Waterbury Democrat., 1902-01-15
ALL THE PIONEERS DANCED.

The winter seasons would have been dreary ones for the pioneers Of Wis consin if it had not been for their so- cial gatherings. They were a soclal people and enjoyed themselves in any form of merry-making, from husklng and pairing bees to dancing and other frolics It needed little inducement to call forth crowd for any purpose where enjoyment was the chief end, and the settlers would go miles with their OK teams to join their neighbors in any kind of innocent amusement. Sometimes it was enjoyment pure and simple, and at other times there was an element of neighborly help in it. If a farmer had been having hard luck through sickness or otherwise, some friend passed the word around and the neighborS bathered to haul his wood, husk his corn, blow his land, log off a piece of land, or do anything else that seemed to be needed, and for which there was no money to pay. It was in this way that the pioneers helped each other and laid the best of founda- tions for future neighborhood harmony. The work done for which they had as- sembled, there would be feasting and even drinking sometimes, it must be admitted, for the settlers in those days did not scorn the enlivening cup, and whiskey was worth only 20 cents q gallon. But, notwithstanding that fact, there was little drunkenness in the country, and few people who in- dulged their appetites for liquor to ex- cess. It happened sometimes that a osrr1nt0 trv1xx@ 4- k or ''bee" of any kind did not approve of the use of liquor. In such cases the visitors would be treated to coffee and good accompaniments and the cheer of this kind was always accepted with as good grace as though liquor was furnished. The pioneers were very tolerant, and for this reason, if for no other, there was always the best of ac- cord among them.
 Dancing was one of the principal amusements of the pioneers, and al most all of them joined in the festivi- ties occasionally. Happily about every third house on the main roads was a tavern" made necessary by the large amount of teaming that was done be- lore the coming of the railroads, and every tavern had large room or hall made expressly for dancing parties and neighborhood assemblies of other kinds. Every locality had it's ''fid- dlers, and it was generally under stood that on occasions where the peo- pie desired to get together for q so- clal time there should not be any ex- pense that they could not afford. The musicians were content with small pay and their part of their fun, and the music, if not as good as it might have been, was good enough for the purpose. The pioneers were mostly young people, both married and sin. gle, and they all enjoyed the dances on long winter evenings and the sleigh ride going and coming for a radius of from 10 to 15 miles. Every tavern had it's "bar-room," and it received it's share of the attention of the vis- 1tors, though care was taken to ban 1sh all conduct which would interfere with the main portion of the festivi- ties. On the dancing floor the quad Tile and the old-fashioned scountrv dance" were the favorites. Virginia reel, opera reel, money musk. and others of the kind. as best befittino the staid qualities of the assemblaoe
 when the sons and daughters of the pioneers had grown to the age of dancing they followed in the footsteps or their parents for time but it was not long before they introduced new customs and new dances, such as they learned in their visits to neighboring citles or such as were imported by visitors from more favorable loca1i. ties.