|
|
 Dancing Activities of those for and
against it.
Dancing is probably less in vogue in the United States of America than
in any European country. Our Puritan fathers, when they settled on
these shores, deemed it one of the vanities of life, and
discountenanced it by every means in their power. But their stern rule
gradually passed away, and the reel, the contra dance, and the
cotillion have long found enthusiastic votaries among the young and
active of every condition and sex. In this progressive age, however,
the more modern "scottische" and "polka" seem to be rapidly usurping
the attention of the youthful portion of the community, and perhaps,
ere many centuries have rolled over the world, the United States will
be as famous for superior cultivation and excellence in the art as
France and Germany are now.
"Dancing,"
Umpqua Weekly
Gazette, Scottsburg, June 9, 1854, page
1Dancing is universal; on every continent and among every people, savage and civilized, the practice of it is sustained. The leaves of the forest and the grasses of the meadow dance to the music of their own rustling; the waters of the running brook dance, merrily murmuring over their bed, and infinite rays of light dance a distance of ninety-five millions of miles through the realms of space to render all things visible to us. The planets dance round the sun, the moon dances round the earth, and we poor mortals dance through life--all forming one grand figure--ceaseless--eternal.--Boston Journal.
NEW YEAR'S BALL.--R.
Benedict, of Applegate, announces to the lovers of dancing
and good
cheer that he will give a cotillion party at his fine hall, on New
Year's Eve. Give him a call.
Oregon
Sentinel, Jacksonville, December 27, 1862, page
3
JONES EXONERATED.--Mrs.
Jones says that Mrs. Whatsname was told by Mr. Whatsname that Mr. Smith
had been reported as saying that Mrs. Smith had heard a rumor to the
effect that Billy Muggins was reported to have said that he had heard
that what C. had said concerning Jones' dancing with the hurdy gurdies
was not true. That lets Jones out.
DANCING.--Day after tomorrow a ball is to be given at the house of Mr. P. W. Stowe, on Little Butte Creek. We have no doubt it will be a recherché affair. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, April 1, 1863, page 2
WALTZING.--A good story is told of Major
Roper, Chief Commissary in a division of Rosencrans'
army. The Major is very fond of dancing, and enjoys female society. A
few evenings since a dance was given, and the Major was among those
invited. Wishing to waltz, he craved an introduction to a very pretty
country girl, whom he had been informed was a fine waltzer. After the
usual formalities, the Major requested her hand for the next waltz.
Judge of his horror when she begged to be excused; as she said: "It
always makes me puke!"
DANCING ACADEMY.--Prof. E. R. Jones notifies the public that he is located at the U.S. Hotel for the purpose of instructing pupils in the art of graceful dancing. Prof. Jones has the reputation of being a very accomplished teacher, and those wishing to learn how to neatly "trip the light fantastic toe" or "thread the giddy labyrinth of the waltz" should avail themselves of this fine opportunity. See advertisement. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 6, 1864, page 2 DANCING ACADEMY.--The most popular institution in our town at the present time is Professor Jones' Dancing Academy. Three well-filled classes have been formed, of ladies, misses and gentlemen. The class for the ladies meets on Tuesday afternoons, the young girls on Saturday afternoons, and the gentlemen on Saturday nights. Soirees were had on Tuesday of last week and Tuesday of this week, which were numerously attended, and at which all heartily enjoyed themselves. The last lesson and soiree of the term will be given on Thursday night next. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 20, 1864, page 2 BALL AT THE U.S. HOTEL.--Mr. Horne of the U.S. Hotel is making careful and elaborate preparations for a ball to be given on Monday evening, to commemorate the birthday of Washington. New and elegant dances, taught by Prof. Jones, will be introduced, and add increased interest to the occasion. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 20, 1864, page 2 FASHIONABLE DANCING
Oregon
Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 20, 1864, page
2Academy MR.
E. R. JONES, Professor of the art of elegant and graceful dancing, by
this means informs the people of this vicinity that he has obtained a
class, and will teach this art to all who apply at the hall of the U.S.
Hotel. The class will meet on Tuesday and Saturday evenings of each
week. At two o'clock p.m. each Saturday a class of ladies will receive
instruction free of charge. Terms--Six lessons for $5. Private lessons,
either lady or gentleman, $1 each.
Jacksonville, Feb. 6, 1864. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, took a long mournful yawn, and began to consider what had best be done. I discovered that a thin wooden partition only intervened betwixt my head and the ballroom; everything rattled to the jigging tune of the music and the dancers, the windows, the doors, the wash crockery, the bed, all jigged, and I began to find myself involuntarily nodding to the same measure, and jigging mentally like the rest. Shades of the departed! I could not stand this--goodbye bed, and feathers, and sleep. I may as well dance in reality as in imagination; and abandoning all my anticipated delights, dressed and entered the ballroom. It was a long room, lit with candles hung against the wall in tin sconces; the company--if variety is really charming--was perfect; the costumes, as a rule, were more suggestive of ease than elegance; scarlet shirts and buckskin (I must say it, ladies) "pants" were in the ascendant. The boots, as a rule, being of the species known as Wellingtons, were worn outside the trousers, inducing the latter indispensables to assume a bunchiness about the knees, not calculated to display the symmetry of the leg to advantage; very few had any jackets on, but all, without exception, wore a bowie knife and six-shooter in their waist-belts. The ladies' costumes were equally varied; most of them wore bright-colored muslins of very large patterns, and showy waist-ribbons, tied behind in large bows, with streamers down to their heels. The dance was just "down," when I came into the room. I saw a few citizens I had met in the day, but each one seemed to have his "fancy gal," and any chance of getting an introduction was a vain hope. The fashion, I discovered after, is either to bring or meet your partner at the ballroom, and dance with her, and her only, all the evening. A waltz was called, and I wanted a partner. Looking round, I spied out a lady sitting near the end of the room, who evidently had not got one. She was in the same place when I entered the room, and it was clear to me by her unrumpled appearance that she had not danced for the evening. "Faint heart never won fair lady" might, I imagined, apply as forcibly to dancing as to wooing or fighting; if I am snubbed, it won't be all the world, and I suppose I shall live it down--so here goes. Walking boldly up to her, I asked coolly, but rather apologetically, if she would try a waltz-- "Guess, stranger, I ain't a-fix'd up for waltzing." "Perhaps, madam," I said, "you will excuse me, although unknown to you, if I ask you to dance the next cotillion with me." Looking into my face with an expression half doubt, half delight, she said: "Stranger, I'll have the tallest kind of pleasure in putting you right slick through a cotillion, for I've sot, and sot, and sot here, like a blue chicken on a pine log, till I was like to a-grow'd to the seat." This satisfactorily arranged, I sat down by her side until the waltz finished, to have a good look at and trot out my new inamorata. She was a blonde beauty, with fair hair, and light gray eyes that flashed and twinkled roguishly. She was robed in some white material, with blue ribbons in her hair and round her waist: a mountain sylph that any wanderer in want of a partner would have deemed himself lucky to have stumbled on. Our conversation was rather discursive, until I discovered that home politics, or rather the duties and requirements [of] a gal at hum, was a never-failing spring from which to draw fresh draughts of household knowledge. At last the cotillion was called by the M.C., and again I heard--"Take your places, salute your partners," the fiddles started the same kind of jigging tune, and away they went. Now allow me to enlighten the uninitiated in the mysteries of a cotillion; it's a compound, complicated kind of dance, evidently constructed from the elements and fragments of many other dances--a good deal of quadrille, a strong taste of lancers, a flavor of polka and waltz, the whole highly seasoned with Indian war dance. You never stand still, neither can you lounge and talk soft nothings to your partner. No, it's real bona fide, downright honest dancing. I soon discovered why the men had left off their jackets; a trained runner could not have stood it in clothing. My jacket and waistcoat soon hung on a peg, and, red-shirted like the rest, I footed it out gallantly. My partner was a gem, with the endurance of a ballet girl in pantomime time. How many cotillions we got through, I never clearly remembered; but we danced on till the gray morning light, stealing in through the windows, warned the revelers that Old Sol was near at hand once more. My fair partner positively refused to allow me to see her home. Being a casual acquaintance and not a lover, I supposed, of course, that it was highly proper on her part. I thanked her sincerely, for I really felt grateful to her for enabling me to dance away a night that I had destined for a long, luxurious repose. With a hearty good night, we parted, never to meet again. "From Red Bluff to Yreka and How I Passed the Night There," Daily Bee, Sacramento, April 1, 1865, page 1 The writer prefaced this as being an anecdote of 1860. FANCY DANCING.--An exchange cautions young men who can't dance fancy dances not to go to a ball with a young lady who can, and adds a few suggestions as follows: "If we ever have children we shall teach them these dances. Not that they will enjoy the hopping around, first on one foot, then on the other, then on both, but they will have such a good chance to hug other people's wives and sweethearts! This is the secret of the dancing. No one could object then, but if a fellow were to sit by the side of his own wife even, in a ball room, and hug her half as hard--well, wouldn't there be remarks! Guess not! Talk about going to picnics, visiting weddings, going to apple-cuts, sparking by the moonlight, sitting on the porch Sunday evenings and stealing a kiss every time a star shoots, sleigh riding by the side of a rosy-cheeked girl, or eating happiness with a gold spoon! all these sink into insignificance when fancy dancing comes on. But then! If a fellow don't know how, and takes to a party a pretty girl who does, and has to sit on a cold bench and see another fellow doing the sweet hugging of that angelic creature that he has paid his ticket for, it's awful! Just to sit still and see another's arm where yours should be--her head where it should not be, and--well, don't take a girl to a fancy dancing party unless you know all the ropes." Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 10, 1866, page 1
NEW YEAR'S BALL.--Madame
Guilfoyle advertises in this week's issue that she will give a New
Year's ball on the evening of the 31st of December. The Madam is giving
her house a thorough repairing, and is
enlarging the rooms. She will use her present room as a dancing hall.
For a dining room, she has enlarged her parlor and refitted it in
magnificent style. The Madam invites all her patrons to take breakfast
with her on the morning of the 1st of January. This is a new feature,
but we are satisfied that a pleasant time will be had on that occasion.
Everybody should make up his or her mind to go to this--"the party of
the season."
WALTZING.--The following beautiful description of waltzing is so true to life that we reproduce it. If it should happen that the reader has before read it, why, pass it over. The writer of the same must have spoken from real experience: "A group of splendid ones is on the floor, and lovingly mated, and gents encircle their partner's waist with one arm. The ladies and gentlemen closely face to face. They are very erect and lean a little forward. (Music.) Now all wheel and whirl, circle and curl. Feet and heels of gents go rip, rap, rap, rap. Ladies' feet go tippety, tip, tippety, tip, tip. Then all go rippety, clipperty, slipperty, sumpity, thum. Ladies fly off by centrifugal momentum. Gents pull ladies hard and close--reel, swing, slide, look tender, look silly, look dizzy. Feet fly, tresses fly, all fly. It looks tuggity, huggity, pullity, squeezity, pressity, rubbity, rip. The gents like a cross between steelyards and 'limberjacks,' beetles and joined X's. The maidens tuck down their shins very low, or raise them exceedingly. Some giggle and frown, some sneer, and all sweat freely. The ladies' faces are brought against those of the men, or into their bosoms, breast against breast, nose against nose, toes against toes. Now they are again making a sound like georgy, porgy, deery-peery, didy-pidy, coachy, poachy. 'This dance is not much, but the extras are glorious.' If the men were women, there would be no such dancing. But they are only men, and so the dancing goes on by women's love of it." Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, March 27, 1869, page 1 CHRISTMAS BALL.--Our kind, well-known proprietor Mr. L. Horne of the United States Hotel of this place, ever having the enjoyment of the young folks at heart, gave a general entertainment on Christmas evening. The attendance was large, and all the incidents to a festive occasion were cordially supplied in a manner highly complimentary to the worthy proprietor and lady. And the social exercises of the "graceful fantastic toe" were indulged in to the entire satisfaction of all parties. Also, on New Year's evening another social entertainment was given at the same place, in the interest of the old folks. They, however, gave mighty strong symptoms of juvenile feelings from the lively manner in which they tripped the alternate toe, in the mazy dance. And, what was more, their youthful propensities gave no signs of "letup" till the flying hours traced the rosy dawn climbing in the east. Jacksonville's old folks ain't agoing to grow old for trifles, you bet. Democratic Times, Jacksonville, January 7, 1871, page 3
BENEDICT'S BALL.--The
Washington Birthday ball, at Benedict's, was a pleasant entertainment,
we learn from several of our friends who attended. There was a very
liberal turnout from town, as there always is when Benedict gives a
ball. We are informed that there was "music and dancing" from 7 o'clock
in the evening until 6 o'clock in the morning, with only a short
respite for supper.
"No
sleep 'til morn, when youth and pleasure meet,
was the motto of the occasion and was
well adhered to.To chase the glowing hours with flying feet," The people of Kerbyville--to make amends, I suppose--got up a pleasant little dance yesterday evening. It was led off by an exhibition given by a negro minstrel troupe, after which the cry was "on with the dance." At the "wee small hours of morning" I looked in upon them, and found some of the grave and sober citizens of your town still shoving the "light fantastic toe," evidently enjoying themselves hugely. It is currently reported that one of the very staid attorneys of your place was so captivated by the "belle of the evening" that he has determined to enter "suit" at once. I simply mention this as a matter of interest to some of the young misses of Jacksonville. "Letter from Josephine," Democratic Times, Jacksonville, November 2, 1872, page 2 Dances are now in order, and each occasion is celebrated with two or three very exciting rows. Our people are famous for participating in more rows than any other community, and yet generally coming out unhurt. Whether this is owing to a want of moral courage or the timely interposition of friends we are at present unable to determine. "Letter from Sams Valley," Democratic Times, Jacksonville, January 1, 1876, page 3 "HUGGING DANCES" INTERDICTED.--Brigham Young has issued a pronunciamento interdicting the faithful saints from indulgence in the "round dances," such as waltzes, polkas, schottisches, etc. He says "the good old square quadrilles are good enough for decent people." Hugging in families Brigham deems all right and proper, but when this delectable and soul-imposing exercise is transferred to the public ballroom and becomes promiscuous, he sets his face sternly against it and makes it the subject of an official pronunciamento. It remains to be seen whether the flock of wives and daughters who have, even if but for a brief season, enjoyed the delirium of the waltz will tamely submit to a decree so irksome and disagreeable as that which has been promulgated by the Mormon prophet. Democratic Times, Jacksonville, April 7, 1876, page 1 YOUNG man, if you will waltz, and wish to do it in the highest style of the art, do it thusly: Place your arm around her waist about two inches above her pin-back, throw your left arm under her right fin, then stick your nose in her left ear, and whirl. Do this and you have got the thing down to a fineness. Democratic Times, Jacksonville, April 7, 1876, page 4 There are several chaps in Jacksonville who can waltz for five straight hours without taking a minute for rest, and yet they couldn't handle a bucksaw for fifteen minutes without howling with the backache. "Brief Mention," Democratic Times, Jacksonville, May 26, 1877, page 4 HOW THEY DANCE IN OREGON.--A similarity exists between the Oregon and Nevada styles of dancing, but there is something so fascinating as the Webfoot girl whirls through the "Tralaloo" and the "Happy Hottentots" that impresses us with the fact that "She Is as Pretty as a Picture." If she is from Long Tom she throws her hair back, jumps up and cracks her heels together, carries off her astonished partner as if a Soap Creek zephyr struck him and knocks over all obstacles in her mad career. An Albany girl crooks her body in the middle like a door hinge, takes her partner by the shoulders and makes him miserable in trying to hop around her without treading on her No. 9 shoes. An Ashland girl creeps closely and timidly up to her partner, as if she would like to get into his vest pocket, and melts away in ecstasy as the strains of "The Blue Danube" sweep through the hall. A Portland girl will now and then work in a touch of double shuffle or a bit of pigeon wing. A Salem girl throws both her arms around his neck, rolls up her eyes and, as she floats away, she is heard to murmur, "Oh, come nearer to me, Gawge!" A Jacksonville girl is a natural and faultless waltzer, and does it with an exquisiteness that is perfectly charming. Democratic Times, Jacksonville, November 30, 1877, page 3 Big Butte is notorious for dances, but the one on Christmas night at Baldwin Sills' "capped the climax." It opened at early candle lighting and the dancers kept the "ball rolling" until 11 o'clock the next day. There were about 25 couples present, with six fiddlers and three violins. The supper was just splendid--all of which being free. "Big Butte Items," Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, January 3, 1879, page 3 ENFORCING DISCIPLINE.--The M.E. Church at Salem has determined to enforce that section of the discipline which refers to "imprudent conduct," to wit: "Cases of neglect of duties of any kind, imprudent conduct, indulging sinful tempers or words, then buying, selling or using intoxicant liquors as a beverage, dancing, playing at games of chance, attending theaters, horse races, circuses, dancing parties, or patronizing dancing schools, or taking such other amusements are obviously of misleading or questionable moral tendency, or disobedience to the order or discipline of the church." Ashland Tidings, January 24, 1879, page 3 A large and commodious pavilion will be constructed, 24 by 50 feet covered with canvas, and floored for dancing purposes. The dance will commence at the conclusion of the other exercises, and will be conducted by experienced managers. "The Fourth at Willow Springs," Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, June 4, 1879, page 3 The ball at Houck's Hall in the evening was well attended, and a very enjoyable affair. The hall was very tastefully decorated with evergreens and well lighted by hanging chandeliers, while the floor is doubtless the best in Southern Oregon for dancing. At eleven o'clock the dancers were served with an elegant supper, such as you may always expect to see at Houck's, and about three o'clock Saturday morning the dancers began to disperse, well satisfied with the entertainment. None were able to complain of lack of opportunity for dancing, as the large floor would have accommodated many more. Sixty-one tickets were sold, and in view of the many dances given in the valley on the same evening, the attendance may be considered very good indeed. "How the Day Passed in Ashland," Ashland Tidings, July 11, 1879, page 3 LITTLE FOLKS PARTY.--The party given to the little folks on Friday evening last was a real pleasant affair. Some of the little ladies had chosen partners who were sliding down the hill of life, and their appearance in the "grand march" was quite a contrast. The performance of the youngsters was very creditable, showing that they were not unfamiliar with the mysteries of the quadrille or deficient in etiquette, and they all enjoyed the dance with evident relish. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 18, 1880, page 3 The dance given at Masonic Hall on Friday evening of last week was attended by a goodly number of those who love to "trip the light fantastic." The "Boston Dip" was danced by one of our "counter hoppers," to the disgust of all present. Sam, if you persist in such dances, we would advise you to go to Mexico and practice with the natives, where the same dance is called by its right name, the "knock-knee." "Roseburg Items," Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, November 5, 1881, page 3 Our friend Dave Crosby may live to be a hundred years old, and we hope he will, but even if he does, he will never celebrate another birthday in a more pleasant and enjoyable manner than he did his 26th on last Thursday evening. Dave didn't know anything about the party until, all of a sudden, somebody swooped down on him and yanked him up to the club room. He found the room full of friends all dressed up in their party fixin's, and kind of paired-off like, as though they were going to be married by the dozen. But Dave soon saw what was the matter and was just about beginning a speech when the string band struck up a stirring air and before he knew it he was full partner in one of the top couples of a quadrille. Forward and back, round and round, now this way now that way, they all went; schottische and waltz and quadrille succeed each other again and again and nobody got tired or thought or getting tired. And then the refreshments were brought in, and everybody ate as though the old scissor grinder had left off sharpening scissors and knives and put in the whole day on their appetites. After supper, more music and more dancing, and so the happy hours passed. The night was far gone when the last of the merrymakers left the hall, wishing as all the rest had done that Dave might have many happy returns of the anniversary of his birth. "Local Items," Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, May 19, 1883, page 3 LEAP YEAR PARTY.
Miss Celia
Orth was chosen president and Miss Emma Pape secretary.It was decided to hold the party at Madame Holt's hall on the evening of Feb. 22, 1884, Washington's birthday. The following committees were appointed for the occasion. General Committee--Misses Lena Cameron, L. Helms, K. Cronemiller, A. Plymale and Sarah Brown. On Reception--Misses E. Brown, L. Murphy and N. Luy. On Music--Misses E. Pape, A. Berry, F. Orth and E. Milner. On Finance--Misses E. Strang, A. Hanley and C. Orth. On Supper--Misses M. Linn, C. Levy and E. Ulrich. Floor Managers--Misses B. Jones, J. Moore, A. Shipley, K. Miller, A. Klippel, R. Cardwell and M. Judge. Ticket Seller--Mrs. W. J. Plymale. The following resolutions were unanimously adopted: Every lady is expected to act like a perfect gentleman. No gentleman will dance unless asked by a lady. No gentleman will walk across the floor unless leaning upon the arm of a lady. Any lady insulting a gentleman will be put out of the hall at once, and all gentlemen will be protected from rudeness while in the hall, regardless of expense. Gentlemen will dance on the right side of ladies, as a matter of course. Any ungentlemanly behavior on the part of a lady will be promptly checked by the floor committee, who shall have intimidating powers. Any gentleman showing a lady attention will be warned once and put out twice. Any gentleman attempting to put on his own overcoat will be shown the error of his ways in a decisive manner, and the overcoat given to the board of county commissioners. Any gentleman asked by a lady to dance can excuse himself by fibbing about his engagement if he chooses, and all will be well. The ladies were requested to appear in calico for the grand march at 9 o'clock p.m. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, February 16, 1884, page 4 The Correct Position.
As a
dancing school has been organized in this place, the following
advice as to how to waltz is given free. It is authority among New York
dancing-masters. The gentleman should hold the lady with his right
forearm, placing his hand flat against the back. No part of his arm
above the elbow should come in contact with her body. The lady's left
hand should rest upon the gentleman's arm about four inches from her
shoulder. Her right arm should be held perfectly straight, at an angle
of about 45 degrees from the body. Her right hand should rest in the
gentleman's left palm with the knuckles uppermost. It is necessary that
the lady shall not bend her right elbow, otherwise they will fail to
give the mutual support which is a requisite of good dancing.Democratic Times, Jacksonville, November 4, 1887, page 3 DANCING CLUB.--Profs. Smith and Suttmer will organize a dancing club at the U.S. Hall next Friday evening. Terms for gentlemen $5.00 for eight lessons, ladies free. Gentlemen not members of the class will be charged $1 for one night. Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, January 5, 1888, page 3 I hear that at a Washington's birthday dance at Butte Creek, American patriotism had to get up and request a few boisterous young men to go outdoors and dance. "Keno Kernels," Valley Record, Ashland, February 28, 1889, page 3 THE GREAT BALL.
