Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-13

any further than the year 1854 when speaking Of the city. and so
the 25th of December that year may be counted ;ne first CAHzrDas
only a dozen IT so little shantes. dlapidated structures which woul
not be allowed to exist il the city today, not even On lower Capt.
avenue. Among the men residing in these wretched wrecks {
houses were DR.. George l. Miller. Samuel D. Rogers. Alfred d.
Jones, A J. POppeton and their families i
Christmas day in 1854 was warn and pleasant The trees
were still in leaf the grass still green and the flowers were
blooming. There were no packing houses and every family put up.
its own meat in good old Pur1tancaI fashion. It was killing time
and the men cut up the meat and stuffed sausage into miniature
-four sacks out of doors and prOmenaded around in their summer
wearing apparel
There was no celebration that year There were scarcely
enough people in Omaha to celebrate. A few ladies, or rather fam
lilies. a there were only a few ladies in town. entertained their
neighbors. During the day the adoIescent millonaires fired nrel
crackers and at night there was a small pyroteehnicaI display
While the exhibition was not s. grand as those given on the night.
of Independence day now in the High school grounds 1t was never
theess looked upon then as something extraordinarily wonderful
Nest everybody around here in 1854 lived across the river in
Council Bluffs. and that city had quite a celebration with the words
Christmas gift a a greeting, and consequently thcy captured about
everybody that went anywhere far from Omaha Nj William SNOW
Z Just completed a large n eommodious Jog u on Ientn
street. and just south Of Turner hall, and he gave a big dance Ir
was the first ball of any magnitude and was attended by about every
body The house had not been entirely completed and there were
no doors or windows in place. Mr. Snowden va thIrt-hve years
ahead of the style, for he had porieres AT the doors in the form OF
quilts and the same delicate fabrics a the windows and when the
dancers arrived they drew aside the curtains and walked directly
in on the scene OF festivities.
1T was the grandest and most enthusiastic gathering ever con
gregaed in this city. MI snowden had once more rushed the style
by having candles around the inside of the house for light And by
that hfckertng light the dance went on and Joy wa unconhned.
Jim Orton was imported from Council BIuns to furnish the.
music, which he did from N Anticipated fiddle which he had brought
with him from that cultured state of Indiana. A dance then popu-
larly known as the French Four the first number ON the pro-
gram, and it may here be stated that the program consisted OF a
man with a large mouth and powerful lungs When James tuned
his violin and struck the first few notes Hon Alfred D. Jones caught
his partner and led the crowd in the mysteries of the French Four
Al the hour of midnight refreshments we're served. and a s there
were no chairs II tables, the guests ranged themselves n cottnn-
wood benches along the side of the cabin and devoured the repast
"Nanv n the narticiDants we're dressed in their m everr-
day apparel. but me young tenderfoot fresh from the ensts east
drew aside the porreres of the front entrance and bIossOmed before
the astonished assemblage in a white vest and white kids All tho
boys and girls thought il wal an apparftion-
Aside from this dance OF Mr.. Snowden quite a number of young
folk came over from Council BLUFFS and went up o a farm louss
that was near where the corner Of Seward and Saunders streets ia
now. One of those young men, now a old gray-haired gentleman.
who was present at this party. was saying the other day that they
played all the anuquatsd kissing games that we're ever known
Among them he continued, was The Needles-eye," where you
sing. The needles eye. it does supply. the thread that rum % true
"a one in which v e sang Il the top of our voices:
won't have none of your weevuy wheat,
won't have none OF your barley
For l must go and get some dough and bake a cake for
Charley.
the game, which made il all the more interesting and entertaining
l liked these kissing games, and I guess all the boys did, and the
girls. too. There was another game " played this same night II
"a called measuring tape, where a boy and girl faced each other
and then 10 the LETT, and every time they stretched they kissed This
was my fNTodte game Figuratively speaking. I measured enough
tape 70 last a large dry goods house a year.
I've had supper about IL o'clock and then the boys and girls.
each of whom had brought some Christmas gifts, exchanged pres
ents. each youth selecting bis own girl I remember very well that
my girl gave ne a babys rattle. and I presented her with q horse
shoe
II don't know how the other residents OF Omaha and Stdniry
enjoyed themselves on this. the first Christmas evening in Omaha.
but it doesn't seem to me that I have had so nice and enjoyable a
time since Although this was but thh1yfOur years ago Cnfty-four
now, there has been a wonderful change. and where the party just
alluded 10 took place n now business houses and residences for
miles around il Then it was only the black, des0Izts prairie.
When the sxry-sghth Christmas day thirty-four years hence
draws around II b very prohAhls that the buaanez houses in Omaha
VII extend from Hickory TO Seward streets ana from the river 70
ThtrtFssVsnth and Lincoln Fremont and Nebraska City VIII be
the tArvtng suburaA'"