Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-09-19
THE BASKET MAKERS.
VISIT TO A COLONY toF PRIMITIVE
AND uNRGFlNED FOLK.

and UntIdy Anairs View of an Interior.
Table EtIquette--The Basket Maker at
work. Method of Manufacture.
Dantown Is eighty Eve miles from New
York, and Is reached by the New York.
New Haven and Hartford railroad. via
Stamford and New Canaan. A colony of
basket makers there inhabit a district be
ginning abort four miles north OF New
Canaan. running in length about eight
miles, and in width about three miles
In this bailwick Is included another set
Element called JumptCwn. but the whole
district Is known as Dantown. The set
Element derives its name from the hrst
settlers, whose name was Dan. and ninety
nine hundredths Of the people who live
there now aro also Dams.
We drove over to Dantown TO SEQ n
they were really the uncouth people they
were credited with being. The roads are
narrow aud full OF rocks In fact. the
whole country Is nothing but rocks and
an almost impenetrable jungle. The
homes Of the basket makers are old.
tumble down, ramshackle aitairs. un
painted, built OF oak shingles. one-half
Of them fallen of and the balance In
state of irretrievable decay. fences falling
down, gates with no hinges. the whole
settlement looking as II cyclone had
struck 1t away back in revolutionary
war times, and not a stroke OF repairs
been put to il since.
VIEW or AN INTERIOR.
For furniture of these houses there Is
nothing but the plainest straight backed
| chairs. with basket woven seats, some Of
them handed down from great grand
fathers time and some Of late domestic
manufacture, but all presenting the same
style and discomfort. The old fashioned
fireplaces are built Of wood and plastercd
inside and out. The Dantowners are not
| high liyers They eat because 1t sustaius
| life. They do not SIT long at table, and
they dispense with all of the convention.
alities of table etiquette. This writer sat
down to dine, or. as the host expressed II,
"to take pot luck, and was told to pitch
in and help yerself" which he did The
bill of faro was pork and beans, potatoes
bread and molasses. and apple sauce, th,
young girl OF the family remarhing: Say
maar. eff it's dark t'night Ill git nuthei
bag o. them there apples" WhereupoI
maar replied. Dry up yer yawp."
The people live frugally. because the,
are compelled A basket maker mus
work early and late to make 50 week
and as there are generally dozen ''youni
'nns" about the house. this does not q
| Tar. lHOuHn tue young uuS WcEo MI
a semi state of nudity.
Yet these people are as content will
their lot rs a North Carolina clay eater
There is always u market for their basket 5
, and they manage TO squeeze along ON tn
commonest food So that they can indulg
In tobacco and get the little brown juI
filed. The latter Is of more absolut
necessity to the majority Of the Dantown
ers than the sack of -four OF the Hitch U
bacon Years ago they were famous 70
their store of Medford rum. but IL Is ncve
seen now. In its place is rye whisky, an
r not the best. either and now that Nc'
! Canaan is u prohibition town they Al
{ sometimes put to desperate straits for III
. wherewithal to wet their whistles.
i THE BASKET MAKER At WORK.
There are no organized workshops, an
the business of setting up baskets is ca
!. ried on in the kitchen, dining room an
u parlor. which Is generally all in one room
e They are very particular about their tin
Z Der They use hickory. white and blaC
- ash and black oak. They use the first CT
- Of tho log and no other. The bark
: peeled off, and the log, which Is nov,
over ten inches through, Is split into sc
tions, making II easier TO handle. Th'
81 take section and pound ii over log
l. rock until 1t slivers. Ii is then segregat
II by peeling the sliyers off. which are us
ie for what Is called filling for the basket
IN The standards" are peeled much thickC
! and have the appearance of Hour BARI
= hoop. They are tied in bundles. and.
, not used when green. are soaked in wat
over night. which makes them pliable a
easy TO weave. If they do not cut ii
wood themselves they are compelled
Oe pay SIG a cord for it, but it Is said that
Oh great many cut their own wood and Q
X not par, ocular whose land they cut
rs from. Times have changed with the b
so ket makers. and competition has che;
es ened their product from $40 a doc
twenty wears ago TO $3 80 dozen no
- And then wood was oisly 81 a cord.
:, The mode of basket making Is simp
~ First tho thick sticks are cut 10 the
WI quired length and laid ON the groui
10 looking like gigantic atartish At
les point OF contact they are fastened, c
IN. then comes the work of weaving the liz
iii or side strips in and out. Cine strip
l., woven In several times around the has
. before it gives out. whea another one
e Tapped ON. As the weaving continues
Oct standards are raised aud bent or ''shap'
until It has reached the required heig
Is, Then two thicker strips. iigt on one 81
the rounded with draw shave on the otl
NV are elapped ON. The standards. VIII
~ project above this band, are twis
~. around 1t and securely fastened
handles arc put on before the band
aa' These are made of thick strip trinu
ave down smooth, with notch cut in tn,
10 which Adults against the band. Then
no basket is turned upside down, and
other star shaped set OF strips IS pusl
up through the wool of the basket. I
Is done so that the basket can sit on
=, own bottom. basket maker has
De hustle to make two dozen baskets |
70 week. They make all kinds-the &C
nal the market and the oyster basket. but
re latter takes precedence over the two
ma mer, as the demaad along the soun'
! in never hlied.-Danto"n ~. ~ soF'
yed York Sun.