The ball given in honor of the 114th anniversary of American
independence, at the new Ganiard Grand Opera House, was a success in
every particular and passes on record as the most artistic and
enjoyable social event yet witnessed in this country. The assemblage,
music and dancers all compared well with the elegant new opera house, a
credit to a more pretentious city than Ashland and a monument to the
public spirit and generosity of its builder, Mr. Oscar Ganiard. About
10 o'clock Lemay's cotillion band started up the music and the grand
march formed, proceeded through its wind and located the dancers for
the opening quadrille. The grand march was led in a graceful manner by
Miss Carrie Roper and Mr. Thad. Barclay. Besides those taking part in
the dance a large crowd of spectators thronged the gallery, occupied
the stage behind the musicians, and other good positions to witness the
brilliant scene. The ladies were finely dressed in becoming costumes
and looked as neat, trim and pretty as if molded to perfection from
wax. A list of those present, as far as could be obtained, and what
they wore is herewith appended:Miss Clara Lemay wore a lovely costume of pink mull and lace. Mrs. Th. Jensen and Mrs. P. O. Lemay wore beautiful gowns of blue India silk and lace. Miss Lottie Thomas was in pale blue faille lace and flowers. Mrs. Monroe wore blue India silk and velvet. Miss Phene Renser, of Yreka, wore a dainty costume of creme silk mull with diamond ornaments. Miss Rena Cann, Yreka, was robed in a handsome dress of white albatross and satin. The Misses Wilson were gowned in creme and pink brocade. Mrs. Julia West wore blue cashmere of India silk. Mrs. O. H. Blount was in pale pink tulle over silk of same shade. Miss Sadie Nelson was handsome in a lovely costume of white silk mull. Miss Mollie Ober was attired in red crepe, black lace and ribbon trimmings, gold ornaments. Mrs. Frank Lenart (Portland) wore a dainty costume of creme silk mull. Miss Emma Howard, elegant dress of fisherman's net over black silk, ribbon trimmings. Miss Lillian Smith, of California, was robed in white silk, pearl embroideries and point lace. Mrs. A. T. Kyle, handsome brown costume, silk ornaments. Miss Sadie Anderson, white embroidered mull, ribbon trimmings. Miss Ella Drake, dainty costume embroidered silk mull, and lace. Mrs. G. B. Landers was in white embossed silk over white surah, with duchesse lace and diamonds. Miss Belle Anderson wore Nile green velvet, relieved with touches of old rose brocade. Mrs. Chas. H. Veghte, handsome costume of black silk, jet ornaments, creme roses. Mrs. J. D. Crocker, lovely electric blue silk, ribbon trimmings, steel ornaments. Mrs. J. W. Powers, elegant costume [of] lilac and lace. Miss Emma Vining was lovely in pink crepe and silk. Miss May Powers was enveloped in a cloud of creme satin stripe tulle over creme silk, creme roses. Miss Aggie Higgins, blue cashmere, handsome velvet decorations. Miss Millie Giddings was in black silk and tulle, La France roses. Miss Sadie Ober appeared in a lovely gown of creme and pale green silk. Miss Mabel Wagner, dainty costume of pink silk mull and lace. Miss Katie Hansen wore a rich toilet of black silk and lace. Mrs. Leslie Merrick was in gaslight green silk mull, ribbon trimmings. Miss Ida Naylor of Jacksonville, black silk and lace, Marechal Niel roses. Miss Carrie Roper charmed everyone in a corn-colored gown of clinging silk with net draperies, pearl ornaments. Miss Ida Tolman was dainty in soft white and pale blue silk. Miss Allie Farlow was elegant in hunter's green and point lace. Miss Ada Miller was gowned in dead-white faille and lace. Miss Lulu Bellinger was robed in white silk mull. Mrs. W. R. Mayfield was in creme and terra cotta lace zephyr. Mrs. H. C. Myer wore flame yellow crepe and ribbon decorations. Miss Mattie Ober was dressed in a rich costume of lavender and velvet with oxidized silver ornaments. Mrs. Anna Evans-Byron, of Spokane Falls, wore electric blue silk.and velvet and diamonds. Miss Fannie Ralph was in rich costume, green and velvet. Miss Nora Corbett was gowned in white tulle over blue silk. The gentlemen were wreathed in smiles and clothed in good humor, and never failed to make every point in the arts of gallantry come before the eyes of the fair ladies. Bunched together is herewith the list of most of the gentlemen: Al Morris, C. H. Johnson, C. F. Henry, T. W. Barclay, S. M. Warder, Taylor Payne, E. B. Myer, W. Gaunt, Gus Edwards, J. D. Cummings, P. K. Walsh, J. K. Wagner, Tet Thomey, Mr. Schuler, F. B. Farmer, A. J. Bagley, J. A. Dawson, H. C. Myer, Enoch Hamilton, John W. Farmer, John Landers, R. A. Minkler, O. H. Blount, Chas C. Chitwood, John McCarton, Thornton Thomas,, Geo. Schriner, Otis Helman, Jesse McCall, Chas. Roper, Harry Casey, Geo. Barron, A. T. Kyle, John Loftus, Geo. Vaupel, H. S. Evans, Andrew Terwilliger, Eugene Terwilliger, W. M. Singleton, Mr. Cottrell, John O'Conner, David Ralph, John McRoberts, J. M. Gregory, J. D. Scharif, Mr. Rowlands, W. R. Mayfield, Frank Brandon, G. B. Landers, Conductor Mathews, J. P. Isbell, Geo. E. Youle, L. L. Merrick, C. E. Donnelly, H. L. Sherard, C. H. Veghte and others. The ball was managed jointly by Ashland Hose Co. No. 1 and Co. D, 2nd Regiment O.N.G., O. H. Blount acting as floor director. A splendid supper was served at the Oregon Hotel. After all expenses had been paid, a wad of $45 was left over. The ball will long be remembered as an epoch in the social history of Ashland. Valley Record, Ashland, July 10, 1890, page 3 The young ladies of this place concluded to celebrate St. Valentine's Day in advance so on Friday night the 12th inst. they hunted up a young gentleman apiece and took them to Inlow & Ashpole's hall to have a leap year's dance. They also invited several young gents besides as there were not enough young ladies to escort all the gents. The ladies had prepared refreshments enough for all and anticipated a splendid time; but the lemonade and soda water had such an exhilarating effect on some of the young gents that they became so boisterous that it became necessary to invite them to retire from the ball room, and while retiring one of them aimed to steady himself by holding on to the banisters and by mistake took the banisters with him. And after the noisy element was removed they serenaded the young ladies by yelling and howling like a pack of demons from pandemonia, but the noise soon subsided as one after another went to sleep. The next morning there were seven hatless youths hunting for somebody who had more than one hat. After quiet was restored the rest of the company spent a few hours very pleasantly. "Eagle Point Items," Valley Record, Ashland, February 25, 1892, page 3 That was a right social dance the young people had a Eagle Point last Saturday night. Everything passed off smoothly--no whiskey, consequently no carousing. "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, August 11, 1893, page 1 supplement There was a dance at Brownsboro on the night of the 14th, and I understand that by morning several of the company didn't know if they were at a ball or a camp meeting--they were so DRUNK. It seems to be a very prevalent opinion that if the ladies would take the matter in hand, THEY COULD and WOULD put a stop to drunken carousing at the dances. If they would unanimously agree never to dance with or recognize a man who was drinking, they would soon put a stop to it, and not have such disgraceful conduct and language in the ball room. "Butte Creek News," Valley Record, Ashland, February 22, 1894, page 2 Ed. Hoyt, of Medford, stopped overnight. I should have said a part of the night, for he took supper and breakfast with us, but he spent most of the time at the dance. As he had on his coarse shoes he took it turnabout with Scott Pool and used his dancing pumps, one resting while the other danced; and why not have the young men adopt that plan on the ground of economy--say two or more club together and take the use of the "pumps" in turn. "Butte Creek News," Valley Record, Ashland, April 5, 1894, page 2 A dance was given Christmas at the residence of Henry Sutton, and a large crowd attended. Several young folks lost their way while en route to the place, but succeeded in reaching their destination before dancing was over. During the dance two young ladies got sleepy and went upstairs to go to bed. They accidentally overturned a lamp, and some of the oil run over the neck of a little girl sleeping in the room, making it very sore. A basket of eatables for the supper that night received a liberal supply of the oil and a fiddle was well greased. A daughter of Mr. McKee, while on her way to the dance, was thrown from her horse and her arm dislocated. But notwithstanding these accidents a general good time was had. "Big Butte Nuggets," Medford Mail, January 11, 1895, page 2 There was a Thanksgiving ball given Thursday night. The Misses Woodruff furnished the music. Some of the unthinking ones brought whiskey and consequently there was more noise than was becoming. I heard a young lady remark is was a pity that they could not have a dance at Eagle Point without someone bringing whiskey. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 6, 1895, page 2 At the Thanksgiving dance one of the young ladies danced so hard that the next morning she had blisters on her feet as big as a nickel--so her grandmother reports. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 4, 1896, page 5 Wednesday of last week, there was a surprise party and candy pulling at J. J. Fryer's. About forty of the neighbors met and pulled candy, danced, etc., until after midnight. Those present report having had a jolly good time. And on Saturday night a crowd of our young folks met at the residence of Geo. Morine (this was a genuine surprise) and brought the sugar, musicians, etc., and you can guess the result. Candy, music, dancing, playing and in fact everything that goes to make life a pleasure. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 11, 1896, page 5 THE
MASQUERADE BALL.
There was
one of the grandest times at
Eagle
Point, Christmas night, the occasion of the grandest masque ball that
has ever been witnessed here--one of the largest crowds that has ever
assembled here to attend a ball or anything else in that
line. There were sixty-four masked persons and about 175 or
200 all told present. There were representatives of almost
every family in the entire neighborhood besides parties from Medford
and Central Point. By eight o'clock the dancing commenced and
by 9:30 the characters were all in and then the fun was at its height,
each vying with the other to see who could have the most
fun. Parents looking for their children, husbands and wives
looking for each other; but of all the crowd, the most grotesque were
Mr. and Mrs. Arglee Green and Miss Lol Nichols in their bloomer
costumes made of burlap sacks and patched with every color of the
rainbow. And among the sterner sex were S. B. Holmes--little
girl in blue--and Frank Brown, the Indian chief. But if I
should particularize I would occupy too much space; suffice to say that
it was a time long to be remembered. The music rendered by
Boyd Tucker, violinist, Miss Lelah Fryer, organist, and George Brown
with his bass viol, was
excellent. There were forty-one tickets sold and 130 persons
took supper at the Eagle Hotel. The supper was as fine as anyone could
wish. I secures the names and characters of the
maskers at the supper table, which are as follows:Benton Pool, Irish Biddy. Mrs. Arglee Green, Topsy. Miss Lou Nichols, Topsy. Charley Terrill, Uncle Sam. Miss Alice Morine, Snowflake. Wilbur Ashpole, Right Supporter. George Hoyt, Sailor Boy. Miss Mattie Taylor, Popcorn Girl. Benj. Moomaw, Santa Claus. W. A. Stewart, Japanese. W. B. Officer, Left Supporter. S. B. Holmes, Little Girl in Blue Miss Cora Brown, School Girl. Mrs. S. B. Holmes, Lace Peddler. Miss Lottie Brown, Darkey Chloe. W. Grieve, Soldier. Miss Elsie Nichols, Merry Christmas. Harry Carlton, Gold Standard. John Nichols, Turkish Zouave. Peter Garrett, Clown. C. M. Phillips, Black Joe. Miss Emma Perry, Oregon Poppy. Jesse Safford, Right End. Miss Lottie Perry, Red, White, and Blue. Fred Downing, Turkish Chief. Claud White, Left End. Miss Hattie Eaton, School Girl. Miss Bessie Brown, Folly. Mrs. A. Pool, Old Cook. Miss Effie Bradshaw, Morning and Night. Mrs. George Morine, Winter. T. E. Nichols, Cow Boy. Geo. Garrett, African Chief. Miss Katie Fries, Night. Mrs. Rachel Rader, Old Maid. Dee Bradshaw, Football Player. Royal Brown, Football Player. Mrs. Royal Brown, Little Girl in Blue. John Sevedge, Grover Cleveland. C. A. Edler, Ball Catcher. Miss Maud Stickel, Little Girl in Blue. Miss Henrietta Morine, Little Girl in Blue. Mrs. Frank Brown, Darkey Chloe. Vol Stickel, Crazy Patchwork. Miss Gladius Fryer, Crazy Patchwork. Nick Young, Cow Boy. Miss Anna Snider, Flower Girl. Dick Slinger, Captain Football. A. D. McDonnell, Assistant Clown. Miss Anna McDonnell, Grandma in Winter. Thos. Farlow, Fireman. Walter Wood, Chinaman. Frank Brown, Indian Chief. Miss Lottie Taylor, Little Red Riding Hood. Miss Myrtle Hurst, Flour Girl. Marsh Garrett, Clown. Miss Lucinda Nichols, Butterfly. Archie Fries, Jack Tar. Mrs. F. Willmoth, Little Boo Peep. Georgia Nichols, Sailor Boy. Miss Delia Perry, Snow Flake. Frank Nichols, Clown. Charley Seefield, Umpire Ball Game. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, January 1, 1897, page 5 Last week I inadvertently omitted to mention a birthday party and rag tacking given by Mrs. J. M. Lewis on the 29th and 30th of last month, the birthdays of her two children. There were thirty people present. They sewed rags until 11 p.m., when supper was announced. After partaking of these refreshments, some of the guests danced while others resumed sewing rags, and your correspondent, like a sensible man that he is, went to bed. The result of the party was 25 pounds of rags sewed, a sumptuous feast devoured and a jolly good time. On the morning of the 30th they all repaired to their homes, feeling that they had been well repaid for the trouble of going to a birthday party through the mud and rain. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, February 12, 1897, page 5 A. Pool had been readjusting the foundation under the old hall, placing a solid rock foundation under it so as to make it safe to use for all purposes. The hall will be converted into a barn for the purpose of storing hay for his stable, and when the people want to have an entertainment or dance they will not be disturbed by the noise of the horses on the floor below. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 22, 1899, page 5 Fred Inlow gave a social dance New Year's evening, which was largely attended, there being twenty-six couples present. A prize was given the couple judged as the best waltzers, which was awarded to Mrs. Emma Stewart and Fred Inlow. The second prize was given to Rube Murray, of Medford, and Miss Maggie Wilson. "Trail Creek Items," Medford Mail, January 10, 1902, page 3 Social Event of the Season.
One of the most enjoyable Christmas festivities which has been arranged
is the Knights of Pythias dance at Wilson's Opera House Christmas
night. Mr. Wilson has spared no efforts to get the floor in the best of
condition, and the Knights and their ladies will be able to trip "the
light fantastic" over the smoothest surface upon which they have ever
danced. The members of the order at large are taking great interest in
the event, for an event it certainly will be, and it is possible that
some of the Uniform Rank will appear upon the floor in full uniform.
The lady friends and wives of the Knights have planned their dresser,
and some magnificent costumes will be worn for the first time. The
gallery of the opera house will be reserved for spectators and no doubt
will be well filled with ladies and gentlemen who do not dance, but who
will be anxious to enjoy the spectacle presented upon the main floor.
The stage upon which Prof. Boffa's orchestra will be installed will be
used as a dining room, and during the ball all who participate will be
enabled to satisfy the inner man.Tickets for the dance can be procured from the members of the committee who have the matter in charge. They are E. A. Hicks, Carl Crystal and W. F. Isaacs. In the event of Christmas Day being mild, mats will be placed at the front door so that all who intend to dance can remove the dirt from their shoes, for if there is anything which annoys a dancer it is to strike a chunk of dirt upon a well-waxed floor. Medford Mail, December 19, 1902, page 2 SECTION 13. The Board of Trustees may admit other societies whose object is the advancement of the moral and educational interest of this community, but no dancing shall ever be allowed in said building. "Constitution and By-Laws of Eagle Point Union Church Association," Medford Mail, March 27, 1903, page 5 There was a dance here last Saturday night, but the attendance was rather small. In spite of the action of the last circuit court there was some drinking and bad conduct, and during the night someone broke the windows out of the building owned by N. R. Potter, known as the "dive," but now used as a general warehouse. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, April 10, 1903, page 5 Rev. Austin, of the Missionary Baptist Church, who has been holding meetings here since Tuesday of last week, closed his services last Sunday night. Dr. Adkins, of Medford, came out with him and remained from Tuesday until Wednesday night after preaching, when he and Rev. Austin went to Medford, the latter returning to this place on Thursday evening in time to preach. The dance here that night somewhat interfered with the meeting. There were fifty-eight tickets sold to the dance and a large number attended who did not buy tickets. They continued to dance until morning. There were some here who came all the way from Little Applegate to attend the dance and visit relatives, among them Mrs. Dora Saltmarsh and her brother, Benton Pool. The hall was so crowded that there was scarcely room for the dancers. The supper served by Mrs. Howlett was demolished as though they enjoyed it and seemed to appreciate it. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 2, 1904, page 3 Miss Edith McCord, who has been living in Ashland for several months, is again the guest of her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Haselton. Prof. H. gave a few of the young folks a social dance at his residence in her honor. S. B. Holmes and Harry Carlton are to give a dance on the night of the 14th of February in the Holmes Bros. warehouse. The supper will be served by Mrs. A. C. Howlett at the Sunnyside Hotel. As soon as it was known that the dance was to be in the warehouse the tickets began to be sold like hotcakes. See bills. There were two men came out here last week by the names of Jerome and Lamont, fishing for suckers. They had sent their bills advertising four big acts and a free dance. Well, their hook was well baited, and the ticket man reports receipts to the time of about $14. They evidently caught about fifty suckers, but the next morning there was scarcely a man or woman to be found that was there and those who were were so disgusted that they could not find language to express their disgust; but they promised to return and try their band again. The free dance was for 50 cents a ticket extra. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, February 3, 1905, page 3 A little incident occurred last Saturday night that ought to be a warning against young men chewing gum while dancing. A young man had a piece of gum in his mouth and was dancing with a young lady who had her hair arranged in the latest style--have it project as far over the forehead as possible--the result was he got some of the hair in his mouth, it stuck to the gum and so pulled out a bunch of hair in his mouth, with the result that he had to throw that chew of gum away and get another. A clear loss of a wisp of hair and a chew of gum. All caused by chewing gum while dancing. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, April 7, 1905, page 3 While I was over the Sterling people had one of their social hops on Wednesday night. The ladies got it up and had a basket supper. The dance was held in the school house and some of the citizens have sprung the idea that they are violating the law by having dances in the school house and I mentioned the subject to raise a question of law. While the statute plainly says that there shall be no dancing allowed in a district house, the question comes up in this way: Is a house that is built by contribution of the citizens on the land of an individual or on private property, where the district school is taught, of necessity a district school house? The house referred to was built on the land belonging to the Sterling Mining Company, by the citizens and the money was raised, at least most of it, by the dances--charging so much a ticket and the ladies giving the supper, and not one dollar of the district school money applied on it, and now the question is, do those who meet there and take part in the dance violate the law? Will someone who knows and can give authority on the subject give some light on the subject through the Mail. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, January 5, 1906, page 3 Harvest Dance at Eagle Point
I will give a Social Dance, Sept. 21, 1906, in my New Hall in Eagle
Point on the above date. Good music is assured. Supper given at the
Sunnyside Hotel by Mrs. A. C. Howlett. Tickets including supper, $1.50.
G. W. DALEY,
SR.
Medford
Mail, September 7, 1906, page 4The dance in Daley's new hall was a grand success. There were about fifty-five numbers sold and quite a number attended who did not buy numbers, and the supper was eaten as though enjoyed by all. There were about 125 persons took supper and still there was enough left for a score more. The new hall floor is pronounced to be one of the best floors in the county. The hall was lighted and the music was fine. The music stand is arranged so as to be entirely above the dancers and situated in the center of one side of the room so that there is no obstruction in that line. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, September 28, 1906, page 3 George W. Daley, Sr., is painting the ceiling of his new hall and making other improvements. Among them he is preparing to put up an entrance to the house so that parties can clean their feet, etc., before going into the hall thus saving a vast amount of dust when dancing. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, October 5, 1906, page 3 Our Thanksgiving ball was one of the grandest successes that has ever been in Eagle Point. There were eighty-seven tickets sold and at one time there were eleven sets dancing making eighty persons on the floor at one time, and when it came to supper time, 11 o'clock p.m., twenty-nine couples filed in at a time. They all conducted themselves as ladies and gentlemen should. We got through supper at 3:30 a.m., feeding about two hundred people, and they all had enough to eat and several remained until breakfast and some even dinner. All voted that they had had one of the best times of their lives. There were people from almost every town in the valley and rigs of all kinds, from the one-horse cart to the family carriage, and horsebackers without counting. Every available place was full of horses. I had forty-eight on my hands [in his Sunnyside Hotel stable] besides my own and some of the young men of Medford have engaged stable room for the masquerade ball the first of January, and from present appearances the mask ball will be another success. I should have said that the music was highly spoken of, especially the orchestra. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, December 7, 1906, page 3 The dance given by George W. Daley, Sr., last Saturday was a very pleasant affair. There were about fifty persons present and they had nineteen couples on the floor at one time. Mr. D. and his large phonograph entertained the people while they were resting from dancing. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, March 8, 1907, page 8 The dance last Friday night was a very pleasant affair. There were just enough present to make everything pleasant. There was but very little drinking. A few of the young men who think they have to have a little booze to keep their spirits up brought some along, but the better class disapprove of the use of intoxicants in the company of ladies, so abstained from the use of it altogether. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, September 27, 1907, page 3 WHAT
IS THE HARM IN DANCING?
"Isn't it
strange," says one, "that preachers should denounce
dancing when the bible says that David, who was a man after God's own
heart, danced, and we read in a certain psalm, 'Thou hast turned my
mourning into dancing.' "W. C. Reuter's Able Sermon on Subject, Delivered to Congregation Last Sunday--Why Preachers Denounce Amusement As an Evil. Yes, it is true that David danced, and speaks of dancing in the psalms; but the dance of David was not the promiscuous dance of our times. It was a graceful leap, while exulting in God; it was not the whirling embrace of the opposite sex, which is calculated to excite sinful passions. We do not hesitate to denounce the modern dance for three reasons:
Harm in Dancing.
First--It
is injurious to the body. A violent exercise of dancing
has a tendency to put the body into an abnormal condition, dangerous to
health. The foundation of many a disease has been laid in the ballroom,
and many a young lady, because of this species of amusement, has gone
to a premature grave. Moreover, the atmosphere of many ballrooms is
calculated to invite disease.Some years ago a dancing party was given near Avoca, Ala. The participants became much heated and exhausted by dancing all of a night. In this condition they started home. The weather changed, producing alarming results on their excited systems. Of those who engaged in the dance, two died the next morning, seven died a little later and all suffered more or less. Many a young lady has gone to an untimely grave because of the fascination of the dance.
Injurious to the
Mind.
Second--It
is injurious to the mind. The excitement of the dance is
not conducive to the healthiest condition of the brain. Again, "some
young people become so infatuated with the dance as to unfit them for
study.'' Many an educator stands ready to endorse what I say. With some
young people the fondness for the dance is such that boys become dull
and study insipid.Third--It is injurious to the soul. Has man a soul? Has he an immortal nature? Then the supreme dictates of practical wisdom is to abstain from the amusements which jeopardize his eternal interests.
Apt to Injure Body.
We showed
a moment ago that dancing is apt to injure the body and
the mind. If that be true, it must be injurious to the soul, for
whatever injures body and mind is wrong, and all wrong injures the
soul. For just as the physical atmosphere of the ballroom is frequently
injurious to the physical man, so the moral atmosphere of the ballroom
is apt to be injurious to the spiritual man. For just as certain as the
body is influenced by its physical surroundings, so certain is the soul
influenced by its moral surroundings.A dance is recorded in the 14th chapter of Matthew. That dance was one of the links in the chain of events that led to the death of John the Baptist. How many dances since that day have wound up with a murder? How many souls have gone down to eternal night, through the ballroom? The chief of police of New York City said some years ago that three-fourths of the ruined women of that city were ruined by the dance. Professor La Floris says the same thing of the 9500 abandoned women of Los Angeles. And Bishop Suansing of New York has said: "'The confessional reveals the fact that nine-tenths of those who fall, fall through the dance."
What Gail Hamilton
Says.
Gail
Hamilton says: "The thing in its very nature is unclean, and
cannot be washed." And another writer says: "The dancing hall is the
nursery of the divorce court, the training ship of prostitution and the
graduating school of infamy."Look again at that dance in the 14th chapter of Matthew. That dance in Herod's palace was attended by revelry, adultery, revenge and murder. Thousands of times since Herod's day that scene in his palace has been reenacted. Sin breeds sin. What was true in the first is true in the 20th century. Nine times out of ten the dance is attended by sinful concomitants. Sometimes it is asked: "What harm is there in dancing?'' A certain man has used the following striking illustration: "There is no harm in eating cheese, but when that cheese is fastened to a steel trap it is terrible risky for the rat to nibble at it.'' When the pleasure of dancing is fastened to the steel trap of temptation, better let it alone. Harmful at All Times.
The
Catholic and Episcopal churches forbid dancing and some other
amusements during Lent. If it is wise to abstain from these amusements
during a period of 40 days, we think it is wise to abstain from them
every day of the 365."When Moscow was burning, there was a party dancing in the palace right over a gunpowder magazine. They did not know the flame was approaching, so the leader of the festivity shouted: "One dance more!'' and the voice was taken up through the palace, and the cry was "One dance more!'' and the music played and the feet bounded and the laughter rang out; but suddenly through the fire and the smoke and the thunder of the explosion, eternity broke. Alas! that some will dance on their sins and their frivolities until in an hour that they think not, they are called to stand before the great judge. "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.'' "Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.'' Prov. iv: 14-15. W.
C. REUTER.
Medford Daily Tribune, January
22, 1908, page
5DANCING IS SURVIVAL OF BARBARISM
Anent the controversy that has arisen out of Rev. Mr. Reuter's
affirmations regarding play-acting and dancing, I cannot for the life
of me see why both Mr. Reuter and Mr. Andrews have gone so far afield
in the discussion.D. H. Hawkins Says Pastime Is Childish and Even Silly-- Evil to Him Who Evil Thinks Evidently both of these persons are educated gentlemen, having trained, cultured intellects, and both of them are endowed with strong perception. One (Mr. Reuter), being a pulpiteer, mingles not with men as men in other vocations and avocations of life, mingles with men to know them with a closeness of knowledge seldom--if ever--acquired by persons of clerical training. The other (Mr. Andrews), in addition to being presumably a man of education and culture, is also a man of parts differently to Mr. Reuter; and having a practical knowledge of the world, of men and things, such only as may be obtained through contact with crowds and peoples, in many states and climes, and under such circumstances of life as reveal clearly the good and the bad in men. Why Search Noah's Ark?
Allowing that both these men have good acquirements--that each is
honest and sincere--does it not appear somewhat strange that they
should go nosing among the musty rolls of Noah's Ark to prove a theorem
that hath today for a mother? There are times, of course, when one may
moon among ruins to advantage and profit. But when one leaves the major
premise in a proposition, purely modern in import and bearing, to go
mooning among the fallen facades of the temples of post-Arcadian ages
or of pre-Peruvian periods, to find analogy to a question almost wholly
modern in the manner of its being propounded and therefore modern in
its meaning by rule of sequence and application, one is constrained to
ask if somebody has not dodged the main question.As the matter presented itself to me, I understood the question to be as follows: Is dancing and play-acting wrong? Or, to put it by affirmation, dancing and play-acting are wrong! Uses Comparative Method.
