The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-03-02
BALMORAI-S AND HOOPS
WERE FASHIONABLE
Calico Costs 20 Cents a Yard,
but Dressmakers' Prices Were
Much Lower Than They Are
Now.

Much Lower Than They Are
Now.
A leather-bound, purple-iined poclset
diary of the vintage of 1865, belong
ing to Mrs. Celeste Lacy, a Yakima
pioneer, mother of John Lacy, con-
tains in its simple details of home mat
tiers in the northwest | nthe days be-
fore railroads and irrigation were
thought of, an interesting picture of
pioneer life on the frontier in a coun-
try where the frontier has ceased to
be. Mrs. Lacy, who was at the time of
the beginning of the diary Miss Celes-
tie Edwards, and still going to school,
received the little book Jan 8, 1865, at
Muddy, Ore, as a gift from her broth
err, j. ID. Edwards. The first page, in
deed, is inscribed with the name of
Mr.. Edwards twice. once with a Port
land address and once at Oregon City.
and the first few memoranda are in a
different hand from the subsequent
ones. The inference is that Mr.. Ed
wards bought the diary for himself
and like many another found the daily
chronicling of events too irksome and
passed the book on to his little sister.
Faithful Diarist.
For several weeks Mrs. Lacy was a
faithful diarist, a matter for some
wonder, since clearly life was a busy
one for school girls in those days. A
sample day is this of Tuesday, Jan. II
1865: II arose at half past 6; helped
get breakfast, ate, combed my hair
washed the dishes, swept the kitchen,
went to school. Swept the floor at
noon, got my lesson, came home, ate
my supper washed the dishes, tore
out the skirt of my dress, sewed until
half past 10. Studied my grammar
lesson. went to bed"
On some days the entry shows that
she came home from scnool at noon
and washed until or 9 o'clock. The
women were the tailors in those days,
and the men not so fussy about style
and finish, perhaps. There are records
of pairs of pants made for the men
of the family and neighbors at the RI
diculously low price of SO cents per
pair.
Clever With Her Needle.
Mrs. Lacy seems to have been clever
with her needle and to have done a
good bit of sewing for her neighbors
besides for her own family. Here are
some of the prices to compare with
modern dressmaking and millinery de-
ihands. For making bonnet SO cents;
a mans shirt rs cents; basque so
cents; a dress (more pretentious)
SLIPS; pair of knit gloves $1.00."
She also has page devoted to an
egg record-though this was later, af-
ter she was married and living in
Yakima City-and her hens seem to
have been good workers. There is a
record of six dozen in January to Mr.
Guilland of the famous Old Town ho-
tel, now gone the way of many relics
Mrs. p. J. Flint was also a customer
nd there were plenty of consumers for
some twenty or more dozen at 37H
cents per dozen. In February, how
ever, eggs went down to 20 cents, the
Bartholet hotel being one of the Gus
toners in the latter month.
An expense account at the end
gives some interesting data concern
ing the price of materials in the days
before the railroad when everything
had to be freighted up from the
Dalles.
Thread is High.
Calico was 20 cents a yard; three
spools of thread cost 81 1-2 cents;
2 handkerchiefs cost so cents; 2
yards of chambray 81; 3 yards of
velvet $2.25. On March 8, Miss
Celeste spent $3.50 for set of hoops,
fact which gives an inkling of the
foe. Iii nf 1,o ;01 a.
of poplin she paid $4.65. Shoes
ranged from S1.50 to $3.50. Delaine
was favorite dress material and cost
so cents a yard. Yarn was also a
frequent item and cost $3.50 a pound.
Several of the articles mentioned in
the list have so far gone out of style
that recourse to the dictionary is nee
essary. A balmoral which cost 81, is
discovered to be heavy striped
goats hair material, an imitation of
wool.
The diary also tells of a trip to
SCOTS Bluffs, Nebraska, and a trip
from Burnett county Texas, to Port
land, via San Francisco, the latter be-
ing apparently a mere succession of
changing cars. The SCOTS Bluff trip
was taken in 1902 and meant a re-
union with her sister-in-law, Martha
A. Tracy, after a separation of 81
years and months.
The journey to Portland in 1880
was en- route to Yakima City, where
Mrs. Lacy has made her home for
many years. She went by boat to
Loves landing, where she staid 8
days, then Sept. 81 took the wagon
for Yakima City, arriving twelve days
later