The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-12-23
BY RAyMER WENDELL TlNsLsY.

was held probably the FIRST Christ
mas celebration in K9rsucky. Al
that time the greater part of the coun
try lying along and just to the Sou.h
OF the Ohio River was in its primi-
tive state, with the blar, the buf-
falo, thewild turkey and DIR in
hablting its trackltss DIS rts and tle
Red Man looking within the shadows
of its dense forests. Few people
had braved the terriers of the grolt
unknown country which lay beyond
the Alleghanies, and they had not
scattered over the vass territory but
had built forts and remained togsth-
er for mutual pro,ection.
At one of these forts wore twen-
ty families. who had come down the
Ohio with Clark's expedition and land
ed near the present site OF Louis
VILE or Corn Island. Hare they built
a temporary fort where they could
live in safety while another was be-
ing erected on the mainland ali a
point they called the Falls OF the
Ohio.
Toward the latter part of the year
! IT'S, the new fort, though not COM
pletely finished, was ready TO ac-
conioda+e their ordinary needs, so
they left the Island for the stronger
and better fitted abode.
In accordance with the customs
they had brought from across the
mountains, they decided to have Il
House Warming" the time of which
was set for Christmas Day. Ac-
cordingly the expert hunters Were sent
out to kill the game and ON Christ
mas Eve there was much merrymak-
ing in the new home while the men
were preparing the game and, the
women picking the fowls.
The fort was built in the odd fash
ion way with the log cabins stand
ing in the form of a rectangle sur
rounding an open court in tho center.
Here all the settlers could ass mble
for social entertainment with little
fear of a sudden attack of their en-
emies, both Indians and wild ami
mails.
At about twelve O'Clock on Christ
mas day the great feast was spread
in large storehouse built fer com
mon use. The table consisted of
forked stakes driven into the dirt
floor and boards resting on long poles
no cloth over the rough beard table
and most of che dishes were wood
en- bowls and trays with now and
then a pawtar spoon, a horn handled
knife or two and a few tin cups.
But the feast was not to be suppass-
ed. There was a great variety of de-
licacies, such as venison, bear, rab-
bit, turkey and buffalo, and corn bread
in pone, hoe cake and batter form;
hominy boiled and fried; milk and
butter, with homemade cheese. How
eer the great dish of the day was
a 'possum, hung by the tail on stick
in the middle OF the table, where
everyone could be served with a
piece of 1T.
Can you imagine the grandeur of
that first great pioneer Christmas fes-
tival in Kentucky? The merriment
and JOY and good cheer of all?
But it was not the custom for the
fun TO end with the feast. They had
expected to bring the day of joy;
Gus celebration to a close with a grand
dance, but their only means of fur
nishing music was AN old negro fid-
dler named Coto, and three of the
strings on his fiddle wcre broken.
He had tried to fix them with bark
and strings of buffalo hide, but all
to no avail. It seemed the dance
was to be given up.
At the last moment however, it was
the river and on 1t was a Frnch fid-
der. He was Immediately sent for
and he agreed to furnish THE mu-
sic.
In the meantime Coto went to the
boat and bargained for three nsw
strings for his fiddle. given for ,hem
as many hides, when he had put
them on his fiddle and gotten back
to the port, the Frenchman was al
ready there.
The table and stools were cleared
away from the center of the store
house and everything made ready for
the dance. The children and those
not wishing to dance seated them
selves around the walls Of the room
TO look on. The Frenchman arrang-
ed the dancers for one of his favorite