Now, all processes of reasoning should be analytical and comparative,
without which no conclusion reached can be wholly safe and reliable. I
shall therefore, in a brief discussion of this question, adopt the
comparative method.As to dancing: To begin with, dancing, like many other modern customs or institutions, such as the wearing of finger rings and other styles of personal adornment; card playing; also many religious rites and ceremonies, prostrations and genuflections, are, each and all, relics of barbarism. To some no doubt the dance is a means of innocent pleasure and enjoyment, while to others it affords an opportunity for personal contact, with motives impure and even bestial. The beast-man and the beast-woman and any person of good intelligence and intuition may readily recognize all such--ought never to be allowed to mingle with chaste young men and pure young women on the floor of any hall or drawing-room where men and women of noble character and lofty ideals are wont to assemble. Good and Bad of Dancing.
While I cannot see any direct and real harm in the dance, when engaged
in by persons of good morals and strong character, yet, on the other
hand, there are sometimes associations and conditions surrounding the
dance that are unfit and demoralizing in the extreme, and when such is
the case one should shun the dance as though it were a poisonous stench.One may not truthfully say that the Careys, the Parkers, the Channings and the Emersons ever received harm of the dance; nor can it be said that they ever brought harm into the dance. Our colonial mothers danced, and a more noble, purer race of women never inhabited this earth. But, says one, conditions are different now. True, I yield the point. And if pressed would yield the further point which stands opposed to what I have written above, and that is that not all men and women have the strength of the Emersons and the Careys. Dancing Is Childish.
To me the dance seems childish and even silly. It would appear that
mankind could discover some more sensible mode of enjoyment and
entertainment. Madame
Roland and Madame
Recamier
loved not the dance so much as they delighted to measure their
intellects with the master minds of the brilliant period in which they
lived, And yet, because to me the dance seems silly is no reason for
supposing it to be silly and harmful only. Others there are equally
able who deem the dance no more harmful than a hundred and one other
pleasure customs which obtain among men, and most of which are--or may
be--credited by the church as being "best.''While it does not seem quite the proper and consistent thing for a professed follower of Christ to take part in those things which would seem rightly to belong to that class only which is indifferent to the higher claims of life yet, in the light of all human experience and in the name of good common sense where will you demarcate the line? Where Draw the Line?
Would you condemn mathematics because of false entries made by
defaulting bookkeepers and cashiers? Would you condemn grammar because
of slips of speech? Would you abolish law because of abuses of law?
Would you do away with woman's home and foreign missionary meetings
because they sometimes are degraded to the level of gossip societies?
Would you wholly abrogate the claims of the church and of
religion
because ministers sometimes represent things falsely or ignorantly?
Would you forbid speech upon the street because some man or woman of
mongrel breed vulgarizes conversation by the use of coarse suggestion
and indecent words; or because some low-bred man or woman slanders some
passerby? Would you eliminate psychology from the school curriculum
simply because the psychological influence of
misrepresentation,
suspicion and false accusation has sent finally to the gallows or to
jail or to the grave many persons who, but for such untoward influence,
would be honored and respected members of society. In many ways the
church itself is a blessing to man. But in many ways other than what
should be the purpose of its mission here, the church has again become
a menace to society. Doubtless no force exists in the world but has
both strength and weakness. Why should one then, without rule or
qualification, presume to condemn the dance as a whole, saying, "It is
evil and evil only!''Now, as to the theater--well, with the editor's permission, I will present that matter later on. D.
H. HAWKINS.
Medford Daily Tribune, February
11, 1908, page
1The young folks had a dance here last Friday night. There were 48 numbers sold. Mesdames Carlton and Jackson served the supper. Those who were in attendance report having had one of the quietest dances they have had for a long time. At the same time the ladies of the Baptist church gave an ice cream social and invited a great many of the young people, and they report having had a very pleasant time, so the readers of the Mail can see that there is an element in our town that is willing to try something besides the dance for pleasure. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, August 20, 1909, page 8 The masquerade dance given by George Daley on the night of the 31st ult. was well attended and the supper was reported to be quite good. A sandwich supper, but the dancers complained of the dust on the floor being almost suffocating; also the crowded condition of the hall, as quite a number came out of curiosity and took up the room that belonged to those who bought tickets. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, January 6, 1910, page 4 Mr. Spiker has a gang of men at work putting up a large hall 70x36 feet to be used for shows, dances or anything else that it be needed for in the line of business. It is something greatly needed in our town, as we have not had a suitable place to hold an entertainment or have a dance for some time especially since Mr. Daley has turned his dance hall into a store building. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, September 2, 1911, page 5 This week has been rather a remarkable week in Eagle Point, not only on account of the delightful rain we have had but on account of there being a meeting of the Rogue River Baptist Association, which convened on Tuesday, April 30, and continued for four days, but also on account of there being two grand balls or dances here on the night of May 1st. S. B. Spiker had announced for several weeks that he would give a dance in his opera house on May 1st and a few days before that time Mr. Vogeli, who owns the tavern and saloon connected with it, and one or two others took a notion that they would have a dance and supper at the same time, so they rented Brown's hall over their store, posted bills around town, sent word to the country announcing the dance and the result was that a few of the select ones met in Brown's hall and had a very nice time and the general public met at Spiker's opera house and they also report having had a very pleasant time. One notable feature of the dance at Spiker's was that there was no smell of liquor on any of the dancers, so I heard several of the ladies say. At the close of the dance Mr. Spiker announced that he would give a free dance on the evening of May 24 and that the arrangement was made for Mrs. Howlett to serve the support at $1 a couple. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, May 7, 1912, page 4 GRAND OPENING OF
GATES' AUTO STORE
C.
E. Gates, "the Overland man," announces a grand opening of his new
sales and showroom in the Sparta Building Thursday evening. An
orchestra will play during the evening, and the public is cordially
invited to inspect the finest auto headquarters in Oregon, outside of
Portland.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 10, 1913, page 2  Medford Mail Tribune, September 11, 1913 RECORD CROWD AT
GATES' OPENING
The
new quarters of the Overland automobile in the Sparta Building, Manager
C. E. Gates acting as host to the public. The Hazelrigg orchestra
furnished music and dancing was followed until eleven o'clock.
[omission] largest crowd that ever attended a business house opening in
this city filled the store from 7:30 till 1 o'clock. The room was
tastefully decorated.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 12, 1913, page 2 STREET RAGGING AROUSES IRE OF CITY MINISTERS Preachers of Medford File Formal Protest with Council Against Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear As Immodest and Indecent. Not the Feet, but the Body Action that Is Pronounced Vulgar-- Want Dances Prohibited.
The Ministers' Association has submitted the following
protest against street dancing to the city council:
"To the City Council: "We, the members of the Ministerial Association of Medford, do hereby protest to you, the city council, and to the public against the immoral dances held on the public streets and in the Sparta Building last week. This is a city of 10,000 people, and the demands of the people are for morality and decency. The public officials are the servants of the people to promote the moral welfare as well as the financial welfare of our city. "The dances were pronounced by those who witnessed them as the extreme of vulgarity, and the influence of them demoralizing. The International Association of Masters of Dancing, which met at Bridgeport, Conn., on September 4, had this to say: 'The Turkey Trot, the Horse Trot, the Grizzly Bear and ragging are vulgar. It is not so much what the turkey trotters do with their feet. That does not count. It is the position which leads to vulgarity.' They said further: 'The Tango, the Hesitation Waltz, the Hitchy-Koo and the Peacock Glide are right only when danced with decorum.' "Jane Addams says: 'The dance hall is the procurer's harvest field. In the dance proprieties are always easily transgressed, and in many public dances improprieties are deliberately fostered. The couples leaning heavily on each other, or in each other's embrace, the efforts to obtain pleasure or feed the imagination are thus converged upon the senses, which it is already difficult for the young people to understand and to control.' "We find these indecent and vulgar dances barred in the great cities of our land. In many places not only is the dancer liable to arrest, but the proprietor of the hall on whose floor the ragging takes place is also subject to punishment. In some cities the juvenile court has ruled that no girl or boy under 18 can frequent a dance hall. The demand is that the dance be moral, or it must be prohibited. The physical and moral welfare of our young people far outweigh dollars and cents by far. All our amusements should be clean and moral. Because the dancing in our city in the past week under the sanction of the city authorities was vulgar and indecent, we believe that it is our duty to God and to the people to speak in no uncompromising way our united condemnation of it. D.
D. BOYLE, Pres.
WESTON F. SHIELDS, Sec. J. K. BAILLIE. J. F. VERNON. J. E. BRADLEY. LOUIS M. ANDERSON. H. M. BRANHAM. CONRAD WALKER. E. O. ELDRIDGE. R. W. MacCULLOUGH." Medford Mail Tribune, September
16, 1913, page 1
NO ACTION ON STREET DANCING
"It's
all right for us old stags to act that way," said Councilman Mitchell
at the council meeting Tuesday night anent the ministers' protest
against the street rag dancers, "but it isn't just the thing for the
young folks. The other fellows' girl can get out and 'rag' and be
talked about, as I heard them talked about last Friday night, but it
would be different if it was our own girl. We ought to do something to
stop any future rag outbreaks."
In these opinions councilmen Porter and Campbell assented. Then the protest was placed on file. No one assumed the responsibility for the jamboree. Summerville said W. H. Gore and J. T. Sullivan of the fair association asked permission for the use of the street and invited him to help manage the details. No one presumed the festivities would raise a teapot tempest. Millar objected to the pastors' charge the city sanctioned the dance. Excerpt, Medford Mail Tribune, September
17, 1913, page 2
ROUGH AND TUMBLE BATTLE AT
PROSPECT
Tom Perdue and Bill Kincaid of Peyton
attended a dance at Prospect Saturday night. They have not been friends
for many months. They declared war when the dance began, but declared
an armistice until the festive occasion was over, for a fight at a
country dance breaks up the dance. Now Mr. Perdue is in the Sacred
Heart Hospital under the care of Dr. F. J. Conroy with a broken jaw and
other injuries.About three o'clock in the morning, the men and aides and friends retired to the back yard and fought. Kincaid was the master of the rough and tumble tactics, and conquered Perdue after 15 minutes of milling. They kicked, bit and pummeled, and the battle is said to be the most sensational and bitter ever waged in the foothill country of Jackson County. The entire neighborhood knew of the grievance between the two, and was interested in the combat. Warrants will probably be the next development in the case. Medford Mail Tribune, May 4, 1914, page 2 The Poison Oak Dancing Club, an organization composed of young men with Carl Y. Tengwald as secretary, will hold its first dance at the Nat tomorrow night. "Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, October 13, 1914, page 2 Poison Oak Dancing Club
Advertisement, Medford
Mail Tribune, October 13, 1914, page
2First dance will be held at NATATORIUM WEDNESDAY NIGHT, OCT. 14 Beginning at 8:30 p.m. All members are urged to attend this dance and come early The high school dances here have so many restrictions governing them, that one would think they were a series of W.C.T.U. meetings, rather than dances. Really, I have to smile every time I think of them, they surely are a joke. Went to a dance last night that certainly had the "lid off," no rules or regulations of any kind, seemed rather good for a change. Letter dated October 15, 1914 written by Horace Bromley. George W. and Miss Mabel Wamsley, James Ringer, and Miss Mida McIntosh, and later Mr. Sidley and his sister, Miss Julia; the last two came from Lake Creek to attend the dance that was given Thursday night. The dance was well attended and I heard Miss Loraine Grigsby remark that the crowd was so dense that when one person would get off of her feet that another would step on her and that it was impossible to waltz in the room. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, December 2, 1914, page 5 Miss Hazel Brown and Robert Pelouze entertained a few of their Medford friends last Saturday evening, among whom were Margaret Souther, Laura Gates, Earl Hubbard and Bill Mitchell, and the latter part of the evening they took part in the social dance given in connection with the moving picture show by Messrs. Newport and Ringer. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, January 28, 1915, page 5 Last Saturday night the Eagle Point Amusement Company had a fine movie show and after the show was over gave a dance to those who desired to participate in that kind of amusement, but your E.P. correspondent thought it best for him to go to bed. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, April 15, 1915, page 5 Mrs. J. B. Jackson and her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Carl Jackson, came in and spent the evening, and about the same time Louis Smith, one of our regular boarders [at the Sunnyside Hotel], came in with his best girl, Miss Lorine Grigsby, so we had a very social time together. Perhaps one reason of the arrival of so many from a distance was the word that had been given out that the ladies of Eagle Point were going to give a May dance that night, although it seemed a little strange that they should give a May dance on the 5th of June, but nevertheless they gave a dance, and the ladies were to have full control of the whole affair, and it was given out that if anyone of the male variety should walk across the floor or do any other unbecoming act they would be required to pay a fine of two cents. Well, they had the dance and report that they had a good time, and there was but very few, if any, of the "he" class that misbehaved in any way, and judging from the time the people came in to go to bed they must have enjoyed themselves very much. The next morning there was quite a number of the young men and some young ladies were a little slow in getting ready for breakfast. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, June 10, 1915, page 5 The first "jitney" dance to be held in Southern Oregon will be given at the Gold Hill club pavilion this evening, repeating in a novel manner the two previous successes of the fortnight. The affair has been widely billed, and a record attendance of merrymakers is anticipated. "Local News Notes," Gold Hill News, September 4, 1915, page 3 The first "Jitney Dance," held last Saturday evening, was such an unqualified success that the management of the Pleasure Pavilion have decided to give another five-cent dancing festival this evening. The customary large attendance from Medford, Grants Pass and Central Point is anticipated. The gay young crowd turn to Gold Hill Saturday evenings as blithely as Arthur Perry, of the Medford Sun, turns to Policeman Pat Mego for puns. They have lots of fun. "Local News Notes," Gold Hill News, September 11, 1915, page 3
Hallowe'en Dance at Pavilion Tonight
Hallowe'en observance in this city this season will not be confined to
the frolicsome forays of the small boy or his older imitators.
Doubtless the person whose front gate was missing last year will again
hold the annual indignation meeting with his neighbor, whose cow was
pastured on the shed roof.The Greater Gold Hill Club realizes that its jurisdiction does not extend to the correction of such matters. While its members do not openly approve of the mischievous manner of celebration--they were once boys themselves. The general approbation of the club for some saner form of observance is shown in the announcement of a Hallowe'en ball, to be held this Saturday evening in their dancing pavilion, which has been completely enclosed and will be heated for the winter season. Quaint favors, in the likeness of witches' caps, will be given to the guests, while the ball will be decorated in keeping with the mystic eve of hobgoblins and happiness. All proceeds of club dances are used for the promotion of progress in the valley, and the pleasantly informal affairs have become quite the fad with the Southern Oregon social set. Gold Hill News, October 30, 1915, page 2 Last Saturday night the following young ladies gave a social dance in the opera house: Miss Clare Zimmerman, Miss Dora Arnes, Miss Christina Lewis and Mrs. Margueretta Simpson. There were a few over 100 invited to the dance, and about all responded by being on hand at roll call. The opera house was decorated with evergreens and flowers and Mr. Newport had taken special pains to have the floor in splendid condition, and the music was up to date. The following young men acted as assistants in arranging the room and furnishing the guests with the necessary attention: Glenn and Percy Haley, Frederick Heath, Ed Conley, Joe Moomaw, Thomas Riley, Jr., Thomas and William Lewis and Robert Harnish. The dancing commenced about 8:30 p.m. and continued until 11:30 p.m., when a bountiful lunch was spread. And right here I must draw the line, for I cannot undertake to tell of or describe an affair of that kind, but simply say that the talk for the next two or three days was about the dance and the good things they had to eat, for the four ladies who had the matter in charge spared no pains or expense to make it a crowning success. I heard William Grieve remark that it was one of the finest socials he and his wife had attended for years, that everything passed off so pleasantly and was so nicely arranged. After lunch was served dancing was resumed and continued until about 4 o'clock a.m., when the company began to retire and go to their homes and the Sunnyside Hotel, for many of the young people from Jacksonville, Central Point, Medford, etc., took rooms at that hostelry. It was perhaps the first dance since the dry law went into effect but what there has been more or less booze there, but in this case it was a subject of remark that there was no evidence of anyone drinking in the house, for this was emphatically a select company. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, March 23, 1916, page 5 Lee Bradshaw of Brownsboro came in yesterday (Friday) with a piano on his wagon and unloaded it at the opera house (he owns the property), and upon inquiry I learned, although I had heard a rumor before, that Howard Hall and Miss Claire Zimmerman had formed a partnership, rented the building and were going to conduct the movie picture show and dancing business here. Mr. Hall seems to be a live man, and Miss Claire Zimmerman is one of our wide-awake young business women. She is post office clerk and one of the phone girls, also interested in the newspaper business to a limited extent. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, September 28, 1916, page 5 Saturday night there was what they call a "club dance." I confess that I do not know the difference between the club dance and the ordinary dance, unless it is that when they have a club dance, they import their musicians and when the have the ordinary dance they have, generally, at least, some of the home talent, for the same people go and they dance the same way--that is, they sometimes walk and sometimes skip around the hall, and keep that up until the get tired and then go home, go to sleep and sleep until about noon, then get up and feel worse than an ordinary person would after doing a hard day's work, and call that fine sport. Well, they had the club dance Saturday night and the next morning Harry Powell and Miss Florence Clark put in their appearance from their rooms, and on inquiry I found that they were two of the imported musicians who had come from Medford to help to furnish music for the dance. From what I can learn the music was up to date, and as usual, they all had a fine time. But the club dance necessitated having the movie show coming on Sunday night, and I understand that the attendance was quite small, as the Christian Endeavor had their regular meeting at the same hour in the church and had a very good attendance, especially considering that Sunday night was a rather cold, disagreeable night. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, November 9, 1916, page 5 Well, the election, with all of its attendant excitement, is over and almost everybody has settled down to business again, and I feel truly thankful to the good Lord that I am still alive and in the enjoyment of my reasoning facilities, for the next morning after the quilting and rag-tacking party I was told that there were some of the ladies that wanted to mob me on account of what I had put in the Eaglets [above] about some of the voters being like the old darkey who said that he would vote for a yellow dog if it was on his ticket, and my description of why the people dashed nowadays--that is, some walked and some skipped over the floor until they were tired, went home and went to bed and slept, etc. If there was any offense it was simply unintentional. Perhaps I did not understand the new rules for dancing as well as those who are experts in the art, for I have had no experience in that line since the 22nd of February, 1856, and have seen but very little dancing since that time, but what I saw was so different from what I saw and practiced then that I could see but very little similarity between the dancing then and now, provided the dancers in this section are up to date. If I had known at the time that the group of ladies, bless them! were here and that the feeling was as intense as was represented to me, I might have been a little shy, but when I went among them everything was as peaceable as "Mary and her little lamb," and I did not know that I had written anything that would ruffle the feelings of anyone, but if I did, I hope the offended party will excuse my mistake. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, November 17, 1916, page 5 There was quite a number of people attended the masque ball Saturday night and danced until 1:30 Sunday morning. If our new district attorney will take the trouble to investigate he can probably find several cases of the violation of the prohibition law, for I heard one of our prominent business men make the remark that out of about fifty men who were there, that he did not think there was ten men who were strictly sober. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, January 5, 1917, page 5 Last Saturday night there was what is called a social dance--that is, got up on the spur of the moment, by calling those interested in such a move by phone and thus making arrangements in a. hurry. There was a good attendance, and those who took part report having had a very enjoyable time. They danced until about midnight, and among the young men who took part the following came to the Sunnyside [Hotel] for beds and breakfast: Lyle Purdin, Raymond Reter of Medford, who remained until Monday morning; George Guerin, Al Clements, Jack Florey, now of Jacksonville, and Henry Trusty. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, February 15, 1917, page 5 There was an announcement made that there would be a dance given last Saturday night by Carl Ringer and a man by the name of Howell and that a special feature of the dance was to show how the one-step, two-step and other fancy dances should be performed and that a charge of 25 cents would be charged spectators. But owing to the extreme disagreeableness of the weather conditions, snow, rain and slush, there were very few attended. I heard one elderly woman make the remark that the dancing, that is the scientific dancing, was simply fine and fully up to date. There was another feature about the dance or party and that was, when the lady started to collect the 25 cents that there was a general rush for the door by a certain class, but there were enough remained to make it quite interesting. If it had been generally known just what was coming and the night had not been so very disagreeable there would have been a different turnout. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, March 1, 1917, page 5 I learned Tuesday that the Red Cross dance had Saturday night, St. Patrick's Day, was a grand success, the receipts for the dance being $95.75, for refreshments $17.55, making a total of $113.30. The expenses were: For musicians, $31, including carfare; hall rent, lights, etc., $7; printing, $4.25, leaving a balance in favor of the R.C. Society $71.05--quite well for these hard times. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, March 21, 1918, page 5 Miss Marie Gates came out Saturday evening to visit Miss Hazel Brown and I suppose to take part in the Red Cross dance. I understand that there was a large crowd attended the dance and that the most of the attendees had a fine time but there were several who were unthoughtful enough to leave their wraps, lap robes and in some instances their handbags in their cars and had to go home without them as there was, I am informed by the mayor, Hon. John M. Nichols, that there was about $60 worth of articles taken by petty thieves. While there may be and probably are some in this vicinity who would not hesitate to take such things, still there were some from a distance might be tempted to purloin a little thing, take a good warm overcoat or even a lap robe. I understand that there was quite a lot of empty bottles in evidence the next morning. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, April 12, 1918, page 7 I should have mentioned that the citizens in the vicinity of the Antelope school house gave a dance last Saturday night for the benefit of the Red Cross Society and the report comes that they had a large attendance and of course a fine time. They always have a nice time at these country gatherings. They charged $1 admission and put the money into W.S.S. They also served sandwiches and cake and these were donated and the receipts applied toward the Red Cross fund. There were also two nice large cakes raffled off and these fell to Randolph Wiesman and Rob Harnish. The net proceeds amounted to over $50. These littles all go to help meet the demands on the government to keep up the expenses of the war, and it seems that the longer it lasts the more determined we are to win out and crush Prussianism. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, April 25, 1918, page 5 WORSE THAN THE FLU
After an extended session with the "flu" the editor is glad to be able
to wish his readers a happy new year. He returns to his desk with a
real dread of the disease and its ravages, which in many respects
resembles the plagues that decimated Europe in medieval times, and
urges extreme caution in removing restrictions--particularly those
affecting assemblages.
It is far better to put up with a few weeks of personal inconvenience in attending amusements and public gatherings, far better for children to lose a few days' more of schooling, than to risk a recrudescence of the malady with its toll of agony and death. Upon one class of assemblage the ban should not be lifted, however, as a matter of public morality as well as public health. Reference is made to the uncontrolled and unregulated public dances, which are active agents in spreading moral degeneracy, frequently haunts for bootleggers and usually pitfalls for foolish girls and addle-headed women whose parents lack sense of responsibility and duty. Any lodge or fraternal order which lends its name for a little tainted money to throw a curtain of camouflaged respectability over the professional promoters of this form of progressive depravity ought to be ashamed of itself and lose its charter, for human welfare, friendship and fraternity, the objects for which secret orders are organized, can have nothing in common with the decadent purposes of these dances. We are not at all puritanical. We recognize the healthy desire of the young for amusement and recreation, and the almost universal esteem in which the dance is held. There is nothing evil or wrong in dancing itself. But public dances, like private dances, should be under strict supervision or suppressed entirely. If parents will not safeguard their daughters, the community in its own interest must, and a good way to begin the new year is to keep the lid clamped down upon this vicious form of "amusement" or place it under strict regulation. Medford Mail Tribune, January
3, 1919, page 4
DEATH KNELL FOR UNREGULATED
PUBLIC DANCES SOUNDED
The death knell of the generally condemned unregulated public dance in
Medford as conducted for the past year or so was sounded in the city
council chamber last night when a petition was presented to the council
by a delegation representing the churches and every woman's
organization asking that such dances be better regulated and embodying
suggestions for the council to follow in drawing up the regulating
ordinance. Rev. L. Myron Boozer acted as spokesman of the delegation,
which included Rev. W. T. S. Springs, Mrs. E. V. Maddox, Mrs. H. G.
Wortman, Miss Anna Keliehor and Rev. J. E. Walbeck.
