learned the story behind
(00:53):
the photo. Her memories even lured my sister and me
to pay a visit to the county seat town of Ottoman, Iowa.
We always had a big celebration the fourth of July,
Leora wrote, Nearly every town or berg had something doing.
(01:14):
We used to get off at daybreak, get our work done,
farm chores, and get ready to go to town with
a wagon or buggy to see the big parade and
stay till the fireworks, and then do farm chores. When
we got home, we were all tired but glad to
have a big day the fourth of July when I
(01:36):
was sixteen years old. She said, that would have been
nineteen seven. The citizens of Ottobon were awakened that morning
by firecrackers in the boom of the old cannon, saluting
the forty five states comprising our great Republic. Ma was
probably frying chicken and packing the picnic basket while the
(01:57):
older boys were helping Pau hitch up the horses. The
older girls would have helped the four younger ones button
suspenders and high top shoes driving the eight miles over
dirt roads across the Nishnabotta River to Ottobon. Gofs made
it in time for the parade. They would have made
arrangements for the horses, joining probably dozens of others along
(02:22):
with their wagons and buggies. The old newspaper said that
the Autoban Marshall Band met the train, which had steamed
and huffed into the station from the south along Market
Street which is now Highway seventy one. Offstepped families with
(02:42):
their dinner baskets, members of the Atlantic Cornet Band, and
the day's a Order. Senator Shirley Gilliland of Glenwood, a
handsome young man pictured with a large mustache. At nine
forty five, the The Atlantic Band gave a concert of
(03:02):
high class music. A chorus sang patriotic songs. An hour later,
a reverend offered a prayer and a schoolboy recited Lincoln
Gettysburg's speech, then in a strong voice and with a
commanding personality. According to the article, Senator Gilliland made a
forty minute address that held the attention of the crowd
(03:26):
circumspect in character and conduct, with the only criticism the
paper said that the speech was too short. Picnicking began
at noon. Afterwards the men would have checked on the horses,
and the youngsters and the older folks probably napped on
old quilts while we were eating our dinner, wrote Leora.
(03:49):
At least seventy years later, the folks thought of having
a family picture taken while we were all together. Pa
was the only one of the men or boys who
had a tie on, and Rolla wanted to go barefoot,
as he claimed his shoes hurt his feet. I expect
they did, as he went barefoot most always. So we
(04:10):
went to the picture studio for the picture, and Rolla's
bare feet showed it was the only family picture we
ever had taken of us all. Her mother Laura was
pregnant then with Virgil Cleon, who would only live one year.
(04:30):
In the photo, Laura is wearing her wedding ring on
her middle finger, just as she did as an elderly woman.
Sports contests began at one thirty races, even one for
fat men of at least two hundred ten pounds, shot put,
tug of war, zack race, pole vault, wheelbarrow race, a
(04:52):
drill team, and a baseball game between Autoban and Dedham
were on the grounds near the electric light plant AUTUBN
one seven to one. There were cash prizes, but no
golfs were named among the winners. Although the sun was
hot and the mercury ran up to ninety five degrees
(05:13):
in the government thermometer, there was a delightful breeze in
that hilltop park, which is still a lovely area today.
Well into her eighties or early nineties, Leora GoF remembered
the day ended with a rain shower in the late PM.
There were no paved roads, so we came home in
(05:35):
the mud. Ruby wore white shoes and she got the muddy,
but all seemed happy anyway, Is there any wonder that
this old photograph taken Independence Day in nineteen seven is
one of my earthly treasures and the story behind it
made for a very pleasant day trip to the county
(05:55):
seat town of Ottobon, Iowa.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And great job on that piece by Monty, And a
special thanks to joy Neil Kidney for all she does here.
And just a treasure, by the way. What an idea
for someone to be the memoirst in a family too?
I mean, our American Stories hopefully prompts you to have
your American stories, your families American stories, and your towns
American stories. Send them to our Americanstories dot com. That's
(06:25):
Ouramerican Stories dot com. As you can tell there's some
of our favorites. We say that, but we really mean it.
By the way, He noted that in nineteen oh seven
there were forty five states. Oklahoma had just missed the cut.
They came in in nineteen oh seven in November, and
of course New Mexico in nineteen twelve. Arizona followed in
nineteen twelve, Alaska in nineteen fifty nine, and Hawaii followed
(06:48):
in August of fifty nine, making it fifty, but there
was a time when it was forty five, and there
was a time when it was thirteen, when there was
a time when there was none. Independence Day nineteen oh seven.
This is our American Stories. More continues after these messages.
(07:29):
Lee h Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help
our American Stories celebrate this country's two hundred and fiftieth
birthday coming soon. If you want to help inspire countless
others to love America like we do, and want to
help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here
about a good and beautiful country, please consider making a
tax deductible donation to our American Stories. Go to Our
(07:51):
Americanstories dot com and click the donate button. Any amount helps.
Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and give
Host
Lee Habeeb
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