Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-05-05
Washinaton Standard
OILY uPIA, WA>Il.
EhiiAl MORNING. Y,Y ), 1905.
Olympia "reminiscences.


day AL4"ptdn, Wh"n she Came &c
Olympia, there were tut three other
white gi,ls besides herself. There
were about al equal number OF white
women, aggregating however. con-id
erably less than dozen which cons i
tHfel the social swim estimated 10y
Four Hundreds" IN the tig cities
Social iuuclious were confined almost
exclusively to dancing, there being
enough dancers OF both sexes to form
two figures OF Il qIadrille, and fortu.
nately We were not wanting for " iid
dlcrs," and good ones, too, for the style
of music then fashionable in the Fal
West, embraced the characteristics OIL
the" Hoe Down." the ragtime OF old
times. Nor WAS the esthetic unrepre.
secuted, for few years later, an adopt
cd daughter of the Ensigns, Louise,
appeared in the charmed circle, who
had been taught for the stage, whose
vi thC Ll6
and other dances in costume, was ell
trancipg and really artistic. At every
dance, or ball, it was arranged that
Louise should give one OF her character
dances, which she did amidst tumul.
tuous applause. AS intimated, these
dances were called balls, for they were
always accompanied by refreshments
and the price of admission was five
dollars per couple, but there was
scarcely q week passed without one or
more of these festive reunions. AS
stated in previous article, there was
no upper and lower crust of society in
those halcyon days, and all inter.
mingled with the freedom of single
family.
The amusement by day was likewise
circumscribed. Excursions by water
were limited to the capacity of the two
life-boats owned by government, in
service OF the custom.house and In
dian canoes. As passengers had to sit
fiat in the latter they were not spe.
cially adapted for pleasure parties, and
unless manned and propelled by the
natives were exceedingly likely TO tip
over, neither of which conditions found
much favor with the ladies. By land
the conditions were somewhat similar.
Light rigs had not yet come in fashion
the "dead-ex," or farm wagon, being
about the only form of vehicle avail
able. which was best adapted for haul.
ing inanimate objects that might not
be broken or chafed by hard knocks
"Csyuses." the name then employed
for horses, were available however, and
frequent and enjoyable were the eques
trian iaunts to the prairies, or the
"Five Oaks" BY picnic parties. always
ending with the dance at night. The
old.time musicians for dances, in those
days, were Oliver Shead, OF Olympia,
and the Cornell Brothers, of Ferguson't
prairie, and their customary pay fol
fiddling and calling was $40 for each
performer.
THE MONEY USED IN THOSE DAYS.
There was, Of course, less m oney il
circulation in those days than now
but it was in fewer hands, and appar
emily more plentiful. There were
nothing less than quarters, and only
Indians to work for them, at that. Il
it WAS but starting fire in the stove
splitting an armfull of wood or bring
ing bucket of water (all water fol-
the town being carried from q spring
now unused, and encaeed in masonry
under the Chambers brick building
the compensation was . quarter. Ar
immigrant who brought q pocket.full
of the old-style copper cents to the
West, considerably larger than a oil
yer quarter, readily passed then .,
the stores for quarters, the pioneer
being anxious to get them for pocket
pieces. For long time after dimes
were drifting hitherward, they w4t
called "bits," and eight OF them
passed for dollar. When, however
Tender Feet, as newcomers wer.
called, began importing dimes. t
make the twenty per cent, profit q
first allowed by an indulgent public
there was finally protest. Business
men did not want them-had no ne,
for them-as drink at a bar cost TWEEN
ay.five cents, and they finally required
nine dimes to pay for a dollars worth
in ordinary exchange. This did no
seem to abate the evil and finally bu
slowly ten dimes were required at al
counters. There were very few plea
yunes, and they did not bother, read
lily passing with the dimes, singly o
by pairs, for it was customary, in thos'
days, to ignore minor fractions. and i
An article came to Eve cents, long o
short, it was incontinently ignored il
settlement, and buyer and selle
would sometimes vie with each othe
in tho generous act Of concession
Currency was in those days in silver
mainly Spanish dollars, and American
quarters and halves. These consti
tuted the principal medium of exchange
from the fact that annQities to tn
Indians were generally paid in coil
that piled up high in counting. Tn
gold coins were MoffAtt's five, ten an,
twenty dollar gold pieces, Spanisl
doubloons, of the value OF sixteel
dollars. and the oetogon slug. pieces
valued at Fifty dollars. The Moffat
pieces resembled very much the Amer
lean coinage Of like denominations
with the name Moffatt" over Lib