While the petition used the words "public dances," it was well understood that the only public dance aimed at was that given in a large hall on Front Street near Main, and which has long been regarded as a nuisance. This dance has not been allowed since the flu epidemic. The petition found the councilmen in a receptive mood as the members had long heard complaints and had practically decided upon strict regulations. City Attorney Mears will draw up an ordinance embodying the suggestions of the petition, and it will be introduced and passed at the next meeting. Supervised and Licensed
The main feature of the petition was the request that hereafter all
public dances be licensed and be attended by a matron, clothed with
police powers, whose compensation shall be paid by the management of
the dance; all persons under 18 years of age to be barred from the
dance hall, and dances to close at midnight.It is probable that the council will not name midnight as the closing hour, as several of the councilmen feel that with private dances often running hours later it would be fair to public dances to run an hour after midnight, excepting possibly Saturday night. However, it may be said that the public dance aimed at in the petition will no longer be permitted to run until 3 or 4 o'clock Sunday morning as so often has happened in the past. The petitions of the churches and other organizations, which [contained] suggestions to the council, reads as follows: Petition Presented
"The following suggestions are hereby offered for your consideration in
the matter of a better regulation and conduct of the public dances
within the city limits of Medford. These suggestions are offered with
the earnest request that they be referred to the proper city official
to be incorporated in an ordinance covering the whole matter, providing
proper penalties and all needed legislation to make effective the
desires of the various organizations represented."1--All public dances to be conducted only after the management has secured a license from the council, the fee to be nominal, the terms of the license to be determined by this body. Matron as Chaperone
"2--The management of the public dance shall apply to the police
department for and secure the present and service of a matron, approved
by the police department, clothed with police powers, the compensation
of said matron to be borne by the management of the dance."3--No person under 18 years of age shall be allowed on the floor or within the hall where the dance is held. "4--All public dances must close at midnight. "5--Evidence of liquor or disorderly conduct on the premises will be ground for revoking the license. "The following organizations have considered the above requests and recommendations and approved of them as representing their mature judgment of necessary action to protect the youth of the city: (Signed)
Medford
Mail Tribune, February 5, 1919, page 3Greater Medford Club, Royal Neighbors, Pythian Sisters, Presbyterian Missionary Society, Wednesday Study Club, Parent-Teachers Council, Women's Relief Corps, College Women's Club, Rebekahs, M.E. Ladies' Aid Society, Christian Church, Presbyterian Church, Baptist Church, Free Methodist Church, First M.E. Church, M.E. Church South, Women's Christian Temperance Union, Medford Ministerial Association." That the old-time "jazz" is on the wane in Medford as well as in the eastern cities is shown by the increasing popularity of the latest modern dance music at the Natatorium dancing parties each week. The rattle and bag of cowbells and brazen blare of tin horns is conspicuous by its absence in the Imperial Orchestra, having been replaced with the delightful harmony of piano, banjo, violin, saxophones, marimbaphone, bells, drums and traps. That this modern interpretation of dance music as it should be played is appreciated by Medford music lovers is shown by the many favorable comments heard on every side. "Local Briefs," Medford Mail Tribune, August 20, 1920, page 2 The dance given by the Civic Improvement Club of Eagle Point is reported to be a perfect success both socially and financially ever given in Eagle Point. A great deal of credit is due to the ladies of the club for the splendid management and the lunch they served. The four-piece orchestra led by Mr. Haight added greatly to the pleasure of the occasion. The gross receipts were $165.90, of which $96 was cleared above all expenses. Since the ladies have taken the matter in hand there is a marked improvement in the general deportment as they are determined to have them conducted so that it will be a pleasure to those who wish to attend, if for nothing more than the social enjoyment, and can go and have no fears of being detracted by rowdyism. It is the intention of the management to continue their social functions during the early summer months. I see that I have said nothing about the sumptuous feast served by the ladies, but the reader may be assured that when they undertake to do anything in that line it will be done about right. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, April 30, 1921, page 5 May the first came in rather cloudy and cool and about all the difference I could see between that and any ordinary day was that there was a few of the regular attendants of the dances here, came in Saturday night late for beds and late breakfast Sunday morning. Even our Sunnyside [Hotel] was not so well attended as usual, and speaking of the dance, some of the men who are boarding here and went in to see and be seen, reported that the attendance was rather slim since the ladies have undertaken the management of the dancing and enforce the rule of good behavior or leave. They seem to be taking the lead in that as well as other matters. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, May 7, 1921, page 5 BENEFIT DANCE FOR BROWNSBORO
SCHOOL, NOV. 23
A dance for the benefit of the Brownsboro school district No. 39 will
be given Thanksgiving eve., Nov. 23.
The ladies will donate the supper. You know the reputation the Brownsboro women have for good cooking, so enough is said along that line. Wm. Staub will have the old Bell house built over and a new floor completed by that time and all will be in fine shape for a real time. Music starts at 9 o'clock sharp. Be there and dance from milking time until morning. Phone Mr. Staub about your number. If you don't know the way inquire about the road to the Brownsboro post office. Help yourself to a good time and help us to buy supplies for the school. Medford Mail Tribune, November 18, 1921, page 7 There was a high old time, from all accounts, at the dance Wednesday night at Trail. Handbills had been posted all around here inviting the dancers to come there and take part in the festivities, and the result was there was a large crowd assembled, and as seems to be a custom on such occasions the bootleggers also went there and the result was what some of the witnesses called a race war, for it was not very long after the dancing commenced that a general fist fight commenced with the result that several black eyes and bloody noses were on display. There was no one seriously hurt, but several of them are swearing vengeance and I heard one of the combatants complaining of one of his fingers being slightly out of commission on account of it coming in contact with another man's head. There was some six or seven of the young men who were in attendance came into the Sunnyside for rest and sleep Thursday morning a little after midnight. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, November 28, 1921, page 3 The party and dance was held in Mrs. F. A. Whitley's house, 25 people being present. The party started with a few games, directed by Miss Francis Greb. Then the dance started at 11 o'clock p.m. The following persons furnished the music: Mr. Clarence Whitley, Elmer Ivey, Henry Trusty, all violins, with Edna Peterson and Henry Trusty accordion. At 1:30 a.m., refreshments were served and at 2:30 a.m. the dance was continued with songs played by Elmer Ivey and sung by the young people. The dance broke up at 4:30 a.m. Miss Francis Greb was responsible for the idea of the party and dance. We all wish to thank her heartily for everyone had a good time even if they had to stay up all night to get it. The party and dance was given as a farewell to Lucy and Claude Moore, as they are moving out of the district. A dance was given by Ashes in their dance hall Wednesday, the 23rd. Everybody had a good time. [Compare with A. C. Howlett's report, above.] "Trail Items," Medford Mail Tribune, December 2, 1921, page B3 The dance New Year's Eve in Trail Hall was well attended and greatly enjoyed by all, as the "scrappers" stayed away. There will be another Feb. 4th. "Trail Items," Medford Mail Tribune, January 6, 1922, page 7 I understand that the dance was not very well attended and there was evidence that there was some moonshine around, as it became necessary for our town marshal to use his billy on one man who became too boisterous. This is the second time the same man has had trouble at a dance at Trail and been knocked on the head for his conduct. He may learn to behave himself properly after a while. Ladies who wish to take part and enjoy a social dance don't want to be harangued by a half-crazy drunken nuisance. There were a few dancers came to the Sunnyside to spend the latter part of the night, and among them was Mr. Hayman, formerly on the J. H. Cooley orchard but now of Phoenix, and Hurst Charley and Miss Nora Pankey of Medford. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, January 20, 1922, page 10 There was some four or five of the young men who attended the dance came in [to the Sunnyside Hotel] to spend the last end of the night and some of them took beds and breakfast while others simply enjoyed the good warm room and laid on the lounge and rockers, but that was better than leaning against a lamppost. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, February 4, 1922, page 4 Last Saturday night there was the regular dance here and there was only a very few in attendance and there was, according to reports, one of the most disgraceful affairs we have had here for some time. I heard one of our prominent business men, in speaking of the conduct there, say that almost every one of the young men and larger boys were drunk and that moonshine was there in abundance and another reported that one of the boys put a bottle of moonshine in the center of the room and commenced to dance around it, but finally one of them kicked it over, spilling it over the floor. The conduct has reached the point where many of our young people treat our laws as a burlesque and defy our officers and make sport of the idea of enforcing any of the prohibiting statutes. For instance, I saw a small group of young men busily engaged at something on the sidewalk and I heard them laughing after the gathering dispersed, and one of them remarked, "Well, I skinned him out of six dollars," but who the man was who spoke or who he referred to as having been skinned I do not know. But what else can we expect of our youths, when men are arrested and brought to trial for violation of the law and men are selected to sit as jurors to try a case and will hang a jury and then admit that they were satisfied that the man was guilty, but that the principal witness for the state, in a bootlegging case, assigned as a reason that the witness was drunk himself. It is a common thing to hear men and in some instances women express their approval of the fact that certain ones are acquitted of a charge of crime simply because they object to certain laws that have been enacted by our representatives in the lawmaking bodies of our country. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, February 24, 1922, page 10 ORIENTAL BALLROOM DANCE ON TONIGHT
A large crowd enjoyed Wednesday night's dance at the Oriental Ballroom
in the Nat, where there will be another big dancing party tonight. The
music was excellent, and the big Nat floor, the only maple dance floor
in the city, was in splendid condition.
The hall, which has recently been leased by the American Legion and which is being redecorated by that organization, was comfortably heated and equipped with every convenience including a drinking fountain. A large crowd is expected to attend the dance in the Oriental Ballroom this evening, and it is understood that the same orchestra will furnish the music. Medford Mail Tribune, December 2, 1922, page 5 It is a good thing for the readers of the Eaglets that the author does not attend the dances here, for if he did he might be compelled to record incidents that take place Saturday nights that would be considered a disgrace to our town; for instance, Sunday morning as one of the late sleepers came into the sitting room another one of the boarders asked, "You had lots of moonshine over there last night, didn't you?" And that after there were several ladies called and in the run of conversation one of them related how she was disturbed by their drunken carousals and could see small groups of men and women walking along the sidewalk and one of the men would take what appeared to be a bottle out from under the sidewalk and he would apparently take a drink, and then they would take a drink all around, ladies and all, and soon act as though they were drunk, at least they seemed to be very boisterous. But what I started in to tell was about someone stealing Eli Dahack's car and running it off of the old wagon bridge. It appears that the man or men or women, for there is no clue to who it was, at any rate the party who did the act deliberately tore the railing off one side of the bridge and took a long pole and stretched it quartering across the bridge so that when the front wheel would strike it would hit the car so as to run it off the side of the bridge where it would drop twelve or fifteen feet, but whether that can be attributed to the moonshine or to some other cause is a question to be settled, but the car was not so badly damaged as one would suppose. The top was badly smashed, the radiator and shields were badly bent up but the machinery was but little damaged. I would suggest that if this defiance of law is not stopped that when the new council is organized the first of January they repeal the ordinance allowing the promoters of the dancing here to continue the dancing after midnight, for the opinion is very prevalent that some of the people who are doing the mischief go to the dances in Medford and get steamed up and then after the dances close in Medford and Central Point come out here and do their dirty work where they can keep up all night. "A word to the wise is sufficient." A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, December 8, 1922, page 10 The dance-loving portion of our community and a goodly number of people from the surrounding country indulged in a genuine old-fashioned mask ball Monday night, Dec. 31, and I am told by those in attendance that there was a very good attendance and that they had a very enjoyable time. Although there were quite a number on the outside who did not have such a pleasant time as when they went to the door for admission the hardhearted doorkeeper demanded a dollar and ten cents before he would let them in so they stayed out and some of them grumbled considerably for they thought that the men who were getting up the dance and paying for the hall, lights and music ought to let everyone come in free as it would be something new, but they will know better the next time. I understand that after midnight the crowd thinned out considerably as the night proved to be very cold, but all that I have talked with on the subject claim that they had a fine time notwithstanding the cold. A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail Tribune, January 7, 1924, page 5 ORIENTAL GARDENS IN FESTIVE GARB
The Oriental Gardens at the Nat
are in festive garb this week because
of the masquerade ball which will be held there Wednesday evening. Tom
Swem, Seely Hall
and Emerson Merrick, assisted by a corps of workmen,
have been busily engaged in putting on the finishing touches on the
already beautiful hall so that it will be a fitting setting for
colorful costumes which will be worn by the masqueraders tomorrow
evening. The stage setting, for example, will be different from
anything ever seen in Southern Oregon and will be but one of many
attractions of Wednesday night's dance. Beautiful lighting effects have
been arranged, part of which include enormous, brightly colored hanging
lamps with diameters of eighteen feet and more.
A large number of costumes, varied and colorful, have been secured from Goldstein of San Francisco for the Oriental Gardens' masquerade ball, which will assure something new and novel in the line of masquerade costuming in Southern Oregon. A grand march will be held on the dance floor tomorrow evening during the festivities, and prizes will be awarded for various costumes. Even those who do not dance will find enjoyment in this revue. Principal credit for the elaborate and tasty decorations goes to Tom Swem, who is in charge of decorations at the Nat and is associated with Seely Hall in the management of the Oriental Gardens. Medford Mail Tribune, January 22, 1924, page 5 Mr. Shepherd will open up this new pavilion next Saturday with a big barbecue and dance. The public is invited and Mr. Shepherd has secured one of the finest dance orchestras obtainable to play for this big opening dance. "Rogue Elk Pavilion to Open," Medford Mail Tribune, June 23, 1925, page 3 Mr. Luke Kincaid has the foundation completed for his new dance hall located east of the Bungalow pool hall. "Eagle Point Items," Medford Mail Tribune, August 21, 1925, page 8 BOYS ARRESTED AT
EAGLE PT. DANCE
Clifford Sullivan, Vernon Bush and
Willard Muckey, local youths, are being held on $50 bail each to appear
for trial before Judge Taylor tomorrow afternoon on charges of
possession of moonshine.When arraigned this morning they pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them by Deputy Sheriff Terry Talent, who arrested them Saturday night at the Eagle Point dance. Medford Mail Tribune, September 28, 1925, page 8 FINED FOR RACING
FROM E.P. DANCE
Racing proved expensive to four
motorists returning to this city from the dance held at Eagle Point
Saturday night, for when they pleaded guilty in Justice Glenn O.
Taylor's court yesterday following their arrest by State Traffic
Officer J. J. McMahon and Deputy Sheriff Lewis Jennings on the Crater
Lake Highway near the city limits, each was fined $15.According to the officers, the four cars, three of which were Ford coupes, were traveling at rates ranging from 40 to 45 miles per hour in efforts to make the best speed. Officers Jennings and McMahon stopped three, while the fourth attempted to leave the scene, only to be stopped later by Jennings after a short chase. The three arrested first are Fred A. Puhl, N. G. Bowen and Edward Barkoff, while John Jensen was the fourth. All are local youths. Medford Mail Tribune, November 10, 1925, page 6 Walker's mid-week dance tonight. New hall, second floor Medford building. Doors open at 8 p.m. It's 5 cents a dance. Music starts 8:30. First hour free. Add 10 cents. "Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, February 17, 1926, page 2 G. H. Pavilion Is Being Improved
The Gold Hill Pavilion, well remembered as a partially completed frame
structure on the S.P. park land in the middle of town, built by the old
Greater Gold Hill Club several years past and consequently coming into
possession of Martin Bowers through unpayment of a mortgage for several
hundred dollars and since used in warm weather only, for dances and
athletic events, is being extensively repaired by B. E. Adams and Sons.The great big barn-like structure in its unfinished condition has been a sore spot on the hands of the town boosters. The condition of the old building rendered its use in winter impossible, as no heating plant could be devised to overcome the handicap of the numerous cracks in the temporary walls. Martin Bowers this season took the old building and the amusement question into careful consideration. He figures that the building in its present condition is a losing proposition, and believes if repaired and made attractive it will bring a fair profit and become an asset to the community. A new roof is being put on where needed. The interior of the big building is radically changed. The sides were leveled up, and where a large tree pressed an end wall out of shape the building is being altered to avoid the tree. Mr. Swem, of The Swem Studios at Medford, has been engaged to do the interior decorating and a great difference is anticipated. The opening ball of the 1926 season in the pavilion will be held the night of May 7. The Artisans lodge of Medford orchestra have made a deal with Bowers for the operation of the pavilion during the summer and this dance under the direction of Mr. Clark and the Artisans orchestra will be the big event. Pavilion Improves Fun Possibilities
The improvements at the Gold Hill pavilion here has been going ahead
steadily and rapidly under Earl Adams and sons. The exterior of the
building is being covered with first-class siding, and windows will
furnish light and air in place of the open screenwork that has for so
many years been used as a makeshift. The interior of the building also
shows the handiwork of able artisans and with the grinding of the floor
to a glassy smoothness, the pavilion offers now one of the finest dance
floors in Southern Oregon. A dance given at the pavilion last Monday
night, informal and unadvertised, supplied very good entertainment for
the public, and a very good dance was the result.The date for the Artisans Ball, the real opening date for the improved pavilion, was erroneous as to date in our issue of last week. The date of the event is May 9 instead of the 8th. Gold Hill News, April 29, 1926, page 1 Luke Kincaid is complaining of a wrenched back, and while your correspondent is a little uncertain as to just how Mr. Kincaid received his injury, it is rumored that he put on a very lively demonstration of the "Charleston" at his dance last Saturday night, and as he is of a quiet disposition normally, the strain was too much for him, hence the lame back. At any rate we hope Luke recovers rapidly. "Eagle Point Items," Medford Mail Tribune, May 1, 1926, page 5 The Eagle Point Grange held a very successful dance in the Kincaid hall Saturday night. Mr. Kincaid has purchased a fine new piano for the amusement hall. Mr. Kincaid always uses the best orchestra obtainable and is of the opinion they are worthy of the best instrument for the purpose and therefore has made several changes in the last few months. He thinks they have a splendid instrument now and one that will give them satisfactory service. "Realty Deals in Eagle Pt.," Medford Mail Tribune, August 24, 1926, page 3 Lucius Kincaid is holding dances only every other Saturday now. For some time past he has held them each week. "New Pastor at Eagle Point," Medford Mail Tribune, October 15, 1926, page 4 The entertainment committee will give a hard-times dance at the old grange hall on the night of November 13. A night for ginghams and overalls. Seventy-five cents a ticket. All grangers and friends invited. A good time is promised to all. Supper will be served by home economics committee. Remember the date, Saturday, November 13. "Eagle Pt. Grange to Rent," Medford Mail Tribune, November 5, 1926, page 8 MASKED BALL AT EAGLE POINT
A woman's diamond ring and a man's gold wrist watch, to be given away
next Friday night, New Year's Eve, for best masque costumes at a
dancing party to be given at Eagle Point by Luke Kincaid, are on
display in the Faye E. Diamond jewelry store windows on East Main
Street. The two prizes are highly valued and considerable competition
is expected when they are awarded.The dance will be held in the new Eagle Point dance hall, with music furnished by the regular orchestra that has been appearing there for some time past. The large hall will be comfortably heated and properly ventilated so as to give no discomfort to the dancers. The floor will be specially prepared for the occasion and special decorations will make the dance an event worth remembering. Carefully picked judges will award the prizes for the best costumes, of which there is expected to be a large variety, depicting many forms of national dress. Light lunches and coffee will be served in the hall. Medford Mail Tribune, December 29, 1926, page 2 FREE SUPPER AT WALKER'S DANCE
A. W. Walker tried out a new system last week in connection with his
dances in the Medford building [the
"Woolworth building"],
which met with instantaneous success. The ticket office has been moved
to half way between the old location and the entrance door. Now the
dancer buys his dance ticket and hands it to the gate man, which does
away with the pinning on of the tickets, which means that the dancers
cannot lose their tickets, as has happened in the past. The railing has
been swung around so as to make a large space and not make it crowded
between the dance floor and the men's and ladies' rooms. Other inside
railings have also been removed, which gives considerable more dancing
space.
To celebrate the success of this new system, Mr. Walker has decided to give his hundreds of dance patrons a real treat next Wednesday night in the form of a big carnival dance and a free supper, also a larger orchestra. Many people from all parts of the valley are already planning on attending this celebration, as the new system installed has met with high favor among the dancing public of the valley. Medford Mail Tribune, February 20, 1927, page 6 The dance given by the ways and means committee at the Hot Springs hall, near Ashland, on Saturday night, March 19th, was a decided success from every point of view. The large crowd in attendance expressed their appreciation for the good music, splendid lunch and fine hospitality of those in charge, many pronouncing it one of the most enjoyable parties they had ever attended, and was the means of placing a most substantial sum in the Grange hall fund. "Eagle Point Grange News," Medford Mail Tribune, April 1, 1927, page 10 EAGLE PT. DANCE
HALL ENLARGED
The Eagle Point dance pavilion, which
has been open since early last fall, will close down in six weeks,
proprietor Lucius Kincaid announced yesterday, and will probably reopen
the latter part of August. However, commencing next Saturday night the
pavilion will give dances weekly instead of bimonthly as has been done
since it opened.From henceforth until June a larger orchestra will furnish music and will present feature numbers at various times. In order to prepare for the weekly dances, the management is making special arrangements to greet the increasing crowds. Since it was built two years ago, the present hall has been enlarged several times and now has a capacity of several hundred couples. Medford Mail Tribune, April 8, 1927, page 4 BALLOON DANCE AT
EAGLE POINT
When tomorrow night rolls around, scores
of Medford dancers will crank up the family car and head for the Crater
Lake Highway and Eagle Point, where a special dance will be held in
Luke Kincaid's popular dance pavilion. It will be a big night according
to Mr. Kincaid, and some unusual features have been planned for the
entertainment of those who attend.Luck balloon dances will be one of the main features of Saturday's Eagle Point dance, and when the affair is at its height, the air will be literally filled with brilliantly colored balloons. The Metropole melody makers will supply the music, which will be another incentive for people to enjoy Saturday night at Eagle Point. Medford Mail Tribune, April 13, 1927, page 9 Luke Kincaid has improved the looks of his hall wonderfully by painting the front. Mr. Kincaid is holding a dance each Saturday night now until hot weather. "Prospect High S. Play," Medford Mail Tribune, May 13, 1927, page B6 KINCAID TO STAGE
GOLD HILL DANCES
The Gold Hill dance pavilion will be
opened next Saturday night for bimonthly dances, under the same
management as the Eagle Point pavilion, according to Luke Kincaid, who
has been presenting Eagle Point dances for several years on the
bimonthly plan. The Eagle Point and Gold Hill parties will be given
alternately, with valley orchestras furnishing music for each.The two pavilions will be operated until 2 a.m. on regular nights until July, when both places will be closed until the arrival of cooler weather. Supper will be served at midnight, and the Metropole orchestra will provide music for the opening of the Gold Hill pavilion. Medford Mail Tribune, May 19, 1927, page B5 OLD IMPERIAL ORCHESTRA WILL PLAY SATURDAY
Marking the revival of the old Imperial Orchestra, which was so popular
several years ago, Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra, composed mainly of
members of the former organization, will make its first appearance for
the fall and winter dancing season at the Gold Hill pavilion next
Saturday evening, according to an announcement by Luke Kincaid.
Members of the orchestra have been playing together more or less for three or more years past, appearing at Eagle Point and at the community club up until last winter. The present organization of musicians will make appearances all next winter. The orchestra is composed of the following members: Herb Alford, saxophone and banjo; Roy Shreve, traps; Roy Finch, xylophone; James Johnson, saxophone and fish horn [soprano saxophone]; Ruby Timmons, piano; Ralph Gill, saxophone and clarinet. Lucius Kincaid held the opening dance of the season at Eagle Point Saturday night, and will dance here every other week now, alternating with Gold Hill. Mr. Kincaid has organized a very attractive orchestra, playing under the name of Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra, and will keep them busy each week. The alterations on the hall are nearly completed and will be in readiness for the opening dance. The new arrangement will take care of the crowd much better than formerly. "Eagle Point to Elect Clerk," Medford Mail Tribune, August 15, 1927, page 5 The Grange ways and means committee, who have been supervising the Grange dances which have been given all summer at the Jackson Hot Springs, had planned to discontinue the dances because of the hot weather, but the patrons of these dances were so anxious to have them continued that the committee has reconsidered and the regular Grange dances will be given at the Jackson Hot Springs on the usual nights until further notice. Everyone has such an enjoyable time and the evenings are growing cooler. Dance Saturday night, August 20, till twelve o'clock. "Grange Hall at Eagle Point," Medford Mail Tribune, August 21, 1927, page 2 DANCE DRAWS GOOD CROWD
The dance given in Gold Hill Saturday night by Kincaid's Imperial
Orchestra was quite a social hit. Over two hundred couples tripped to
the melodious strains of this orchestra, and everyone seemed to be
enjoying themselves. Manager Kincaid says that he believes that he has
found a combination which will make dances in Gold Hill a success, and
we believe that he has, for each dance brings out a large crowd. Mr.
Kincaid conducts two dances, one at Gold Hill every other Saturday
night, and on alternate Saturdays at Eagle Point. The dancers of this
vicinity surely welcome the advent of a good dance organization. For
the past year the dances have been a failure due to the failure of the
management to get first-class orchestras and hold them until the crowds
become acquainted with them.
NOISY DANCERS TO
BE INCARCERATED
EAGLE POINT, Aug. 27.--Lucius Kincaid
has been sworn in as special police and will attempt to keep better
order, especially on the nights of the late dances. The crowds, at
times, get rather noisy and abusive, and Mr. Kincaid is given the power
to fill the jail with these offenders, if necessary, to break it up.Medford Mail Tribune, August 29, 1927, page 6 GRANGE DANCE AT
HOT SPRINGS
Southern Oregon dance lovers will
welcome the announcement that the Eagle Point Grange will hold another
of their popular dances at the Jackson Hot Springs next Saturday night.
