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Pioneers - Harry Gibson
One of the first
and foremost of Stewart's pioneers was Harry P. Gibson, who, by 1910, had a
roadhouse at Bitter Creek.
One winter, about 1912 or '13, Harry and his builcook, Danny Hume, closed the doors (no locks), hitched up the horse
sleigh and
headed for Stewart to enjoy the holiday festivities.
After a few weeks in town, they set
out for home, to complete the winter in the comforts of their sturdy log
home. But, after
a brisk 10-mile drive, they found, to their amazement, that the
roadhouse and barn
had disappeared! As Harry told me, he "looked at Danny and said,
'Good God, we
didn't drink that much that we're lost on the only road to Bitter
Creek?'"
As it turned out, there had been a tremendous snowslide during Christmas
week which had
tumbled down for thousands of feet and out onto Bear River. This had created
gale-force winds which had flattened all timber and everything across
the river
for a thousand-foot swathe. Had Harry and Dan been in the roadhouse at
the time
. . .
After the mining boom peaked,
Harry moved into town, married and settled down.
In my time he operated a cigar store, newsstand, ice cream parlor and, upstairs, the
Stewart Club.
This club operated under the "individual locker" system, whereby a member
could invite a friend for a drink out of his own private locker but he had to pay 50 cents
for each drink, as a service charge.
Long known as the
"mayor" before Stewart incorporated, this title became official during the
first election of village commissioners in 1930. Mrs. Gibson was very active in community
affairs, her pet undertaking being the children's annual May Pole Dance, which she
initiated in the 1920's.
Roadhouse
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