DAR Essay Contest Winners Announced

The Saint Joseph Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution is pleased to announce the winners for this year's American History Essay Contest.

Fifth grade winners are: first place, Ethan Hinote, Wewahitchka Elementary School; second place, Travis Slentz, Wewahitchka Elementary School and third place, Alison Gay, Faith Christian School.

Faith Christian School student Zach Post won first place in the seventh grade division.

Eighth grade winners are: first place, Christian Lane, Faith Christian School; second place, Lexie McGhee, Faith Christian School and third place, Lauren Costin, Faith Christian School.

The DAR treated the first place winners to dinner at the Sunset Coastal Grill, Students presented their winning papers during the DAR meeting. Cheering the winners on were: Melanie, Hal, Gail, Harold and Jeff Hinote, Burley Parker, Stephanie and Rickie Barfield, Bernice Horn and Julie and Eli Duarte.

Each winner received a bronze DAR medal and $25 check. They also won a copy of the Bill of Rights along with an essay on George Mason and the Bill of Rights.

The essay contest, open to all fifth through eighth graders in Gulf and Franklin Counties, had as its topic this year, "Describe how you felt on May 10, 1869, when the golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, to celebrate the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad." Fifth graders wrote 300-600 word essays and sixth, seventh and eighth graders wrote 600-1,000 word essays.

Each contest participant will receive a certificate presented at their schools' awards day.

The DAR sponsors the essay contest to instill in its students and countrymen a love and respect for the country with its God-given freedoms. It hopes to help participants gain wisdom, strength of purpose and vision from those whom they encounter in their research in order to make them better people and more enlightened citizens.

Winning Essay

The Star will run one winning essay per week, beginning with Christian Lane's imaginative tale of a young girl's first ride on the Transcontinental Railroad.

First Transcontinental Railroad

By Christian Lane

Faith Christian School, eighth grade

May 10, 1869

Dear Diary,

I want to introduce myself to you. My name is Rose Claire and I am 13 years old. Sometimes people say that I am tall for my age; however, I think I am average. I have blond hair, brown eyes and I am fair complected.

Now that I have introduced myself let me tell you about my day. Today my mom and I went to the celebration of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. I can still hear the banging of the Golden Spike being driven in the track. It gleamed like gold in the bright sunshine. There was so many people there that I could not see over all the heads. There was a Chinese man standing next to us with dirt still on his face. Sweat was still streaming down his face and his hands were red and swollen with blisters. He had been one of the workers and I could hear him talking about how he sent the money he had earned to his family. I am so excited because tomorrow I get to go on the train. My mom and I are going to see my father in Omaha, Nebraska.

May 11, 1869

Dear Diary,

Today I am boarding the train. This will be my first train ride! We are leaving from Promontory Summit, Utah and are going to Omaha, Nebraska. The conductor was hollering, "All aboard, eastbound to Omaha." He had on a neatly pressed gray coat with matching pants; his silver buttons gleamed in the sunshine. He had a great big smile on his face too. He was very excited. Mom and I settled into our seats, I had the window seat! Then I looked up and sitting across from me was an Irish family. The man's face looked weathered and his hands looked rough from hard work. He was explaining to his children that Congress agreed to a transcontinental plan and passed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862.  The act gave two companies responsibility for building the railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad was to start lay8ing out tracks to the west from Omaha. The Central Pacific Railroad was to lay out tracks to the east from Sacramento. He said work began in 1863 for the Central and 1865 for the Pacific. The Central had to cross the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the Pacific had to cross the Rockies. To get the necessary workers the Central hired thousands of Chinese laborers and the Union hired thousands of European immigrants. Each railroad worked toward the other, across plains and rugged mountains in all kinds of weather. The supplies had to be transported long distances. By 1868, the work had become a race between the two railroads. After he finished explaining all this my eyelids began to close as the train began to bump and bump and bump along the tracks. The last thing I heard was the whistle blow.

May 13, 1869

Dear Diary,

Today the train traveled slowly through the Sierra Nevada. I could see the snow-caped mountains, the Eagles soaring overhead and I thought I saw in the distance a smoke signal. I wondered what the Native Americans thought about the train. I hope the tracks did not interfere with their hunting because the Indians depend on hunting to feed their families. The sun is almost setting so I will write to you tomorrow.

May 14, 1869

Dear Diary,

Today I looked out the window and I could see several tribes of Indians with their belongings moving toward the north. They had women and children, mothers with their babies strapped to their backs, and young braves. Some of the Indians had headbands with brightly colored feathers. Some of their feathers were scarlet, turquoise, and some even looked like the color of the sun. They looked sad probably because they had to move their villages to government owned land. I knew the government had bought land to run the railroad tracks. This made the Indians have to move their villages. I asked my mother if they were Sioux, Apache or Comanche, but she was not sure either. My mother told me to stop staring at them and think about my father.

May 15, 1869

Dear Diary,

Today is the day I get to see my dad in Omaha. I can not wait to see him! I can imagine him standing there waving his hat up and down when he sees the train arrive. I already know that when I see him I will just run and jump into his arms and tell him all about the Golden Spike and my first train ride.