During the summer months the Eagle Point Grange members have held
several dances which have always been generously patronized by Rogue
River Valley dancers, and indications point to a big turnout.H. W. Ward is chairman of the Grange committee in charge of the summer dances and he is assisted by Luther [Lester?] Throckmorton and Al Mittelstaedt. Especially good music has been promised for Saturday's party. The proceeds of the Eagle Point Grange dances will be used toward constructing an attractive new Grange hall at Eagle Point in the near future. This building is expected to cost approximately $10,000 and will have a dance floor, gymnasium, dining room and juvenile recreation quarters. A site has been selected opposite the new high school building, affording Eagle Point people a real community center. The members of the Eagle Point Grange are making a strenuous campaign for funds so that the Grange hall may be immediately erected, which will be another incentive for Rogue River Valley people to attend Saturday's dances at the Jackson Hot Springs. Medford Mail Tribune, September 1, 1927, page 5
Construction is under way this week on the new $30,000 one-story
building to be erected opposite the old Page Theater
building on East Main Street, by Elmer and Gene Childers, local
contractors. The building is to house the new A. W. Walker dance
pavilion on the main floor, which will be the first portion completed.
. . . The new Walker dance hall is to have a dome-shaped roof, to
assure the proper acoustic effect for the music.
"To Erect New $30,000 Bldg.," Medford Mail Tribune, May 18, 1928, page 1 WALKER & KINCAID JOIN
FORCES IN FAIR PAVILION
As the result of negotiations which were
closed
today, the Eagle Point dance pavilion and the Walker pavilion in this
city will cease operation, their proprietors, A. W. Walker and Luke
Kincaid, having formed a partnership to operate the fair grounds
pavilion
south of the city at the county fair grounds. The first dance
will be given there next Saturday night, Messrs. Walker and Kincaid
announced this afternoon.Several novelty numbers have been prepared for the opening dance, including a contest between the Walker orchestra, which has been playing at the local hall for two years, and Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra. The contest will largely decide which orchestra be used to supply music for the regular Saturday night dances. The pavilion will probably be operated during the greater part of the summer under the Walker-Kincaid management, after which other arrangements for a new hall will probably be completed. Mr. Walker has been operating successful dances in Medford for the past several years and is well known to the local dancing public. Mr. Kincaid has been a successful proprietor of dance halls at Eagle Point and Gold Hill for over four years and a little over a year ago completed the construction of a new dance hall at Eagle Point. Lunches will be served at the fair grounds at midnight, and arrangements are being completed to provide for a record-breaking crowd next Saturday night. There will be no midweek dances at pavilion or at Walker's hall, where they had been given regularly. Medford Mail Tribune, May 22, 1928, page 3 HILARITY HALL TO BE OPENED AGAIN
Hilarity Hall will be formally reopened with a Memorial Day dance
tomorrow night by its new manager, Ray Schumacher, owner of the
American Meat Market here, and an experienced hand in dance hall and
amusement concession work. He was the former owner of the well-known
Arcade dance hall at Billings, Mont.
Among the features of tomorrow night's opening will be a nameless seven-piece jazz orchestra, to be introduced by the manager. Names will be submitted by the patrons, and the one judged the most appropriate and catchy will be awarded a prize. This name will remain with the orchestra, which has been definitely engaged by Mr. Schumacher. Hilarity Hall, which has been one of the most popular amusement centers of Medford in the past, has been dark most of the time since the sudden death of John Billings over a month ago. Local dance lovers will welcome the news of the opening by the new manager, and from the plans outlined by Mr. Schumacher, indications are that the pavilion will regain its former popularity. Medford Mail Tribune, May 29, 1928, page 3 PAVILION DANCE HERE SATURDAY
Southern Oregon dancers are looking forward to the second of the summer
dances at the fairgrounds pavilion Saturday night. This will be a
combined Walker and Kincaid party like that of last week, and an even
larger turnout of dancers is expected by A. W. Walker and
Luke
Kincaid, managers of the dances.
Dynge Brothers will furnish the music for Saturday's affair, which means that those who attend will enjoy excellent music. Supper will be served at midnight, according to the plans of the management. Medford Mail Tribune, June 1, 1928, page 5 KINCAID QUITS FAIR PAVILION
Lucius
Kincaid, who with A. W.
Walker had been operating the fairgrounds dance pavilion, announced
today that he will discontinue the pavilion dances and will reopen his
Eagle Point dance pavilion next Saturday and will continue dances there
every Saturday night until the completion of a new pavilion he plans to
construct at Gold Hill.Kincaid and Walker operated the fairgrounds pavilion for several weeks, the dancing going until after midnight, but a county court order last week ordered the hall closed at 12 p.m. as provided by the state law. However, the state law, said Kincaid today, does not affect his Eagle Point hall, which is within the corporate limits of a town. Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra, which played at Eagle Point last winter, will play again when the pavilion reopens. Medford Mail Tribune, June 19, 1928, page 3 GOLD HILL DANCES TO HAVE SERVICES OF MATRON
It is rumored that the dances conducted at the local pavilion will have
the services of a matron in the future. We understand that this
position is being filled upon request by manager Kincaid. Mr. Kincaid
wants to give the local people a good dance, and he has spared no
efforts to see that they are properly conducted. There has been some
complaints on the part of a few citizens, but we are sure if the people
registering objections will be given the hearty cooperation of not only
the management but the city officials if they but take the trouble to
register their complaints. [sic]Gold Hill News, March 15, 1928, page 8 The Gold Hill dance was a big affair as usual. The vigilance of the police force under the direction of Chief Hammersley kept the crowd from being noisy on the streets of the city, and there were no ill reports from the town people. Manager Kincaid stated to your reporter that they have run down the parties who have been stealing purses at the Gold Hill and Eagle Point dances. There had been several reports of purses being lost, so manager Kincaid [figured] that it was theft rather than carelessness that caused the loss. He placed several people to watch the crowd at the Eagle Point dance, and at last the culprits were caught and placed in jail at Medford. Mr. Kincaid has spared no effort to make his dances enjoyable and attractive to the dancing public. "Local Happenings," Gold Hill News, March 22, 1928, page 5 Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra played their last dance in this city, Saturday evening. Mr. Kincaid's lease on the Gold Hill pavilion expired on that date. M. D. Bowers will take charge of the hall and will give regular dances there in the future every other Saturday night. A very good orchestra has been employed for the occasions, and the dance enthusiasts will be given good entertainment. Gold Hill News, May 17, 1928, page 1 WILL STAGE BIG OPEN-AIR DANCE AT MEDFORD
Lucius Kincaid of Eagle Point and Mr. Walker of Walker's Dance Hall in
Medford have united to give Southern Oregon one of the biggest dances
of all time at the Medford Fair Grounds Pavilion. Two orchestras will
be employed, and one will furnish continuous music from 9:00 until
3:00. Kincaid and Walker are well known all over Southern Oregon as
first-class dance promoters, and the Saturday night dance promises well
to be a new sensation.Don't forget the date, Saturday night, May 26. DANCE HALL TO BE BUILT SOON
According to advice from Mr. Lucius Kincaid, work will start soon on
the construction of a dance hall, to be built in the Omar Auto Park
grounds. Mr. Kincaid stated that he expected to have lumber on the
grounds by the first of the week.KINCAID PURCHASES GOLD H. DANCE
HALL
Negotiations were completed this week for the
purchase of the Gold Hill dance pavilion from M. D. Bowers and
associates by Lucius Kincaid of Eagle Point, who will hold his first
dance there tonight and every two weeks thereafter. Lunch will be
served at midnight and dancing will continue until 2 o'clock the
following morning.Mr. Kincaid is planning on considerable improvement work at the Gold Hill pavilion, the details of which will be announced later. The pavilion is situated practically in the center of Gold Hill and is well known to Southern Oregon dancers, the pavilion having been operated for some time. Music will be furnished by Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra, which also furnishes music for the Eagle Point dances, which will be held on every other Saturday when no dance is held at Gold Hill. Medford Mail Tribune, July 7, 1928, page 3 KINCAID NOW IN CHARGE OF GOLD HILL PAVILION
Lucius Kincaid of Eagle Point has once more assumed charge of the Gold
Hill pavilion and last Saturday night gave his opening dance in the
local hall since acquiring possession. The same splendid crowd was
evident again; a good time was enjoyed by all. Mr. Kincaid expects to
redecorate and remodel the hall at a very early date.WALKER OPENS NEW DANCE HALL HERE
SATURDAY
Medford's newest dance pavilion, with one of the most attractive
interiors in Southern Oregon, will be opened with a big dance Saturday
night by A. W. Walker in the new Childers building on East Main Street
adjoining the Bear Creek bridge. The pavilion, which is on the second
floor of the three-story building, has been in the course of
construction for several months, and its completion has been
anticipated for some time by Medford and Southern Oregon dancers.
It has a maple floor, the second to be installed in a local dance hall, and is very roomy, having dimensions of 57 feet by 90, which is much larger than Mr. Walker's old quarters in the second story of the Medford building. The pavilion has a special lobby entrance on the west end, where also are located the rest and check rooms. The interior of the hall is painted green along the base and gray in the center and a sky blue on the dome-shaped ceiling. No expense has been spared in making perfect ventilation possible, and the pavilion, it is claimed, will be the coolest in the county. A screened porch has also been built, with a door leading onto it directly from the dance floor. Dynge Brothers' orchestra will supply the music next Saturday and for following dances, which, according to present plans, will be given every Wednesday in addition to the Saturday dancing parties. Medford Mail Tribune, August 21, 1928, page 3 The upper story of the [Natatorium] building was the Oriental Gardens, a ballroom dancing place. I remember the beautiful glass ball in the ceiling of the building. The lights were dimmed and a spotlight on the revolving glass ball was lit for the waltzes. Very romantic. . . . In the upper part of the building was also an old-time dance place. I remember going to that part to watch the "old folks" dance and listen to the "fiddles" playing. It seems as though we kids didn't go to the Oriental Gardens often, as we liked the Dreamland dance place better. This place was located across the street from the Roxy Theater and was on Main Street next to the Bear Creek bridge. We did go to the Oriental Gardens during the Dreamland intermission--didn't have to pay the entrance fee. Mother's friend Maude Disney was the hat check person we always greeted and chatted with when we went there. Verna Forncrook Wilson, March 30, 1997 GOLD HILL PAVILION UNDERGOING CHANGES
Workmen have been busy the past ten days remodeling the Gold Hill Pavilion.Since resuming charge of the hall, Mr. Kincaid has been drawing his usual big crowds and is remodeling the hall to take care of them. The floor has been extended to the walls on all sides, and seats have been built in all around the sides. The balconies have been removed save for one short section over the check room, which will be reserved. The lunch and refreshment counter has been extended to about twice its former length. The local hall has become well known over Southern Oregon for its delightful dances and good music and even during the hot summer nights have been drawing very good crowds. Gold Hill News, August 2, 1928, page 1 NEW DANCE HALL TO BE OPENED
SATURDAY
One of the largest dance crowds ever assembled in Southern Oregon is
expected at the big opening of Walker's new dance pavilion tomorrow
evening in the Childers building [at 417] East Main Street, where the
building is now in the last stages of completion. Elaborate
preparations have been made for tomorrow's party and include the giving
away of souvenir programs to all dancers.
The music will be furnished by the Dynge Brothers orchestra, which will introduce several novelty and specialty numbers. This orchestra will play at the pavilion regularly on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Medford Mail Tribune, August 24, 1928, page 3 GOLD HILL DANCES WILL CONTINUE, SAYS COUNCIL
At a special meeting of the city council held Wednesday evening it was
decided that the dances will be permitted at the Gold Hill pavilion as
before. Mr. Kincaid was present and offered to cooperate to any degree
with the city officials in the maintaining of law and order. He stated
he does all he can on the inside, and if the city was unable to obtain
a man to look after those outside he would be willing to furnish one or
more who could be deputized and who would maintain a peaceful dance.Saturday night there will be another dance, and the new provisions will be in effect. The city officials intend to preserve the peace of the city if they are forced to build a two-story jail. Gold Hill News, September 13, 1928, page 1 NEW
DANCE HALL ON AGATE DESERT
Luke
Kincaid, proprietor of the Gold Hill and Eagle
Point dance pavilions, has plans under way for the construction of the
largest dance pavilion in Southern Oregon, a short distance from the
former location of the Agate station, in use when the Pacific &
Eastern railway was in operation. The hall is scheduled to be completed
for use early in the summer and will be operated as an open-air
pavilion.Present plans call for a floor 100 feet square, with an orchestra stage in the center and seats around the edge. The ground has already been leased and construction is to commence as soon as the weather permits. A hardwood floor will be laid and will be taken up at the close of the season for storage. Medford Mail Tribune, January 31, 1929, page 5 ORIENTAL GARDENS TO OPEN SATURDAY
NIGHT
Medford and Southern Oregon dancers will be interested in the
announcement of the reopening of regular Dances at the Oriental
Gardens, beginning next Saturday under the direction of the Dynge
Brothers orchestra, which had been playing at Walker's pavilion, which
recently discontinued jazz dances in favor of old-time quadrilles,
germaines, square dances, featuring old steps and old tunes. The
Oriental Gardens will have the only jazz dance in Medford on Saturday
nights. The orchestra is composed of six members, including Henry
Dynge, Bud Dynge, Keith Cole, Delbert Bergman, Kermit Combs and John
Koken.
Medford Mail Tribune, February 6, 1929, page 2
DANCE HALL BILL PASSED BY HOUSE
Only the signature of Governor Patterson remains to make S.B. 78, to regulate public dances, a law.The measure, introduced by Senator George Dunn of Ashland, was passed by the Senate some time ago and today was passed by the House. Under its terms, the county court of each county is given power to regulate dances in towns under 600 population and places in the county which are not incorporated as towns. It classes "social clubs," which are in reality public dances, in their proper category and also gives the county court power to regulate them. The bill does not make it unlawful for public dances to extend over into Sunday mornings but gives the county court power to close dances which it considers to be menaces to public morals. As Jackson County officers say all-night dances are the places where legal and moral restraint are forgotten, it is expected that functions that extend after midnight will be forbidden. Under the measure, if Governor Patterson signs it, the county court will have the power to close any dance which becomes a gathering place for those who violate laws. The bill is expected to give officers a powerful weapon in cleaning up dances, and to make proprietors aid the officials in maintaining standards of decency. As originally introduced, the bill applied to towns of 1500 population and less, but it was amended to read 600 by the house committee on health and morals. The population must be computed from the last preceding census on motion of Representative Wm. Briggs of Ashland. Gold Hill News, February 28, 1929, page 1
SAMS VALLEY SCHOOL HAS NEW PAVILION
A new pavilion, designed for school sports and social functions, has
been completed in Sams Valley. The structure is 50 feet wide, 80 feet
long and of ample ceiling to meet the regulations in basketball playing.The new pavilion is entirely a community affair. Sponsoring it were the residents, the grange and the school, with the students assisting in the work. As a result the district now has a gathering place for holding a variety of functions. Gold Hill News, February 28, 1929, page 8 Lucius Kincaid held his opening dance of the spring season at the Gold Hill pavilion Saturday evening. The crowd was not as large as usual, owing to other attractions being held on this date. "Local Happenings," Gold Hill News, March 7, 1929, page 3 STAGE
CARNIVAL DANCE EAGLE POINT SATURDAY
The Eagle
Point dance pavilion, scheduled to be
closed down temporarily in six weeks, will be the scene of a big
carnival dance next Saturday night, with music furnished by
Kincaid's Imperial Orchestra. The hall is to be especially
decorated for the occasion and one of the largest crowds of the season
is expected. The dancers will be furnished with balloons, confetti,
streamers and noisemakers--all the equipment for a "whoopee" time.As a result of a bill passed by the last legislature, the pavilion will not be permitted to run after midnight unless sanctioned by the county court. The closing date goes into effect June 20. Medford Mail Tribune, May 2, 1929, page 6 EAGLE POINT PAVILION OPEN
SATURDAY NIGHT
After
having been closed for two weeks, while its proprietor, Luke
Kincaid, joined interests with A. W. Walker, local dance pavilion man,
the Eagle Point pavilion will be reopened next Saturday night,
according to an announcement yesterday. Mr. Kincaid will no longer be
connected with the fairgrounds hall, and it was not known today whether
Mr. Walker will continue to operate it, following the dissolution of
the partnership formed a short time ago.Mr. Kincaid regards his Eagle Point pavilion as more lucrative and will continue to operate dances until 3 a.m. on Saturday night until June 20, when a new state law goes into effect. A good orchestra will furnish the music, and the hall is to be given some special decorations. Medford Mail Tribune, May 21, 1929, page 6 KINCAID PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO LAW
VIOLATION
With the
opening guns in the dance hall closing war fired Saturday
night when Sheriff Ralph Jennings ordered the Gold Hill and
Jacksonville pavilions to close at midnight on grounds they were cities
with less than 500 population, the legal battle testing the dance hall
law, as passed by the last legislature, was underway today. Luke
Kincaid, proprietor of the Gold Hill pavilion, is under arrest and
appeared in the justice court today to enter a plea of not guilty. No
bonds were set.Arrest Saturday Night Opening Gun in Battle to Test Dance Law-- Population Is Main Question for Court to Decide. He is accused of failing to purchase a license from the county to operate a pavilion in Gold Hill, the population of which Kincaid claims to be over 500 people. He plans to fight the case to the highest court, and it will be the first in the state to be so tested. Gold Hill has a population of 520 people, according to a special census taken by Kincaid, with the aid of the Gold Hill News, and the present population, he said, is at its lowest ebb, due to some families moving away with the dismissal of school and comparative lack of employment at this time of the year. However, it is the purpose of Sheriff Jennings to have Gold Hill's population based on the 1920 census, which gave the city only a little more than 400 people. The bill, as passed by the legislature, does not state what census is to be used in determining the population, leaving the matter entirely up to the discretion of the court in determining the true meaning of the bill. The legislation originally was written to include towns of 2500 population, based on the last official census. Kincaid is represented by Newbury & Newbury, attorneys, and it is their plan to attack the constitutionality of the bill on grounds of class discrimination, picking out only a number of cities for special dance hall legislation and not affecting other corporations. The Gold Hill hall was packed Saturday night, but the closing order was received by the dancers in good manner, and the same held true for the Jacksonville dance, which was being operated by the chamber of commerce of that city. Jacksonville claims to have 621 people, but in this case, Sheriff Jennings declares the 1920 census is the only true census, and it gives the city less than 500. It has not been learned what action will be taken in that city. According to present indications, the matter may be settled in a short time, or be in litigation for months. If it is settled, Kincaid announced today dancing will go on as usual at Gold Hill. Medford Mail Tribune, June 17, 1929, page 8 The dance at the Gold Hill Pavilion did not draw the usual large crowd of dancers Saturday evening. This was attributed to the lack of advertising and the early hour of dismissal. Persons employed in mercantile pursuits in the nearby towns who ordinarily enjoy the local dances cannot find sufficient time to prepare for a dance and drive to this city in time to do much dancing before the closing hour. "Local Happenings," Gold Hill News, July 4, 1929, page 3 KINCAID IS
GRANTED LICENSE FOR DANCES
The
county court yesterday granted a license to conduct a dance at
Eagle Point to Lucius Kincaid. Kincaid has a suit pending in the
circuit court testing the validity of the dance regulation act, passed
by the last session of the legislature.Kincaid will conduct dances at Eagle Point every Saturday night pending a decision in the case. He will close at midnight, and furnish supper to the dancers, at "six bits per." He has remodeled the dance hall to give a cabaret effect, and installed booths and increased his orchestra to eight pieces and erected new stands for the orchestra at each end of the hall. Medford Mail Tribune, July 25, 1929, page 3 DYNGE BROTHERS NOW HAVE NEW
LOCATION
The Dynge Brothers orchestra will return to the Dreamland dance
pavilion next Saturday, following an absence of several months, during
which time they had played at the Oriental Gardens. The orchestra will
continue under the same management and will hold dances Wednesday and
Saturday of each week. Saturdays, as usual, will be devoted to old-time
dances.
The Oriental Gardens Saturday will open under new management, under Earl Davis, who recently opened the Utopia pavilion at the Dreamland hall. The Utopia dances will be given regularly at the new location. Medford Mail Tribune, September 26, 1929, page 2 KINCAID'S LICENSE REVOKED ON PLEA
SHERIFF JENNINGS
Upon
recommendation of Sheriff Ralph Jennings, the
license for the Eagle Point dance hall, of which Luke Kincaid is
proprietor, was ordered revoked this forenoon by the county court on
grounds that dancing was permitted after midnight. Eagle Point has less
than 500 population and comes under the direct supervision of the
court, although it has its own city government.Dances have been held regularly at Eagle Point and music stopped at midnight in keeping with the state law passed by the last legislature. Sheriff Jennings, however, complained that while there were no musicians, dancers continued to loiter about the premises and danced a little to music furnished by a phonograph. Kincaid claimed he did not think he was breaking a law as he was not charging any fees for the entertainment. His attorney, Don Newbury, admitted it was a technical violation but in his opinion was not so serious that the license must be revoked. He suggested a suspension for a short time on grounds that Kincaid had a big investment tied up in the property, which, if idle, would lose him approximately $150 per month. The court, however, declared a violation had been committed, and Kincaid can present an application for a new license at a later date, which might be granted if he could present sufficient favorable evidence why a license should be issued. The session before the court became a bit heated at times between the sheriff and Attorney Newbury when one or two facts were brought to light. Medford Mail Tribune, November 1, 1929, page 6 EAGLE POINT DANCES RESUME ON
TUESDAY
After
having been closed for several weeks, the
Eagle Point dance pavilion will be open for the season next Tuesday
night with a big Christmas Eve dance, with the music supplied by the
Dynge Brothers orchestra of this city. The management has arranged for
special decorations of Christmas greenery for the pavilion and plans to
entertain a large crowd of holiday dancers.The pavilion will probably hold regular dances after the first of the year, following a New Year's Eve party, to be the next following Tuesday's dance. A new orchestra will be obtained for the hall and will probably be announced in a short time. Medford Mail Tribune, December 20, 1929, page 7 TO ENFORCE CITY DANCE ORDINANCE
Council Favors Strict Enforcement by Five-to-Two Vote-- Hammond and Kershaw Balk at Inclusion of Lodge Affairs in Matron's Duty--Change Law if Unpopular.
The city dance matron supervision ordinance, because of the matron
being refused admission to the Elks dance recently and resultant
episodes arising since at public dances, has made the question of dance
supervision one of the most embarrassing the city officials have faced
for years, and hence a lengthy discussion resulted when the question
came up at last night's city council meeting. That body finally
declared for a strict enforcement of the dance matron ordinance which
was passed by the city council of 1917 and recently ordered into rigid
enforcement and interpreted as applying to any fraternal order which
charges admission and permits invited persons to attend, or similar
semi-public dance giving the affair on its own premises, but charging
admission and permitting invited friends to attend.
Vote Taken.
Following two hours of good-natured discussion participated in by all
the councilmen and Mayor A. W. Pipes, Councilmen E. M. Wilson, J. O.
Gray, C. A. Wing, J. C. Collins and R. E. McElhose voted in favor of
strict enforcement and Councilmen R. B. Hammond and P. M. Kershaw
against.The two opposing, while in thorough accord with the majority of five in the matter of matron supervision of public dances, opposed because they believed that a dance given by a fraternal order or other private organization in its own building and for members and their friends only should not be supervised by any city officials and not come under the classification of "public dance." They apologized to Mayor Pipes, who held that the ordinance should be strictly enforced without such exceptions as an Elks Club dance, as long as it was an ordinance, saying that it was simply an honest difference of opinion and that they were with him and the majority in strict supervision of public dances. Friendly Debate.
The discussion was of the rapid-fire, friendly conversational kind, and
the more the question was discussed after the vote had been taken, the
more confused was each city official as to what would be the best move
under the circumstances.There was no question about the necessity and wisdom of dance matron supervision at general public dances. The only hitch was on the question of supervising the fraternal or semi-public dances. Each councilman, and even the mayor, would make a positive statement on one side or the other and then hedge somewhat; then hedge again to the other side, etc., all through the debate. At times the city officials threw up their hands and shook their heads deploringly, indicating that they were all up in the air. Council Dissatisfied.
Neither side is fully satisfied on the
outcome of last night's majority decision.But Mayor Pipes and councilmen Grey and others of the majority held that there was only one thing to do at the present time, and that was for the council to strictly enforce the ordinance, not back down from its announcement of strict enforcement made some time ago, and to unanimously show that they were behind the matron in its enforcement. They wanted no halfway measures, preferring to treat all alike as long as the ordinance is on the books. May Repeal Law.
The only thing to do now, it was believed, is to agree on strict
enforcement, back up the matron, etc., and if in the future it was
found that the ordinance could then amend it, or repeal it entirely. It
was necessary now, Mayor Pipes held, in view of two isolated cases of
the authority of the matron being flouted at two public dances last
week by young men, described later on directly attributable to the Elks
refusing her admittance to their dance recently, for the council to
stand unanimously for strict enforcement.Messrs. Hammond and Kershaw, however, refused to heed the arguments of the majority to make the vote unanimous. Meanwhile the city council is unanimous in its decision to enforce the ordinance at all unquestioned public dances. During the discussion Mayor Pipes said that no ordinance on any subject could live if it was unpopular with the majority of the people. The general outcome of last night's vote will probably be that later on the city council will amend the ordinance as applied to semi-public or private organization dances. Council Majority's Decision.
