Snippets of: Imboden, Arkansas

The city of Imboden, in Arkansas, was named after the family of Swiss settlers who founded the town. The city was established in the early 1830s. Benjamin Imboden was a man with a good reputation. The city was named after him for his outstanding work in transforming the area from canebrake and trees to habitable land, but no less for his sterling character as a supporter of the church and the law. His son, John Imboden, was a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War.
The city has claims to several distinctions: Youngest mayor in the U.S. at that time, a polar bear in their cemetery, and a large fire resulting in the destruction of most of their businesses caused by thoughtless human beings.
The incident with the polar bear was a bit trivial, but wouldn't you be proud if you had a dead polar bear in your backyard. The polar bear came from a circus. It died while the circus was in Imboden. Fascinating, isn't it?
The large fire occurred in 1893. It was caused by a firecracker fight. Not knowing exactly what that was, I looked it up. Talk about the stupidity of humans! A firecracker fight means throwing lighted firecrackers at each other. It is very dangerous, and the goal is to throw it before it explodes in your hand and to avoid those thrown at you. It really isn't surprising that a fire started. What is interesting however, is the fact that the fire was on Christmas Eve. It's interesting, because for several years in a row, the city was plagued by fires on that same date.
In 1912, Joe Sullivan was elected Mayor of Imboden. He was only 21 years old. Not only that, but he was a paralytic who made his way around town in a goat-driven cart. He is quoted as saying, "For myself, I am going to use three essentials to success, Faith, Prayer, and Perseverance. They never fail you if you are in the right, and you are already a failure if you are in the wrong." The latter half of the second half of the quote, by the way, is not strictly true. Being wrong does not make you a failure.
5 pieces of random information: 1. Imboden's population is just under 700. 2. The Jones family is predominant in the city leadership, fire department, and water department. (In case that interests you. It did me. It's rather unusual to have a family-run town. Oh, and there is only one female in all those departments! Good for them from a Biblical standpoint!) 3. The city is also very proud of it's first and only brand-new fire engine. I assume this means that they have since purchased only used fire engines since they have retired the one they're so proud of. They were one of the last older cities in the U.S to establish a fire department. (1959) 4. Saloons were voted out in 1889. To the best of my knowledge, they have not been voted back in. 5. The town's first theater was a drive-in, outdoor theater. Children who didn't want to pay the dime admittance climbed on the roof of the building across the street and watched from there.
(This has been: Snippets of: Imboden, Arkansas. Look in next time to read: Stories of My Life:_)