at a lookout in Cook Forest State Park in 1999.
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That evening the two noted characters, along with Iron Tail, were
served dinner at the Long Avenue home. Before adjourning the afternoon
performance Col. Cody spirited the youthful bank president to his
private tent where four big chiefs had gathered, with the whole 150
tribal members surrounding them, all prepared to do the great honor of
making me a chief of the tribe. Alice B. was present as witness to the
ceremony. She, with Cody and Bill Hines, were the only whites permitted
there, as such witnesses. The ceremony was conducted by Chief Iron Tail --began with a speech in Sioux dialect --a warbonnet placed on his head, and moccasins put on his feet. A tepee was then presented for himself and squaw to live in. Tom-toms were beaten and tribal songs put up vigorously, all ending with hearty hand-shakes. Then the ceremony was re-opened and another talk by the chief followed. It was a rare and even brilliant occasion --and the Colonel and the big chief were loaded in the auto and driven to the East Long Ave. home for the banquet which followed. There the Chief was presented with a new Winchester rifle as souvenir of the event. It would take a volume to record the half of what he had so accomplished in way of industrial development. During all these busy times there were many other subjects in which he had a hand for he had written the Conservation Policy for Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 --had organized the State Conservation Society, and was originator and principle sponsor of the Cook Forest State Park. |
| The author's great grandson, Jeff McCreight, with son Jordan at a lookout in Cook Forest State Park in 1999. |
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| On one occasion he handled two of the largest real estate deals ever made in West Virginia and in Pennsylvania, both in one day --some thirty thousand acres of coal and timber in W. Va. with more than $300,000 price, while Cook Forest later closed for $600,000 in Penna. This was doing big things in a big way but seemed at the time to be merely in the day's work. |
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