The entire question was precipitated by the following statement
outlining the position of the city officials and drawn up by Mayor
Pipes and read by him, to be approved and signed by himself and the
council, which, after long discussion, Councilmen Wilson, Grey, Wing,
Collins and McElhose approved, but which Hammond and Kershaw, although
with apology to the mayor, opposed:"In the matter of the enforcement of the dance matron ordinance, the mayor and city council will have but one objective in view--viz, a fair and impartial application of the purpose of the law. "That the public might know the full text of the law, the ordinance was recently published in both daily newspapers of Medford, and doubtless it has been read by many of our citizens. "Section 1 of the ordinance says: 'The term PUBLIC DANCE is hereby defined, for the purpose of this ordinance, to be any dance which shall be held or conducted for compensation, paid directly or indirectly, to the owner, proprietor, manager or operator thereof.' "The wording of the definition of a public dance in the state law is practically identical with the definition above quoted from our city ordinance, which appears to the city council to be easy of interpretation. From this standpoint their duty is plain and should be just as easily interpreted by the public as by the members of the council who are answerable to the public. Therefore under our city law, supported by the state law, if we are to maintain a police matron in an impartial manner, her duty is to attend and have supervision over every dance within our city where a charge is made for the dance regardless of where it is held. "The mayor and the council have no desire to impose nor extend their authority upon any individual, club, fraternal organization or the public, in any unreasonable way, nor beyond the mandatory provisions of the law which is our sworn duty. We are a group of busy men, devoting our time and our talents, such as they are, to the building of a city that we may be proud to call our home. Our compensation for this work lies only in the conscious feeling of a 'job well done.' We must therefore have the cooperation of the people whom we serve or else we fail. No individual, club or organization has the right to select the laws they will obey, nor ask that partiality be shown by those upon whom the constituted authority rests to administer that law. "If it had been the intent of the makers of the state law or the city ordinance to exclude from its application clubs, fraternal or civic organizations, it is reasonable to assume that they would have been excluded. On the other hand, it is not only unreasonable for us to say that we believe the law was not intended to apply to clubs and fraternal organizations, but such interpretation is preposterous and strikes a blow at every phase of law enforcement and breeds contempt for all law, as was plainly evident at the Dreamland dance last Saturday night, when the dance matron was reproving two young men for disorderly conduct, who were defiant of her authority, when another young lad sprang upon a bench in the dance hall and shouted, 'The Elks can get away with it, boys, and I guess we can, too.' "The defi of the law by certain officers of the Elks lodge on the night of their New Year's Eve dance was most unfortunate, and in justice to their fraternal organization, as a lodge, we raise our hand in their defense. Their membership as a whole is comprised of a magnanimous bunch of fellows--big-hearted and philanthropic business men who stand for law and order--and we believe they will condemn the challenge of the law by the small group who stood out boldly in flouting the police officer and offered to pay her if she would withdraw and make no further fuss about trying to gain admittance to their dance. "We are advised by our city attorney that the Elks dance, as well as all other dances where a charge is made, comes within the definition of our ordinance regardless of where it is held. The supreme court of the state of Oregon has decided that any incorporated city within our state has the right to exercise police power over social clubs, in all their amusement activities such as dances, etc., whether such activities are confined to their own membership or open to the public. "Therefore under our present city ordinance, which this council did not enact, there is but one course to pursue, and that course will be followed as long as it remains a law of our city, irrespective of lodge or group, and any resistance to it in the future will be met in a stern and positive manner." Medford Mail Tribune, January
8, 1930, page 1
EAGLE POINTERS ASK DANCE HALL
PERMIT
Proclaiming they were "citizens of the United States and citizens of
the town of Eagle Point," six petitioners asked the county court to
grant a dance hall license to H. W. Henshaw. The request will be
granted, it is understood. At present most of the dance hall licenses
are expiring, and renewal of the same are the order of the day among
terpsichorean promoters.The remainder of the session was devoted to signing of the regular end-of-the-month bills and transacting routine business. Medford Mail Tribune, January 29, 1930, page 3 DANCE LAW OK FOR TOWNS OF FEW
RESIDENTS
The dance law, as passed by the last state legislature, is
constitutional, and dances within cities of less than 500 population
will continue to be under the supervision of county courts, according
to District Attorney George Codding, who received a complete copy of
the decision this afternoon. The Luke Kincaid case, involving the
operation of the Gold Hill dance, was reversed on the contention that
the circuit court should have taken into consideration the population
of Gold Hill at the time the case came to trial last summer.The court had accepted the 1920 census as the only official indicator of population. The defense claimed over 500 people in Gold Hill and had prepared a special census, which was disregarded as evidence in court. The supreme court decision will not affect the Eagle Point pavilion, located in a hamlet where the population is hardly in excess of 200 people, but will probably mean that the Gold Hill dances may now be operated without procuring permission from the county court. Medford Mail Tribune, March 26, 1930, page 1 All Plans Are Ready for Big Fire Dance Sat.
Finishing touches are being made to the arrangements for the Fireman's
Ball, and Saturday night is destined to be a big night for Gold Hill if
there is not some slipup.Tickets are on sale at most of the stores in the city, and it is hoped and expected that every property holder in Gold Hill will purchase a ticket and attend the fireman's dance. The orchestra is hard at work on new pieces of late popular music which they will use on this occasion, and the committee members are giving considerable time to arrangements and ticket sales. Sandwiches and coffee will be sold at the dance, and several women have volunteered their services to help serve and assist the firemen in the proper conduct of the dance. Several contributions have been made to the department which will make the ball a greater success. Mr. Kincaid, owner of the hall, has donated the use of the building. The musicians have volunteered their services free; Mason Ehrman contributed 5 pounds of Royal Club Coffee; Beck's Bakery will donate the buns for the sandwiches and the Gold Hill News has contributed the publicity. Many have offered their services, and Saturday afternoon and evening the committees will be at the hall to look after the final cleanup of the hall. Gold Hill News, March 27, 1930, page 1 KINCAID WINS IN GOLD HILL DANCE LAW TEST CASE
It has been a long time since Lucius Kincaid was arrested for operating
a dance hall without a license in Gold Hill. On June 12 last Mr.
Kincaid was placed under arrest in Gold Hill when he attempted to
operate his dance after 12 o'clock. As a result a test case was made of
the dance law which was passed by the last legislature, placing under
the county court the supervision of the dances conducted in cities of
less than 500 population.The case has been taken to the supreme court, and the decision handed down by Circuit Judge Norton was reversed. What the next step on the part of Kincaid will be we have not been able to ascertain, but it is intimated that he is planning on operating his dances here again in the near future. Gold Hill News, March 27, 1930, page 3 DANCE MATRON TENDERS IDEAS TO
COUNCILMEN
Mrs. Vivian Norman Barto's communication to the mayor and city council,
read and discussed at the special council meeting yesterday afternoon,
on the public dance hall matron situation in Medford, and containing
suggested changes, which because the council refused to take action on
them, resulted in the supervising public dance matron resigning her
position last night, read as follows:
Hon. A. W. Pipes, Mayor, and Gentlemen of the City Council, Medford, Ore. Owing to existing conditions, my position of "Dance Matron" for the city of Medford will be much more difficult to fill from now on and I am taking this opportunity of stating a few facts and submitting the following suggestions for your consideration. I have made an intensive study of conditions at these dances and I know that a dance supervisor is necessary, therefore I believe it would be a better plan to license but one dance each night, except possibly during the holiday season, when the crowd would exceed the capacity of any one hall. The first applicant could have choice of the six available dance nights in the week; those coming later could choose from nights remaining. In this way I could usually give all my time to one dance. As you know, I have felt all the time that my position would be less liable to criticism if I were paid a monthly salary on the same basis as the rest of the police force, therefore I ask that at this, the psychological time, you make this change and thereby allow me your support and approval and that you are back of me 100 percent with regards my supervision of public dances in Medford. There were many lies sworn to against me on the witness stand and I owe it to myself, and to you who appointed me, to contradict some of them here. Not a single person in the city of Medford can truthfully say they have ever seen or known me to take one drop of intoxicating liquor nor smelled any kind of alcoholic beverage on my breath. I have attended dances since I was a child, but never found it necessary to seek partners or ask men to dance with me. That may be a modern custom, but it is not one I have practiced. That was another falsehood told to try and discredit me. Nor have I exceeded my authority at any one of the dances. In fact, if I erred at all it was in not having been severe enough. This I will endeavor to correct in future. As my lawyers would not permit me to appear in my own defense on the witness stand in rebuttal of these terrible accusations, even some of my friends are asking why I did not defend myself when Kelly and Enright unjustly accused me of being a coward and challenged me to contradict their and the false statements of their paid witnesses, which were the rankest lies ever told on the witness stand. I, as a woman, will suffer as to my reputation the rest of my life for these falsehoods told about me during the trial by the witnesses and lawyers for the defense, for these slanders published in the daily papers will have been eagerly read throughout the state and believed by the evil-minded. You, as a body of fair-minded men, owe it to me to grant each and all requests set forth in this letter and to support me in the fulfillment of my duties as we see them now. Should you wish it, I will not dance at any public dance which I supervise; false testimony was given about my dancing also, as I danced only occasionally, and really feel that it is better to get acquainted in this way. My "job" has not been an agreeable one, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that my efforts have lessened some and eliminated many of the undesirable and almost unspeakable features of the common dances of the city. There is much that only a woman can do. One reason Chas. (Chuck) Davis does not like me is because I refused to divide my pay with him when I began in November. Hoping that you will
give this letter your serious consideration,
Later Statement:I am, respectfully, (Mrs.) VIVIAN NORMAN BARTO 837 West Second St. I refused to continue as dance supervisor upon any other conditions than the ones specified in this letter and tendered my resignation as dance supervisor of the city of Medford, said resignation to take effect March 27, 1930.
(Mrs.) VIVIAN NORMAN BARTO
Medford Mail Tribune, March
28, 1930, page 7
KINCAID TO REOPEN HIS GOLD HILL DANCE HALL
As announced in an advertisement on another page of this paper, Luke
Kincaid will open his Gold Hill dances again after being closed for
nearly a year, following his arrest last June for operating a dance
hall without a license. Kincaid claimed the city of Gold Hill had more
than 500 inhabitants and should therefore be permitted to legislate
their own dance regulations. The case was carried to the supreme court
and Kincaid won. The Saturday night event is a celebration of the
victory. The Imperial Orchestra is to furnish the music.Gold Hill News, April 3, 1930, page 1 DINING ROOM AT ROGUE ELK OPEN
EAGLE POINT, Ore., April 9.--(Special)--W. J. McDonald announced today
that preparations are complete for the opening of the new Rogue Elk
dining room tomorrow, affording one of the most ideally situated eating
places in the county. Construction has been in progress for several
months.The room, which is located on the bank of the Rogue River, is sufficiently large to provide space for dancing, a new electric musical instrument arriving here today from Medford. A row of windows on the south side provides an enchanting view of the river, with water flowing directly beneath. Dinner and dancing parties will be a specialty, with the food prepared by Mrs. Fred Bortz and the dining room in charge of Mr. Bortz. Medford Mail Tribune, April 9, 1930, page 4 KINCAID'S OPENING DANCE DRAWS LARGE CROWDS
The opening dance at the Gold Hill
Pavilion drew a large crowd of dancers Saturday night. Every town in
the county was represented among the crowd. The Imperial Orchestra
furnished the music, and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.Gold Hill News, April 10, 1930, page 1 The writer was somewhat amused with the text matter in a column headed "Once in a While" and published by the owner of the Medford Daily News upon his first page. In this column he asks that all hypocrites stand up and be counted and vote against him at the fall election, at which time he will be an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate as an opponent to Senator McNary. In the course of the rambling editorial the writer dealt with everything from the Gold Hill dances and the conditions which he claims to have existed during a celebration in Medford to the gossip of the streets such as he might hear in any town in the United States. He states that America is suffering from a lack of respect of law and order such as it has never suffered before, and we are yet at a loss to decide whether he attributes this to the fact that he is not now Senator or to the fact that the 18th amendment needs repealing. He tells of many cases of drunkenness and disorderly conduct having been publicly flaunted in the city of Medford although his entire story is merely a series of aspersions and insinuations, written no doubt to lead the readers to the belief that some U.S. Senator had been drunk in Medford for several days to the extent that he could not properly conduct himself. We believe that the Medford writer is doing a great injustice to his city, its organizations and the public men who serve this state by merely dealing in generalities when discussing such items of scandal as he took occasion to fill his first-page editorial with. He charges that while a bootlegger was being arrested near that city that whiskey by the gallon was being dispensed by the leading public institution of that city. What is that institution? Is it the public library, the Chamber of Commerce, the Elks Club, the Methodist or some other church? Why didn't the Medford writer tell the whole story? Why did he leave so much to guess at? Is he afraid of the truth, or is his article composed of rumors and misstatements? Does not the text of the Medford writer's story incline one to believe that he too must stand up and be counted. Not content to revile the morals of the county seat, his home, Banks took occasion to tell of things he claims to have seen along the road between Portland, and evidently the nearer he got to Medford the worse the morals of the commonwealth seems to have gotten. He tells of finding three dances tn progress, although he mentions only the location of two, and of cars parked along the highway. He relates having seen a young man supporting a very sick young woman who was endeavoring to relieve her system of the wicked bootleg whiskey her companion had given her. That piece of news might be refreshing. How does Mr. Banks know that the young lady had been drinking bootleg whiskey? Young ladies, we understand, get ill from other things than drinking bootleg whiskey, even in Gold Hill. Then, too, how does Mr. Banks know that the young ladies' companion furnished the bootleg, if that was what she had been drinking? And if he knew it was her companion who had furnished the liquor and that it was liquor that she had been drinking and in turn had made her sick why did he not do his duty as a citizen of the United States and of the state which he is asking support to be elected to the U.S. Senate, and have that companion answer for his crime? In all the vices that Mr. Banks tells of in his articles, we fail to find where he has at any time turned a hand to do other than criticize. Mr. Banks states that he is in favor of the repeal of the 18th amendment, but he fails to give a workable plan for handling the situation once the law is repealed. Does he contend that if it were made easy to obtain whiskey that the people would snub it because it is too common? If he does, we feel that he has another thought coming. Times have changed and so have moral persuasions since the days of the saloon and the passing of the 18th amendment. In those good old days even the young lady who might have been considered a trifle loose did not dance with young fellows who had been drinking, and now Mr. Banks says that an honest young lady is ostracized if she does not partake of the stuff. We size up Mr. Banks' article as a typical piece of political balderdash intended to poison the minds of his readers against his competitor in the race for the U.S. Senate. It borders too closely upon mud-slinging, and we have always noticed that in political fracases the one who sings the mud is usually doing so because he has a weak foundation upon which to stand. Central Point Star, August 8, 1930, page 2 NEW STORM LOOMS O'ER DANCE LAW
Right of 'Social Club' Affairs Continuing After Midnight Questioned by District Attorney--Ruling by Van Winkle Asked.
After midnight dancing in Jackson County bids fair to again be a legal
controversy, with the Jackson Hot Springs terpsichorean events as a
storm center. The district attorney has written to the attorney general
of the state, seeking a ruling on the state law covering the operation
of dances after midnight, on the "social club" plan, as now employed by
the Ashland resort.
Attorney W. M. Briggs, Jr., attorney for the Jackson Hot Springs, has a ruling from the attorney general, giving the opinion that the "social club" plan is within the state dance law. The sheriff, county court, and district attorney hold the club is operated for profit, and has no restrictions on memberships, and therefore comes within the dance law. The club was formed under the title of the "Jackson Hot Springs Swimming and Dancing Club," with a membership fee of 25 cents, plus the regular admission fee to dance. The membership card is alleged to be a subterfuge. The hot springs is not now operating under a county license, being a social club and no time limit. Ruling Sought.
The district attorney's office said this morning it had asked for a
complete and full ruling from the attorney general and would take
action in conformity with it, when received. The county court can take
no action, as the "club" angle is outside their jurisdiction. It is
feared that with the operation of the Jackson Hot Springs, "social
dance clubs" will be quite plentiful in the county.The district attorney's office said its chief interest was "to get girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years home before midnight, as somebody must look after them. "If they are old enough to vote, we figure they are old enough to be out as long as they please," said Deputy District Attorney Neilson this morning. The Gold Hill dance, operated by Luke Kincaid, stays open until two o'clock and has enjoyed a monopoly of late dancing in this county, since a supreme court decision overruled a court verdict, and held that Gold Hill came under the 500 population provisions of the dance law. The Gold Hill population is an uncertain quantity, according to county officials, and the federal census figures range from 488 to 502. The district attorney's office holds this is so close a figure "it would be necessary to take a census every Saturday night." They hold it is a matter for the city of Gold Hill, rather than the county or state. The latest ruling of the district attorney on the dance law is expected early next week. Medford Mail Tribune, August
29, 1930, page 4
DANCE CLUB AT EAGLE POINT TO
ESCAPE LICENSE
Arrangements are being completed by Luke Kincaid, operator of the Gold
Hill dance pavilion, to open his Eagle Point hall as a private social
club, inasmuch as this procedure, he said, has the earmarks of
legality. Membership for the Eagle Point club will be sold at the
regular Gold Hill dance next Saturday night, and the opening dance will
be held the following Saturday."I have an investment of nearly $10,000 dollars in the Eagle Point property, and I have been denied the right of a license by the county court to operate," Mr. Kincaid said when in Medford today, "and if the social club plan is legal, as it is claimed, I can see no reason why I will not have the same privilege. I have been attempting to obtain a license for the hall from the county court for months, to at least operate an old-time dance, but I have been denied the request. Under the social club plan, no license is necessary from the court." The Gold Hill Imperial Orchestra is slated to play at Eagle Point and dancing will continue to at least 3:00 o'clock in the morning, he said. In the meantime, Mr. Kincaid is awaiting the opinion sought by the district attorney's office, covering early morning dancing as confined to social clubs. It has been claimed that such dances are legal, basing the claim on an opinion said to have been received from the attorney general a short time ago. However, the district attorney's office is giving the matter a thorough examination. Medford Mail Tribune, September 2, 1930, page 6 CITIZENS OF J'VILLE ASK CURB ON
SIN
Quietly organizing a week ago for the general betterment of Jackson
County's historic old county seat town, the Citizens' Civic League
called in a body 50 strong last night on the Jacksonville city council,
in its first session of the year, in an effort to preserve the
good
name of the city and offer constructive suggestions that should be
followed if the town expected to be included in the progressive class.Organized Group Calls Upon Council for Restoration Town's Good Name-- Four Special Police to Watch Saturday Dances. While the organization was not principally formed to offer advice in connection with the weekly Saturday night dances held there, it was the first matter taken up by the league, through its spokesman, Erle R. White, who declared steps must be taken to make them more respectable. The speaker referred to publicity the town had received a short tine ago when Sheriff Ralph Jennings told of conditions surrounding the weekly dances. The next day after the sheriff's statements, the Jacksonville Commercial Club replied with a news article just as interesting as that of the officer. Conditions Held Bad.
The league reported there had been an investigation made of the dance
conditions, and they were worse than they had been pictured. Mr. White
spoke in plain words to the council and asked their cooperation in the
correction of the conditions."All we want is an honest effort to enforce the law," he said, "and we are behind you in any corrective steps you take. The citizens of Jacksonville are not pleased with the distribution of liquor at these dances and the common disorder that has resulted. The distribution has an organized system and drinking has been common. We want this disorder stopped and an end put to the spooning seen in the hall and out. "I circulate about the county considerably," he continued, "and our city has almost become a standing joke on account of the dance conditions. It was only the other night at a theater that a crack was taken at Jacksonville when one man asked another on the stage if he had ever heard of the 18th amendment. He said he had not, explaining he lived in Jacksonville." Curfew Needed.
Youths of the city have been stating out too late at nights and have
been seen in the wrong places, presenting another condition that must
be corrected, the speaker set forth. The league found that young boys
had been lingering around pool halls when they should have been at home
with their parents. The league made no recommendation to close the
dances earlier than the regular closing time of 2 a.m., but some
members indicated the recommendation might be made later.Councilmen, sitting around a table about which councils had met and dispersed from year to year perhaps without ever having heard such complaints with the backing of so many citizens, listened quietly and heard the spokesman for the league tell them that four special policemen on dance nights should present a remedy for the situation and lessen the dissatisfaction of the citizenry. The new mayor, A. R. McIntosh, installed a few minutes before to fill the place left vacant by A. T. Norris, seemed to be one of the most interested listeners. Crowd Hears Plea.
Every person in the old city hall, crowded to the doors with
men, women
and children, hardly uttered a sound during the time Mr. White was
addressing the city governmental body.A low hum of voices followed the completion of his talk, in which he stressed the fact the league did not plan to be narrow-minded nor launch an attack on the city administration, but was taking the trouble to make Jacksonville more respectable, in keeping with the high position it has always held in the county. The council| members talked to each other earnestly, and shortly the mayor arose to ask if the league had names to offer for special policemen. The executive was told names would be immediately given to him and would come from the ranks of the league. The officers are to serve without pay and will make a conscientious effort to make the dances as peaceful as any held in the county. They were to have been named last night, but the council decided to make the appointments at a special session Thursday night. The new officers will be on duty Saturday night, and those young bloods who had planned to go to Jacksonville to "raise cain" will have a crimp placed in their efforts, and will act as any well-behaved young man should act when in a public place. They will find that liquor reported easy to get will be out of their reach, and if they would stay out of the city bastille they will follow the laws of sobriety, it was indicated. Dances to Continue.
Letting that be as it may, the dances are expected to be more
of an
attraction and Jacksonville hopes they will continue without reports
emanating from the citythat the weekly Saturday night parties are wild and are a blot on the county, as had been said before. The league will not disband, and its membership is to be strengthened and later other city matters will come before them, including problems in connection with the water system, streets, business affairs of the city and progressive plans for the future. Until the league delegation made its appearance in the council hall, with its old-time wood-burning stove, the spectators, composed of 28 men and one young infant in the arms of its father, were comfortably watching the city council dispose of routine matters under the old mayor, A. T. Norris. Committee Enters.
Shortly before the new mayor was sworn in by Ray Coleman, city
recorder
and justice of the peace, members of the league, 50 strong, quietly
entered the hall and quickly filled up the benches, leaving a few
standing along the walls. They had met in a body at the Presbyterian
church and were accompanied by the pastor, Rev. S. M. Jones. Interest
was written on their faces, and to a person they were behind their
spokesman.The recently re-elected council members, Oscar Lewis, E. R. Severance and Oscar Knox, were sworn in, leaving C. B. Dunnington the holdover member from last year. C. C. Chitwood took the oath as city treasurer, and Ray Coleman as city recorder. Dunnington, however, resigned shortly before the meeting was over. James Littel was appointed city marshal. Jacksonville was quiet today following the surprise session, and the citizens are satisfied with the work of the league, the organization of which was known only to its members. Medford Mail Tribune, January 7, 1931, page 6 DADS VOTE J'VILLE BAN
ON DANCING
The old red, brick city hall in Jacksonville, where once echoed the
voices of councilmen and mayors long dead, last night perhaps echoed to
the most spirited session in the 76 years it has been built
when the
present city council, unwilling to appoint four special officers for
duty on dance nights, unanimously agreed to discontinue the dances
indefinitely. The service of the officers had been requested by the
recently organized Citizens' Civic League to aid in control of Saturday
night crowds, alleged to have been a bit too hilarious and presenting a
condition which the league claimed one officer could not handle.Hectic Session of Council and Citizens League Leads to Move for Restoring Calm Old County Seat--Debate Heated. The league did not seek the closing of the dances nor did it seek to have the closing hour changed from 2 a.m. to midnight, but did deplore claimed excessive drinking and hilarity on dance nights. The city council on its own initiative, through a motion offered by a member, Oscar Knox, and seconded by Ed Severance, abolished the dances to eliminate the bone of contention that was threatening to split the town asunder. Strong Debate.
Debate was strong. Personalities were attacked and insinuations cast as
different townspeople in the crowd spoke their mind. Other speeches
were constructive and the citizens were urged to forget the strife in
an effort to bring about harmony to boost for a bigger and better
Jacksonville, which, after all, the speakers said, was the main matter
of consequence.Councilman Knox, one of the first speakers of the session, in no uncertain terms launched a verbal attack on the league, casting pointed insinuations. He declared first reports of the so-called conditions at the dances were exaggerated and unnecessary, and made public at the expense of the good name of Jacksonville. He cast digs at members of the league and referred to George Maxwell in such manner that the latter jumped from his bench to challenge Knox to fisticuffs--to come outside and have a man-to-man argument. Has List of Names.
Maxwell said he had the names of most every law violator in town
written in a little book, but it was not for the use of the public. He
said he had a deputy sheriff's commission and had held it for some
time, but through his "good-heartedness" had refrained from exercising
his power, although he had seen opportunities to do so."They've said they'd run Maxwell out of town," he said at one point during the session, "but Maxwell is still here. He'll continue to be in Jacksonville after a lot of you fellows there in back are up in the graveyard on the hill." This remark was greeted by boos from the rear of the hall. His speech ended, Maxwell sat down and the debate continued. Rev. S. M. Jones, Jacksonville minister, active in affairs of the league, a dignified-appearing gentleman, sincere in his convictions, spoke at length on the dance problems and set forth why he thought more control over Saturday night crowds necessary. He declared it was not the intention of the league to abolish the dances or urge earlier closing hours. If the young people must dance, it was their privilege, but when he made the remark the league wanted to bring about improved conditions so respectable people could come, the words drew immediate fire. Woman Angered.
