Community News for Custer County
WALKS 60 MILES TO JOIN TROOPS
WENDELL DAWSON, FORMER LA HARPE BOY, SUFFERS HARDSHIPS TO SERVE COUNTRY
Travels Day and Night to Reach Recruiting Station – Is Almost Starved When He Reaches There
The Boise Evening News contains the following interesting story
concerning Wendell Dawson, a former La Harpe boy, son of Mr. and Mrs.
L. P. Dawson of La Harpe.
There will soon join the Second Idaho tomorrow among others in a party
of eight recruits, a man who covered 60 miles over the wild interior of
Idaho in Custer County by walking day and night to reach Challis and
they are enlist. He is Wendell Dawson who is entitled to the most
patriotic recognition for the effort and sacrifices he made to join the
Second Idaho.
In a long-distance telephone message L. A. Dillinham of Mackey told the
story of Dawson and his efforts to reach a recruiting station. It is in
substance as follows:
Wendell Dawson is a young miner 21 years of age, former resident of
Idaho Falls, Idaho, and La Harpe, Ill. For the past few years he has
been placer mining along Lone Creek, remote from civilization and
transportation facilities. Only a trail, and that a rough one, leads to
and from the working and traverses a difficult mountainous section.
Travels Through Deep Snow
It was only last Monday that Wendell learned the Second Idaho Regiment
was mobilizing. But the news was better late than never. He dropped his
pick and shovel, took a few provisions and hit the trail for Challis,
60 miles distant. To reach their he had to walk, for he was without a
mount, but Dawson was unafraid. All day Monday he walked and Monday
night started over the summit through 20 feet of unbroken snow. Through
this the “mushed” during the night and Tuesday dawned to find him on
the other side.
There he lost the Trail and wandered about aimlessly most of the day
without food and weak from loss of sleep. It was not until yesterday
that he reached Challis after walking all of the second night. He was
almost a starved man but he found the recruiting officer. A. J.
Higgins, promptly signed the necessary papers and was taken over to
Mackey where he joined Chase Clark who was a party of eight recruits,
and started from there to Boise.
Source: The Quincy Daily Journal - July 27, 1916
Submitted and transcribed by Debbie Gibson
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