September 13, 1923: A cold day, bright but breeze cold. We came via Paxton, S. Dak. where we had dinner, passed Carlock where we changed wheels to Jamison, Nebr. where we camped for night and cold, so we hurried into camp.
September 13, 1944, Wednesday: Sun shone and was a beautiful day, got a little warm in p.m. in the sun. I got breakfast quite late as we got in at 2:30 a.m., but we were ready for Valentine before 11 a.m., so Will and I got ready and to town we all went, had dinner at Auditorium and wen to Fair Grounds.
We all waited a long time this afternoon for Gov. Dewey, New York State, and his party to come to McKelvie Ranch, but they finally got to Fair Grounds about 4 p.m., so Rodeo was on. Dewey, Presidential Republican Nominee for President, just thanked folks for the reception, there wasn’t any speech of politics. Large crowd of folks and so many cars. During the long spell of waiting for Dewey, the announcer said there was a prairie fire at the Adolph Nollette Farm near Sparks, Nebraska, so several car loads of men went to help put it out, as there were only 2 families at home out there, but soon the men came back and the fire was out.
Dewey, Mrs. Dewey, Mr. McKelvie and a chauffer rode in an open car. A soldier carried an American flag in the lead on horseback, then 3 or 4 cars of Dewey’s Party, then horsebacks, some Indians, 50 horsemen with flags called Dawson County Nebraska Plum Creekers, more horsemen of the Cherry County type, about 100 cars followed but they never went into the grounds. We went uptown and saw Dewey’s Special Train with double-header engines and 13 coaches of Pullman Cars leave Valentine going west to Wyoming and Colorado. Dewey will talk from Denver, Colorado, where disabled veterans are in convention. These veterans are of both wars.