Mrs. C. B. Dunnington, wife of the councilman who resigned
Tuesday
night when the league made its first appearance, sprang to her feet,
with eyes flashing, and declared she had gone to the dances and would
put herself up against anyone as far as respectability was concerned.
Applause by members of the faction opposing efforts of the league
followed her remarks. It was one of several times the old hall was
filled with the noise of clapping hands.The crowd was noisy and when Rev. Jones was on his feet, certain spectators took it on themselves to start violent coughing and other noises to distract the speaker. "I am a gentleman," said the minister, "and I have always conducted myself as such. Continue your coughing and noise; I can continue my remarks. If you were gentlemen you would at least listen to another," he said, his face taking on an expression of grim humor. Chappell Heard.
Dick Chappell, to whom is credited the authorship of the reply to
charges made by Sheriff Ralph Jennings, as published a short time ago
in the Mail Tribune,
arose
and declared he was an old-time Jacksonville resident and always had a
soft spot in his heart for the old home town. He cast a little humor
into the session at the expense of the league, and league members, as
well as others, smiled and laughed over the story concerning a Swede
who underwent a serious operation on his head and came to Jacksonville.The most constructive remarks of the evening were made by Ray Wilson, confectionery store proprietor, who urged the citizens to forget the dance hall strife and pull together in a spirit of cooperation for a bigger and better Jacksonville. Deplores Situation.
"We can get nowhere by fighting among ourselves," he said, "and the
present condition is most deplorable for our city--it would be
deplorable for any community. I have not taken sides in the matter and
I don't intend to. The newspapers will carry accounts of this session
and it will be poor advertising compared to the sort of advertising we
want--the sort of publicity that will bring people to our city to view
it as the oldest place in Southern Oregon and one of the oldest in the
state. Let us pull together and by the time the next tourist season
arrives, we will have accomplished things to attract the visitor to our
city--to see our museum and various other points of interest for which
Jacksonville could be known the entire length of the coast."The same sentiments were expressed by G. W. Godward, merchant, who indicated that possibly after all the conditions were not as bad as they had been painted and recalled to memory places he had been where conditions had been so bad it would be impossible for Jacksonville to hold a candle to them. He did not seek to be a party in causing the town to be split into factions--in fact none of the league members felt that way, he said. Dr. D. A. Forbes of the league took occasion to criticize the method in which the council held their sessions and advised them to talk louder so all the spectators could hear the matters about which they were talking. Dances Closed.
League members believed the dances could continue to be operated and
draw crowds. The employment of the officers was only sought to quiet
things down alittle, but the opposing faction figured the officers would tend to keep some of the crowd away and were against such action. Placed in an embarrassing situation, the city council closed the dances to take away the root of the trouble. The weekly Saturday night parties had been bringing about $100 a week into the town and gave it a weekend aspect of activity that it otherwise would not have had. Now that the dances are closed, dissension is expected to grow less, but after all though disputes may come and go and dances may again be held, Jacksonville will always be Jacksonville, holding its esteemed place in the pioneer history of Southern Oregon as the dwelling place of those pioneers who aided in the early development of Southern Oregon and made possible the fruits of their efforts now enjoyed by present generations. Medford Mail Tribune, January 9, 1931, page 7 GRANGE BACKS LAW GROUP
IN JACKSONVILLE
Work of the Citizens' Civic League of Jacksonville, which has caused so
much commotion relative to the holding of public dances in the historic
little town, was endorsed last night by the Jacksonville Grange No.
700 in resolutions adopted at the regular meeting of the
farmers'
organization.Support, Good Will Pledged Citizens Civic League in Effort to Curb Alleged Disorders. The report of the action of the Grangers, signed by the secretary, G. O. Sanden, and submitted to the Mail Tribune this morning, reads: "The Jacksonville Grange in a resolution adopted at its meeting Friday evening went on record as giving its cordial and unqualified endorsement to the Citizens' Civic League of Jacksonville, pledging its interest and goodwill to the organization in carrying out its purpose for the enforcement of law and order at all times, and for the promotion of such ideals of civic and social righteousness as should animate the minds of all true and law-abiding American citizens. "It further resolved as its solemn will and purpose to aid, support, uphold, and cooperate with the legally constituted officials of Jackson County in the discharge of their duties, especially those who are entrusted with the enforcement of our criminal laws and the administration of justice throughout the bounds of Jackson County. "G. O.
Sanden, Secretary."
JACKSONVILLE TO REOPEN DANCING
WITH PERMISSION
A feeling of harmony and understanding is settling upon the two
factions that for the past three weeks had had differences concerning
the operation of dances in the historic old county seat town of
Jacksonville. Early this month the city council voted to close the
dances, following action taken by the Citizens' Civic League for the
appointment of four special officers on grounds that the Saturday night
parties were too hilarious.The council is to meet tonight and will probably grant permission for the reopening of the dances in the old United States Hotel. The first dance is to be held next Saturday night under the auspices of the Jacksonville Commercial Club, owner of the building. There will be no special officers. The general agreement is due to desire for harmony and the revenue which the dances brought into the city. Medford Mail Tribune, January 27, 1931, page 5 LIFT DANCE BAN IN JACKSONVILLE
The public dances at Jacksonville will be resumed, it was decided by
the city council of Jacksonville in session last night, following a
reported general agreement reached by the for and against dance
factions.The dances, which were discontinued recently because of objectionable features protested by the anti-dance faction, will in the future be under the auspices of the Jacksonville Commercial Club. They will be held in the U.S. Hall, the first to take place next Saturday night, and no drinking or other objectionable features will be permitted by the management, and neither will there be special officers stationed outside the building. Medford Mail Tribune, January 28, 1931, page 3 APPLEGATE GRANGERS PLAN
OLD-TIME BALLS
The entertainment committee of the Applegate Grange recently held an
extensive and interesting session. Decision was reached that as a means
of raising funds, and securing new members, one of the main features
would be old-time dances, with an old-time orchestra to furnish music.These dances are to be held for grangers and their friends, the first of the series beginning February 7, the committee extending a cordial invitation to other granges to join in the good times. Applegate Grange went on record as wishing to cooperate with other granges of' Jackson County to assure patrons an evening of good clean amusement. Medford Mail Tribune, February 4, 1931, page 7 DREAMLAND SCHEDULE DANCE FOR
SATURDAY
Streamers, confetti and noisemakers will feature the Valentine dance at
the Dreamland pavilion in Medford Saturday night with music furnished
by Dynge's orchestra. The pavilion has been holding regular Wednesday
and Saturday night parties and attracted an especially large crowd last
night, including a delegation from the Ashland district. The pavilion
will be decorated especially for Saturday's party, and preparations are
being made for a record attendance.Medford Mail Tribune, February 12, 1931, page 5 VALENTINE DANCE AT SPRINGS
ANNOUNCED
A Valentine dance at the Jackson Hot Springs Saturday is one of the the
dance events in the county Saturday night and is expected to attract
the usual delegation from Medford. Dom Provost, manager,
announced
today he is arranging special dance novelties for the pleasure of all
present. The pavilion was opened several weeks ago by Mr. Provost after
having operated the Oriental Gardens for a portion of this winter and
the past fall.Medford Mail Tribune, February 12, 1931, page 5 DANCE BAN IS LIFTED BY COURT RULE
A non-suit declared in circuit court today in the case of the State of
Oregon against the Hartford Indemnity Company for the collection of a
$500 bond, claimed forfeited by Luke Kincaid in connection with his
Eagle Point dances, is said to pave the way for any dance hall in the
county to hold dances after midnight as long as no fees are demanded
for dancing after that hour.Non-Suit Ruling in Circuit Court Means Free Dancing May Continue After Midnight--Forfeiture of Kincaid Bond Denied. Two years ago the state legislature passed a bill covering public dances, providing that no dances were to be held after midnight and that the county court had the full charge of all dances held in towns of less than 500 population. Places over this population were given the right to regulate their own dances. The bill covered the Eagle Point dances, which had been operating up until 2 o'clock in the morning. When the bill became a law, Kincaid discontinued pay dances at midnight but permitted dancing to continue without charge on the grounds he was then not running a public dance to which admission is charged. The music was furnished by a phonograph. License Revoked
The matter was brought to the attention of the county court and the
license was revoked on the grounds that dancing was permitted after the
regular closing hour. Kincaid has not operated the hall since, moving
his operations to Gold Hill, which city, due to its population, gave
him permission to operate until 2 o'clock.Kincaid, when he obtained his license for Eagle Point under the new law, posted a $500 bond. The bond was declared forfeited by the state and the case came up in court today for final disposition. The court ruled that the bond could not be declared forfeited in view of no evidence having been offered to show that compensation was received by the proprietor to hold the dance after midnight. State Law Cited
The state set forth the free dance was advertised as an incentive to
have patrons come to the dance, and therefore was a public affair
coming under the state law.The ruling of the court will now make it permissible for dance halls any place in the county to charge for dances until midnight, serve dinner and then hold a free dance, as long as the proprietor does not receive remuneration. However, the dancers, if they see fit, may pay the orchestra themselves, according to the district attorney's office. Medford Mail Tribune, March 6, 1931, page 1 EAGLE POINT DADS GRANT PERMISSION TO KINCAID DANCE
EAGLE POINT, Ore., Mar. 18.--(Spl.)--Efforts are being made by Luke
Kincaid to resume his Saturday night dances in Eagle Point, and
indications are that he will be permitted to do so.Much interest has been taken in this matter by citizens and city council. At the council meeting of March 10 the opinion of the members seemed to be unfavorable to granting permission for the dances, but later a petition was circulated among the residents asking that a license be granted, and 98 names were secured of those residing within the city limits. The council called a special session March 16 and a license was granted Mr. Kincaid to conduct dances for one year. Mr. Kincaid states that efforts are being made to secure a county license, and from assurances he has had from county officials, he believes permission will be granted him to conduct dances until 12 o'clock midnight. If the county license is forthcoming a dance will be given Saturday, March 21, and probably each succeeding Saturday night. Medford Mail Tribune, March 18, 1931, page 12 NEW LICENSE GIVEN EAGLE POINT DANCE
After having had his license revoked last year to operate the Eagle
Point dance hall, Luke Kincaid, upon application at the county court
yesterday, obtained a new license permitting him to run the pavilion.
He will hold the first dance next Saturday night and inasmuch that
Eagle Point is under the complete jurisdiction of the county court as
far as dances are concerned, the hall will close promptly at midnight.Mr. Kincaid will hold a dance the following Saturday in Gold Hill but will operate there until 2 a.m. with permission from the Gold Hill city council. The city has over 500 population and does not come under the state dance ruling prohibiting dancing after midnight. Medford Mail Tribune, March 26, 1931, page 4 There will be another dance at the local pavilion Saturday night. Mr. Kincaid expects to continue the dances here every other Saturday night in the future. "Local Happenings," Gold Hill News, April 2, 1931, page 4 CLAMP DANCE LID ON SMALL TOWNS
Inasmuch
that complaints had come to the district attorney's office that one or
two dance halls in the county were operating after midnight, the
sheriff's office today announced that no dancing will be permitted
after that hour except in places over 500 population where city
councils had made other arrangements.This gives the right to late dancing exclusively to Jacksonville and Gold Hill. The latter place is operated by Luke Kincaid, who also operates at Eagle Point. However, the Eagle Point hall, which operates tonight, must close at midnight, as that place is under 500 population and comes under the jurisdiction of the county court. Medford Mail Tribune, April 11, 1931, page 2 EVANS CREEK MEN STAGE FREE-FOR-ALL
Quite a sizable crowd of Evans Creek residents were in the city Tuesday
in attendance at the justice court, at which time several men from that
vicinity were to be tried for assault. It seems that there had been a
dance at Wimer Grange hall, and during the evening trouble was started
in which J. R. Bowman, a farmer of that vicinity, received a severe
beating. Mr. Bowman swore to complaints against his assailants, and
they were cited to appear in justice court in this city. However the
attorneys were unable to be present for either side of the argument, so
the case was postponed until Friday. Interest in the case was so great
that Judge Reed expects to get a larger court room when the trial comes
up tomorrow.Gold Hill News, April 30, 1931, page 4 PLAN WALKATHON FOR MEDFORD
Medford Mail Tribune, May
11, 1931, page 5AT ORIENTAL GARDEN
Preparations
are being completed for the holding of a "walkathon" in Medford
at the
Oriental Gardens with substantial cash prizes offered to winning
couples. The participants are to enter training Saturday night, when
Bob Sherman's Siskiyouans orchestra will hold a big dance at the
gardens. Contestants will be introduced from the stage on that evening.
The "walkathon" will officially begin at 10 p.m. May 19. Quite a number of contestants are expected in view of the fact that one dollar per hour will be paid the winning couple for every hour they walk, provided they exceed the 300-hour mark. Medford firms are sponsoring the contest in conjunction with O. G. Grantham of the Pacific Amusement Company. Entry is limited to amateurs. They will receive regular rest periods, will be under medical observation and will be given every convenience possible. Further details will be announced later. A similar "walkathon" is now being conducted at Klamath Falls, and these events are proving popular in a number of coast cities. WEAR PAJAMA SUITS EAGLE POINT DANCE
A dance stunt never tried before in Southern Oregon will be the feature
of the Eagle Point dance next Saturday night when prizes will be
awarded to the girls appearing in the most attractive beach pajama
suits. Girls are invited to wear their best pajamas, and men, if they
wish, may appear in the same type of apparel. Dancing will stop at
midnight.The music will be furnished by the Central Point Grange orchestra, which has been attracting large dance crowds in Central Point twice a month. Medford Mail Tribune, May 14, 1931, page 4 What Next?
To
the Editor:A dance has been advertised for tonight, to be given at Eagle Point, wherein women are asked to appear in pajamas, and men are invited to wear this same garment if they so desire. Whither are we drifting when women are requested to appear at a public dance wearing what was originally a man's sleeping garment, and men are told they can wear the pajamas if they care to do so? But I must say this for the men, so far they have not lost their heads but are still clothed in their right minds and in the same style of garments worn by their sex for a hundred years or more. "The female of the species" has degenerated, not the male. Why not suggest that the men appear in nightshirts? From my point of view these garments would not be more out of place than pajamas and certainty cooler and more graceful. If the girls who wear pajamas in public could "see themselves as others see them," they would not wear them. When summer comes, why not give a dance where the females could wear bathing suits and the men could appear in loincloths such as are worn by the wild tribes inhabiting the island of Mindanao, P.I.? That would certainly be a novelty, and that seems to be what the present generation craves. As for myself, I can only brace up and try to be prepared for the worst. CIVILIZED.
Jacksonville,
May 16.(Name on file.) "Communications," Medford Mail Tribune, May 18, 1931, page 4 OPEN BUNGALOW HALL IN ASHLAND
TONIGHT
The old Bungalow dance pavilion in the Ashland Lithia Park is to be
opened this evening after having been idle for the past seven years.
Dom Provost has taken over the property and placed it in condition for
dances this summer. His Pep Peddlers orchestra will furnish the music.
Dances will be held every Wednesday with the possibility that old-time
dances will be held Saturday nights. The Pep Peddlers will appear as
usual on Saturday nights at the Jackson Hot Springs pavilion.Medford Mail Tribune, May 20, 1931, page 7 HOFFARD LEASES E.P. DANCE HALL
EAGLE POINT, Ore., May 27.--(Special)--The dance hall and confectionery
store operated by Luke Kincaid for the past five years has been leased
to Paul Hoffard, the well known "Hoosier" Hoffard of baseball fame in
the Rogue Valley league.A few weeks ago Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid sold their residence here to W. H. Young and are contemplating a confectionery store in Prospect. They have engaged rooms in the von der Hellen residence, where they will stay until the move is made to Prospect. Mr. Kincaid will continue to conduct weekly dances at Gold Hill, the opening dance of the season occurring May 30. Mr. Hoffard took possession of the confectionery and dance property May 26 and will conduct dances every two weeks. Medford Mail Tribune, May 27, 1931, page 5 FREE ADMITTANCE TO DANCE
BEFORE 10 P.M.
Luke Kincaid will hold his regular Saturday night dance at the Gold
Hill pavilion, and all dancers who arrived before 10 o'clock will be
admitted free. The breezes from the Rogue waft through the
pavilion,
and the light fantastic can be tripped until 2 o'clock in the
morning.
Good music will be provided, and good order maintained. Manager Kincaid
claims the coolest pavilion in Southern Oregon and welcomes one and all.Medford Mail Tribune, June 5, 1931, page 6 HANGAR DANCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Arrangements are being made to take care of a large attendance at the
American Legion airport dance which is scheduled for Wednesday night at
the Medford airport. The affair is being staged by Medford post No. 15,
in conjunction with the visit here of the big squadron of U.S. army
planes which will attract thousands of visitors from near and far.A fine program has been arranged for the Legion dance with several surprise features which promise to prove popular with those who attend. Dancing will start at 9 p.m. and continue until a late hour. Medford Mail Tribune, June 8, 1931, page 1 GRIEVE TO OPEN DANCE PAVILION
The new open-air pavilion, recently completed at the Prospect Hotel,
will
be opened to the public Saturday night, Jim Grieve announced today. The
beautiful location adds much to the attractiveness of the pavilion, as
the grounds surrounding it have been lighted and tables arranged
for dinner dances to afford the best view of the resort.The pavilion includes 4500 square feet of floor space and is expected to be a popular gathering place for local dasnce fans and vacationists who are enjoying outings in the Prospect region. Elwood Strader's six-piece band will provide music for the opening dance Saturday. Medford Mail Tribune, July 23, 1931, page 5 Hangar Dance Will Be Big Fall
Affair
One of the best Legion dances of the fall season is anticipated when
the annual Labor Day ball takes place at the Medford airport next
Monday night. The big hangar with its specially finished cement floor
affords a fine, cool place to dance, and there is ample space to take
care of a record crowd. Special music and novelties will be provided
and a big time is assured all who attend.Proceeds of the affair will be used to help defray expenses of the American Legion junior baseball season, sponsored by Medford post No. 15. The following committee has charge of the dance: Elmer Wilson, chairman; Fred Scheffel, Horace Bromley, Dr. Johnson, Lew Corbett, Walter Olmscheid, Lloyd Williamson, Phil Sharp, John Holmer and Earl York. Medford Mail Tribune, September 2, 1931, page 3 Quite a large number of jolly neighbors gathered at the Derby schoolhouse Saturday night and had an old-fashioned dance. At midnight hot coffee and sandwiches were served. Everyone reported having a wonderful time. Jack Grow was official caller. "Reese Creek," Medford Mail Tribune, October 7, 1931, page 10 Walker Buys Building--A. W. Walker, proprietor of Walker's dance hall, has purchased the building adjoining his hall, recently occupied by Myrtle's Coffee Shop. Mr. Walker has not yet stated just what purpose the building will be used for, but it is quite certain some substantial improvements will be made.--Central Point American. "Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, November 25, 1931, page 7 CHURCH REQUESTS QUEER GUARANTEE
ON LOT PURCHASE
The oddest request ever made of the Medford city government was that of
the Church of Christ last night, as embodied in a tentative ordinance
prepared by City Attorney F. P. Farrel for a deed to a lot on Court
Street which the membership had purchased of the city for $700 as the
site for an edifice, and which deed would forever bar any organ or
other musical instrument, or any fair, festival or any other practices
not mentioned in the New Testament, and any missionary or educational
society, or preaching not mentioned in the New Testament.
So far, so good. The city officials, off hand, while they deemed the request very peculiar, saw no harm in giving such a worded deed, but a following clause providing that in case any of these stipulations was violated the property should become the possession of the persons within the church membership opposing, presented a different outlook. That indicated that if at any future time factions in the church arose and got into a dispute about the things mentioned in the deed, the city council might unwittingly be drawn into the controversy. The councilmen and Mayor Wilson saw the danger, and after some discussion decided to give only a straight legal deed to the property and instructed the city attorney to draw up such a new ordinance for passage at the next meeting. The exact phraseology which the church had dictated that City Attorney Farrell put in the deed reads in part as follows: "To have and to hold to the use of said Church of Christ, and upon the express condition that no organ or other musical instrument be used, nor advocated, nor kept; and that no fair, festival nor other practices not authorized in the New Testament be held, nor conducted in, upon or about said premises, nor in any building constructed thereon; and that no missionary or educational society not mentioned in the New Testament be advocated therein, nor any preacher advocating such things be allowed to preach on said premises; and in case of such conduct, acts or unauthorized practices are permitted or performed in, about or upon said premises, or any organ or other musical instrument be introduced into, or advocated in, any house or edifice erected on said premises, then said premises become the property of such persons or person of said Church of Christ, who may be opposed." Medford Mail Tribune, December 2, 1931, page 10 MANY ENJOY DANCE AT SARDINE CREEK HALL SAT.
About fifty people, residents of the Sardine Creek district, and a few
visitors from Gold Hill enjoyed a get-together at the community hall on
the creek Saturday night. Dancing was enjoyed until a late hour, music
being furnished by a stringed trio, and a potluck supper was served. It
is planned to hold similar gatherings every two weeks.Gold Hill News, January 14, 1932, page 1 Many Civic Improvements Loom with Reopening of Dance Pavilion
Plans made at an enthusiastic meeting of the Gold Hill Commercial Club
Wednesday evening, to sponsor dances in the local dance pavilion and
use the proceeds for civic improvement projects, met with hearty
approval of all present, and cooperation was promised by the city
council, which, at a special session the preceding evening had voted to
give the club rights to the concession.Such improvements as a swimming pool and a city park and playground were mentioned at the meeting, and these matters will be considered later when plans are definitely formulated. Preliminary action to the more comprehensive program was taken by the club Wednesday, committees being appointed to inspect the pavilion, report on necessary repairs, and to contact orchestra managers. Dates for the opening dance will be announced soon. Watch for them and be prepared to cooperate in this project for the betterment of our community. Gold Hill News, March 3, 1932, page 1 About thirty Gold Hill people helped swell the crowd at the Rogue River dance last Saturday evening. The affair, which was sponsored by the high school, met with the same fine success that other benefit dances have had there recently. "Local Happenings," Gold Hill News, March 3, 1932, page 4 Everything Ready for Opening Dance Saturday
The largest dance floor in the county has been polished, the pavilion
repaired and cleaned, and everything is in readiness for Ike Porter's
red hot dance band to say 'O.K. GOLD HILL" this Saturday night, March
19, when the Gold Hill Commercial Club presents their first dance of
the season.The big pavilion, which has stood idle the last few years, has been repaired, the floor has been leveled and polished, and every detail has been taken care of to put the building in the best of shape for the large crowd which is expected. A stove has been placed in the building, and even if the weather continues as cool as the last few days, the dancers are assured they will be comfortable. Ike Porter's dance band, popular throughout the Rogue River Valley, has been engaged to play, assuring patrons the very best in music, and they will play till two o'clock. Funds raised by the Commercial Club in this new project will be used in city improvements, and it is hoped the citizens of Gold Hill, as well as people from the entire valley, will give the dances here their hearty support. Gold Hill News, March 17, 1932, page 1 GRAND OPENING OF
New Dreamland Ballroom All Newly Finished in Modernistic Design ENJOY THE BEST DANCE IN YEARS--Favors and Surprises Tue. Thur. 10¢ person. Wed. Sat. Men 40¢ Ladies Free Help keep a modern professional orchestra in Medford so you can enjoy every dance. Medford Mail Tribune, September 2, 1932, page 5
Clare Ash Band at Dreamland Thurs.
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Childers announce that they have secured Clare Ash
and his 11-piece radio band to play at Dreamland tomorrow night. The
band has been playing over radio stations KGW and KOIN. The musicians
can act as well as play and Lou Rogers, master of ceremonies, will
present several new specialties during the evening. They will broadcast
over KMED from 3 to 3:30 on Thursday afternoon.
Medford Mail Tribune, October 26, 1932, page 5 Monday morning a crew of men started patching the roof of the dance pavilion on the highway in Gold Hill. The Gold Hill Chamber of Commerce is having the work done. The club plans to continue the Saturday evening dances, and in an effort to protect the excellent dance floor it was necessary to repair the roof before the fall and winter rains start. "Local and Personal Items," Gold Hill News, October 27, 1932, page 1 HISTORIC HALL SHAKES WHEN
FIDDLERS PLAY
Days of Grandmother Recalled As
Caller Jones Keeps Jiggers in Line
"…Four hands across. Gents bow low and ladies bow lower,"
and away they
went, doing the basket swing to the rollicking tune of a fiddle, at the
Odd Fellow's old-fashioned dance held in Jacksonville Friday evening.By MAUDE POOL Grandmother and Grandfather, a bit piqued with the trend of modern dancing, found this a place it took but the stirring rhythm of the "Arkansas Traveler" or the "Buffalo Girls" and the resonant tones of the caller's voice to carry them once more into the realm of their youth. There they danced the square dances to the old familiar calls, such an "My Heel Kept a-Rocking," "Goodbye, Maudie," and "Portland Fancy." The young folks liked to try it too, and luckily the older ones did not scold about mistakes. While the quadrillers were sighing and flourishing handkerchiefs in an effort to get rested up for the next one, the musicians gave the young folks a break and struck up numerous popular tunes like "Somebody Loves You," which the moderns interpreted with the simple walk that great-grandmother would think no more important than the walking she does about her kitchen every day. When D. L. Jones of Little Applegate was asked how he thought this dance compared with the balls of other days, he replied with emphasis, "Nothing like 'em! No! Do you want my reasons? Well, sir," continued Dave, who filled the position of official caller of the evening in a most satisfactory manner, and who refused to be called Mister, "when you have a germania, half of them walk around the outside nowadays. No matter if it's a two-step or what, they won't quit when you call 'all join hands.' "But," Dave added with a seriousness that isn't to be tampered with, "when I am floor manager, I see that they do as the rest do. Isn't that right? Sure! "My other reasons are that Glenn Saltmarsh has one religious foot, and that other Little Applegate fellow jumps too high. Well, that is enough reasons," this old-timer offered in conclusion. Early in the evening dancers grew somewhat anxious, for from somewhere behind a placard, which read "Doughnuts and coffee, 10 cents," came the faint aroma of boiling coffee. Investigation revealed interesting things about this lunch, which was served at 11:20 o'clock. Dan Shuss said he made the coffee, but when he vowed that he made the doughnuts, that was too much--a couple of skeptics didn't believe him. "How many did you make?' asked the doubtful one, thinking perhaps to catch him off his guard. "Fifteen dozen," was the quick reply, "and I made them in a Dutch oven. Come over here and I'll show you that I really made them." So the two skeptics peered into a large can, and underneath a wax paper lay several dozen of the deep-brown goodies, and when the doubting Thomases were allowed to sample them again, they believed. "Yes, I made the doughnuts," continued Mr. Shuss, "and we got nine bucks out in the Burns country last fall--there were nine of us, one apiece--and altogether they weighed 1515 pounds. We were gone 11 days," recalled Mr. Shuss, as he sat on the edge of a table, as far removed from the dance he was supposed to be attending as the sun is from the earth. "Doc Gillis took some wonderful pictures of the game." After a time the narrator remarked that he made Dutch oven bread while on the trip, which reminded his listeners that they were at a dance and not after a buck in the Burns sagebrush. It was estimated that the lodge members and their friends in attendance slumbered around 75. Music was furnished by Mrs. Ed Severance and Minnus Pence, and William Purcel of Applegate frequently joined with his banjo-mandolin. The musicians played the old, old going-home tune at 1 a.m., but Clyde Smith, noticing the disappointment of the crowd, procured another hour. When asked how he did it, he gave a knowing look and said, "Well, you know me." The general committee in charge of the dances includes Otis Buck, Wesley Hartman, Dan Shuss, John Norris and Clyde Smith. Dances will be held on the second and fourth Fridays in every month until further notice, according to committee members. Jacksonville Miner, February 17, 1933, page 1 TO REORGANIZE LOCAL DANCES
SATURDAY EVE
Dances, steps and crowds may come and go, but the Jacksonville dance
seems destined to go on forever. Surviving the ravages of time,
reformers and depressions, the local Saturday night affair will blaze
forth in greater splendor next Saturday night than ever before,
according to local chamber of commerce members, sponsors.Al Stewart's 8-Piece Orchestra To Be Featured; Hall Redecorated Chief among the new attractions of the famous Southern Oregon midnight rendezvous will be Al Stewart, towering colored singer, dancer and master of ceremonies de luxe, who has drilled an orchestra in the metropolitan way of entertaining the dance-minded. The big change, which will both surprise and please tomorrow night's dancers, came about as a part of the program of rejuvenation and reorganization being launched by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and will result in greater attendance and interest, it is expected. The former orchestra, which has occupied the pit for more than a year, Hamilton's band from Grants Pass, will be replaced with the local melody makers and a greater variety of entertainment is planned. The towering representative of Harlem rhythm, Al Stewart, has had many years' experience as a night club entertainer, orchestra director and joy efficiency expert, and is a resident of this city. Howard Lewis, also of here, will be business manager of the orchestra. Noted near and far as the one last retreat of real enjoyment and pioneer hospitality, the Jacksonville Saturday night dances have become increasingly popular with the younger set--and the slightly older set as well--which still derives a great deal of pleasure from tripping the light fantastic. Effort has been made by floor manager Jim Littell Jr. and Papa Littell, who is city marshal, to preserve order and sobriety at the affairs, and the generally well-mannered, well-groomed attendance is indicative of their success. Quite naturally, as in any red-blooded community, some fisticuffers and soused "pugilists" stage a bit of vaudeville, but no charge for this extra entertainment service is made--meeting with the general approval of the customers. Hours for the affair, as in the past, will be from 9 p.m. till 2 a.m., with a short intermission at midnight--which usually is used to cool happy feet and rest them for the last spasm of merriment. The old U.S. Hotel, which has regally housed and entertained presidents, is still catering to pleasure-bent mankind and has become one of the best-known landmarks in several townships after the weekend sun descends behind the nearby hills. Admission prices will be kept at the present figure--40 cents for gentlemen and 10 cents for ladies, with no federal tax added. Jacksonville Miner, March 3, 1933, page 1 STEWART-LED DANCES HERE ARE
SUCCESS
Taking his audience on a lilting trip to old Harlem, Al Stewart
Saturday night played to one of the most appreciative dance crowds in
this city in several years. With but a week's training of his youthful
melodists, Stewart did much to establish a newer and finer standard in
Southern Oregon's dancing entertainment.Tall Night Club Entertainer Puts Over Dances with Surprising Success Attendance last weekend was somewhat increased, and capacity crowds are anticipated by Chamber of Commerce officials as the fame and ability of the towering son of the South spreads. In fact, the commerce body was so impressed by Stewart's knack of cheering the mood of dancers that it has had the floor sanded, varnished and waxed. The hall had been repainted and redecorated last week. Tall, smiling and himself physically affected by the harmonies of his eight-piece orchestra, Al Stewart turned loose his booming tenor voice to the delight of dancers, and occasionally became overpowered by his inherent love of motion to display big-time platform work with his feet. Stewart's good nature, which alone is a novelty, seems to have been contagious and was reflected in the absence of any controversy among customers. Music was of such captivating quality that even Joe Wetterer, one of the older members of the sponsoring Chamber of Commerce, sat in deep reverie through the entire evening, probably enjoying reminiscences of days gone by when he himself was guided about the very same dance floor by the commanding tones of the latest and best orchestras. Dancers even expressed themselves as being content to "just sit and listen to Al and his orchestra, they were so good." Intermission was moved up a half hour, to the 11:30-12 midnight period, in order to allow latecomers an extra half hour of dancing. Howard Lewis, Jacksonvillian, is business manager of the orchestra. Jacksonville Miner, March 10, 1933, page 1 Al Stewart's Music Has Appeal for
All Saturday Revelers
What has proved to be one of the city's most promising Saturday night
assets, Al Stewart and his eight-piece orchestra, has met with three
weeks of growing success as inspiration for tripping the light
fantastic.Music of the orchestra, which replaced the Grants Pass crew, has met with hearty and sincere approval, and already has gained distinction among dancers of Southern Oregon. Attendance at the weekly affairs has been growing steadily, and revenue from this source was greater last weekend than for several months, despite competitive dances in other localities. The chamber of commerce, which is sponsoring the dances, has received many compliments for improvements made recently to building and floor, as well as entertainment furnished. The towering Al Stewart's prowess as an orchestra director and vocalist is fast gaining county-wide reputation, and a prosperous, bright future is seen for the present dance season with his boys in the pit. Dancing continues from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., with no increase having been made in admission prices. Jacksonville Miner, March 24, 1933, page 3 Who Dat Man? Query Saturday Night Crowds As They Hoof to Al Stewart's Melodies Here The Al Stewart being spoken of, by the way, is a resident of this section, living about a mile from the very hall wherein he conducts his Saturday night dance orchestra, which is fast becoming famous for its superior brand of melody and harmony. Rather than beat holes in drums and direct music which jerks like two stations clashing on a radio, Stewart has been furnishing his eight boys with orchestrations of all popular pieces and teaches them to play music like they do in the larger cities. None of this small-town dishpan harmony for Al, who has directed orchestras in some of San Francisco's and Hollywood's most fashionable cabarets. Now occupied at chauffeuring, raising chickens and producing his melody, the towering colored man, some six and a half feet tall, with arms extending a like distance horizontally, Al Stewart decided Southern Oregon should have its own up-to-the-minute dance band, and that, so long as no one else had ever gotten the idea locally, he should direct it. There is no doubt about the natural rhythm and musical ability of the dark-skinned citizens of this country, and Al has done his race proud, as well as teach eight Jacksonville and Medford boys things they never even suspected about music, and dance music in particular. They have been playing at the local Saturday night dances for several months under the business management of Howard Lewis, and have yet to receive criticism for their melody. Al, as well as being musically inclined, knows something about human nature too, and has figured out some new surprises in rhythm which he plans to bring out from under cover this weekend. "People like to dance to music which makes them like it, and which almost moves their feet for them," stated Stewart when telling of his plans, "and if you don't believe it can be done, you just drop up to the U.S. Hotel hall any time this coming Saturday night." Those who have danced to Al's music have an inkling of an idea that his latest plans are going to be worth listening to, and are looking forward to tomorrow night, when they can be present in the popular hall to get in on the fun. Jacksonville Miner, May 26, 1933, page 1 Dance Committee Will Offer
Variation in New Musical Features Here
The dance committee of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce has been
scratching their brains, pondering long and hard and staring into space
for two weeks past, and not entirely without fruition.V. J. Beach and Punk Dunnington, aforementioned committee, have diagnosed what is wrong with the local Saturday night affairs and have reached an agreement. They feel that lighter, more familiar tunes should be offered local hoofers and those who invade the old city from other parts, and that ultramodern music is just fine, when you are accustomed to it. Accordion music, violin, the ever-present sax, drums, piano and whatnot have been arranged by the pair through special arrangements which were completed early this week. Henceforth Jacksonville will boast the heart and cream of two popular dance orchestras, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Dickey of their own well-known organization, and Glen Hamilton and several of his players. Hamilton had played here up till the first of the year for many months. Hamilton furnished the music last Saturday evening and, although the crowd was not great, provided the type of harmony which kept all present on their feet and on the floor. "We want the kind of music that eliminates wallflowers and keeps all customers tripping the light fantastic," said Dunnington with one of his thoughtful scowls. "We have packed 'em in here, and if the cream of Southern Oregon music will do it, we'll pack 'em in again." Business hasn't been what it should be for the past few weeks, and the chamber officials have been making every effort to get at the seat of the trouble. They believe they have overcome one of the handicaps, and Saturday night will present their first dance under the new plan. Both Dickeys and Hamilton are well known throughout Jackson and Josephine counties and should draw an increased crowd, as well as furnish more adaptable music. Jacksonville Miner, June 9, 1933, page 2 Al Stewart and His
Boys Return to Play Saturday Dances
It is a small world after all, says Al
Stewart, who returns to
Jacksonville's Saturday night dances this weekend with his eight-piece
orchestra fresh from a season at Prospect resort, where crowds gathered
to listen to his melodies.Starting promptly at 9 o'clock, and continuing till 2 a.m., the towering Al and his eight melodists will fill the historic old hall with rhythm, and an increased patronage is expected as a direct result of his return here. Stewart lives just outside Jacksonville and has an all-Southern Oregon orchestra that has shown much promise--and has made good on some of them. Punk Dunnington, member of the sponsoring chamber of commerce dance committee, has issued a special invitation to all American Legion members to be guests of Jacksonville Saturday night for the evening. "Just show a Legion membership card and there'll be a ticket waiting for you," he said. Jacksonville Miner, September 1, 1933, page 4 FREE SUDS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT
DANCERS HERE
Something that will be welcomed by many a Southern Oregonian as a real
"Sahara dream" is coming to Jacksonville's Saturday night dances in the
old U.S. Hotel--free beer, all customers can drink!Chamber Will Push Schooners Over Bar in Effort to Popularize Hall The announcement was made late this week by the chamber of commerce dance committee, which has been considering ways and means of persuading the genial public to drop some of its dance dimes and quarters in Oregon's famous old settlement, which throbbed to the strains of gentle music and the shuffle of booted feet long before white man ever thought Jackson County was large enough to support another village. Dance patrons will be admitted to the dance by depositing the usual small fee, but will have a surprise awaiting them at the top of the steps that such famous men as President Hayes and General Sherman trod when they visited old Jacksonville. For, in the very room in which Sherman, originator of the famous phrase, "war is hell," spent his hours in communion with the sandman, and in which later a man is reported to have committed suicide, schooners of suds will be sent skidding across a bar to gulping men and women who have a thirst for good old 3.2 amber legal brew. The inevitable lunch will be served also, but sandwiches and the like will be charged for at regular rates, say the dance committee heads. Al Stewart and his newly christened "Royal Oregonians" orchestra will be on duty in the hall from 9 p.m. through the usual 2 a.m. closing hour, committeemen added, and should complete the attraction in the glorified rendezvous. A warning has been issued from the powers that be, however. Free beer--all one can drink--will be tapped promptly at 9 p.m. and, if human nature hasn't changed, will find ready tipplers until the last of the huge supply is gone and those who want to get their share of the gratis stimulant should come early and avoid the certain drought that is bound to develop later in the evening. Jacksonville Miner, September 22, 1933, page 1 Free Suds Takes Eye, and Thirst,
Saturday Night Hoofers Here
There should be an old adage somewhere to the effect that it is no task
at all to give something away, for last Saturday night, when the
chamber of commerce offered free beer--all customers could drink--to
spur interest in the U.S. Hotel dances it met with an overwhelming
response, one of the biggest crowds in many months being present during
the entire evening.This week, as an added feature, an archway has been cut which will connect the beer parlor directly with the dance floor, with musicians' platform at the far end of the hall. Suds, however, will be charged for henceforth, but there will be one "on the house" at regular intervals, dance committeemen inferred. Despite the fact that a half dozen barrels of 3.2 schooner-ballast were pushed over the bar without charge, the committee showed a comfortable profit to the chamber for the evening, and a season of continued success is anticipated this winter. Al Stewart and his Royal Oregonians pleased crowds with their captivating music and will continue here, it was added. Doors open promptly at 9 p.m., and close at 2 a.m. in the weekly dances. Jacksonville Miner, September 29, 1933, page 1 Pounds Prove Most Eloquent When Boy Needs Convincing
It looked like a timber-tong war
for a few minutes in old Jacksonville Saturday night when the volunteer
fire company was staging its annual New Year's dance. But after a few
minutes of war clouds, the atmosphere and the U.S. Hotel stairs were
cleared.One young Brush Marine, more inebriated than experienced, boldly announced to deputized order-keepers that "I have 45 more fellows with me!" And with that declaration he just about took top notch in conversation for a moment till Dick Hartman, brother of the mayor, elbowed his way through the crowd and took the center of the stage with the declaration "forty-five aren't enough!" The young forest recruit eyed all 233 pounds of Hartman's gigantic, muscle-bound stature, emulated a turtle pulling in its neck--and everything else--turned pale and quickly faded into the crowd. The simple statement, "forty-five aren't enough," had quieted the uproar. It was one of those brief, but very spicy interludes in an otherwise well-ordered and successful dance by the smoke eaters and the chamber of commerce. Jacksonville Miner, January 5, 1934, page 1 BRUSH MARINES LAND IN BASTILLE WHEN FISTS FLY
There is a time and place for everything, and Jacksonville city
officials decided the place for would-be pugilists who climb out of the
squared ring and onto the Saturday night dance stairs to put on their
exhibitions belong in nice steel display cases--in the city jail.Attempt to Crash Dance Gate Fails; Pair Crash City Bullpen Instead Or, at least, so discovered Archie McLeod, 19, and Harry Lytel, 21, Brush Marines from the CCC camp at Carberry Creek on Applegate last Saturday night when they, along with other members of the camp who had overindulged in New Year's spirits, attempted to storm the local dance and take charge of things. They were lodged in jail by Jacksonville officers and Marshall Littell filed disorderly conduct complaints the following morning in Justice of the Peace Ray Coleman's court. The pair was removed to the Jackson County jail in Medford Sunday, where they are held pending hearing here Friday morning at 10 o'clock. Bail was set at $50 each, but had not been made yesterday. McLeod and Lytel were the center of a display of fisticuffs Saturday evening at the firemen's ball and were said to have attacked the city marshal and a deputy with clubs. Upon removal to jail they were locked in Pauly cells but succeeded in flipping cigarette butts onto other beds of the jail, setting fire to them. Original hearing had been set for Tuesday morning but a delay was granted at request of CCC camp officials, who are thought to be rounding up other participants in the disorder. This was the first outbreak of local Brush Marines in Jacksonville and came while the boys were from under the jurisdiction of their officers. Carberry camp recently was set up, being moved there from another section of Southern Oregon. Oregon statutes provide maximum penalties for disorderly conduct of $500 fine and or six months imprisonment in the county jail. Jacksonville Miner, January 5, 1934, page 1 Dinty Moore to Open Dreamland
George "Dinty" Moore announced today that he will open Dreamland hall
with his orchestra furnishing the music. Starting tomorrow night the
orchestra will play at Dreamland every Wednesday and Saturday night.
"Dinty" says they will play all of the newest dance hits, and there
will
be special features at every dance.
Medford Mail Tribune, March 6, 1934, page 10 Although Dogs in the Dance Manger
The county court wants Jacksonville to quit dancing at midnight. "Too
much gadding around late at night by dancers, and other operators, who
must close at twelve, are squawking because J'ville and Gold Hill can
run until 2 a.m."Jacksonville's city fathers, almost talked into voluntary closing by the county judge and commissioners, met Tuesday night to discuss the closing following a conference with county officials last week, and decided to postpone any action another month. Gold Hill city officials turned down flatly the invitation to confer with the county court. It seems that pressure was brought to bear on the county court to effect a uniform closing hour throughout the county, not by Jacksonville or Gold Hill citizens, or Medford residents for that matter, but by operators of beer parlors, other dances and establishments which feel a drain from their business on Saturday nights when the crowds leave for the two late spots to continue dancing for two hours more. When local officials met a week ago with county officials, there seemed to be an accumulation of beer dance hall owners, Medford and Eagle Point dance hall operators in the anteroom anxiously awaiting outcome of the county court's conference with Jacksonville. There were several dogs in the manger, so to speak. First, it should be understood that Jackson County's judge and commissioners have absolutely no jurisdiction over dancing hours in Jacksonville and Gold Hill. That is why they called in local officials, pointed out all the "favors" they have granted this city in the past, and attempted to extract a promise that dances here would be voluntarily closed. A threat was made that favors in the future may not be forthcoming unless we agreed to their terms, and it was added that, in case Jacksonville and Gold Hill refused to shut down, "we'll open all other dances till 2 o'clock, and then where'll you be." However, Oregon law also covers that, and the county court has no authority to open any of those dances past midnight. In the first place, it seems poor taste to the Miner for the county court to make demands from this city on the basis of past and future "favors." The Jackson County court, after all, was elected by Jacksonvillians as well as by others, and has given residents here no more than they were entitled to. What "gifts" were accorded were paid for, of course, out of the tax roll which includes this section of the county. The only obligation this city and Gold Hill could possibly owe to the county court would be to conduct decent, clean dances. Beyond that, it is none of the county officials' business what hour dances run in the two places. State law left that matter up to the various municipalities, and County Judge Day and Commissioners Nealon and Billings are overstepping their authority in attempting to dictate to the towns. If Jacksonville and Gold Hill citizens decide they don't want dances to run past midnight, that is one thing, but when the county court, egged on by a few jealously interested parties, wants to settle the question for us, that's something else again. It seems that, with an election coming on, county court members have followed the course of least resistance and are attempting to make Jacksonville and Gold Hill the goats because there is complaint from operators who howl about "protecting our heavy investments." Jacksonville and Gold Hill, too, have as heavy investments as other operators, and both towns turn all revenue to civic improvement. In settling the question of what hour to close the local dances, city officials owe no consideration to the county court, favors or no favors. If Jacksonville has to jump every time someone cracks a whip to get help when needed, we had better find it out before election time and not voluntarily surrender what little business advantage left, only to find out the same thing after the votes are all counted this fall. Jacksonville Miner, August 10, 1934, page 2 WARRANTS WAIT APPEARANCE OF FISTIC DANCERS
A gang fight may save temporary arrest and avert being ordered from a
dance hall, but when laws governing peace and order swing into action,
the situation takes on a different complexion. At least, that is what
is destined to be embarrassing for four fighters who thought they were
tough in Jacksonville last Saturday night.Earl Johnson and Three John Does Sought by Deputy As Result Free-for-All Burst of Fighting This week dance floor manager Ike Coffman swore out warrants for one Earl Johnson, thought to be a truck driver running between San Francisco and Medford, and three of his friends listed as John Doe, which were turned over to deputy sheriffs. Johnson had not been located by last night, and it is thought warrants will be held in readiness in case any of the four reappear in Jacksonville Saturday night or later. The warrants charged assault and battery, the charges growing out of a near-riot which ensued at the weekly dance here last weekend when Coffman attempted to require paid admissions from the four. Coffman's request for either the producing of a ticket or the procuring of one was met with a blow in the face, according to accounts of the difficulty, whereupon about four men attacked the floor manager as he endeavored to remove the objectionable customer. The fracas resulted in a general brawl which broke out in various parts of the dance hall. Earl Johnson, or a man giving that name, was later arrested and lodged in city jail by Marshal James Littell, who later released Johnson without bail. Coffman then swore out a warrant in Medford for rearrest of the man, and three accomplices whose names were not known. Saturday night's disorder was the first to take place in the hall for nearly a year, and steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence of this kind, said chamber of commerce officials yesterday. Dance crowds have been large and well behaved, as a rule, officials pointed out, and brawls will not be tolerated. Jacksonville Miner, November 23, 1934, page 1 Valley Ushers in the New Year at
Many Gay Parties
The valley was by no means halfhearted in the manner in which it bid
goodbye to the year 1934 and welcomed in the new year 1935. Not only
Medford but the outlying districts celebrating the hopeful event with
dinner parties, dances and house parties.
The five public parties which attracted large numbers of the vacationists were those held at the Medford Hotel, the Town Club, the Elks Temple, the Oriental Gardens, and the Dreamland dance hall. The party at the Hotel Medford consisted of a dinner dance beginning at nine o'clock and lasting until two p.m. Eighty couples danced to the music furnished by Steve Whipple's orchestra. The Town Club gave a dance for its members and their guests at which Al Stewart and his orchestra supplied the music. More than two hundred couples attended the Elks Club dance, which featured Merle Carlson and his Columbia recording orchestra. The dance at the Oriental Gardens was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars utilizing both the large and the small dance floors, each having been supplied with an orchestra. The dancing at Dreamland was to the music of Dinty Moore's orchestra. Medford Mail Tribune, January 6, 1935, page 2 Better Ventilation for Dreamland
Hall
Dreamland dance hall has recently undergone remodeling which will
greatly improve the ventilation, according to an announcement today by
W. W. Walker, operator of the hall. The new air conditioning
arrangement will materially add to the comfort of dance patrons of
Dreamland, Walker promised.
Medford Mail Tribune, May 16, 1940, page 3 Dixieland Band to Play at
Dreamland Starting March 26
Featuring a trombone trio, Leland Charley and his newly organized
six-piece Dixieland band will play Wednesday nights starting March 26
at the Dreamland ballroom here, according to Charley.
The band leader, now a Brownsboro rancher, formerly played in Portland, Klamath Falls and Billings, Mont. theaters and with Ringling Brothers circus. He s a trombone artist. Arranger and feature artist on trumpet and trombone is Glenn Tomlinson, previously with RKO theaters and Columbia Broadcasting System. Ernie Hobensack, also a trombonist, was a member of the Ninth Air Force band and Charles West, drummer, served with an army special service band. Other Dixielanders are Bob Rice, who has played with Pinky Tomlin and RKO Studios. Malcomb Stine is pianist and also arranges. The band has performed on Saturdays for a month now at the Oasis. Medford Mail Tribune, March 21, 1947, page 5 Dreamland Ballroom Purchased by
Oyler
Charlie Oyler has purchased the Dreamland ballroom from Amos Walker, he
announced today. The ballroom has been completely redecorated and is in
top shape, he said.
Oyler built and first operated the Rogue Valley ballroom south of town, later selling it. He has been employed by Montgomery Ward for the past four years. Mr. and Mrs. Dick Brown, who previously worked for Oyler, have been retained as cashier and doorman for the Dreamland, Oyler stated. He said he plans to use the best local musical talent available for his Saturday night dances, which will be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. In addition, he plans to bring in Hollywood name bands for midweek dancing. Medford Mail Tribune, July 1, 1953, page 7 Walker Dreamland Starting 25th
Year
The 25th anniversary of the founding of Walker's Dreamland ballroom in
1928 by Amos Walker will be observed Saturday, Sept. 26, it was
announced yesterday by Walker.
Free tickets for the evening will be given to those who attended the first dance 25 years ago. At last year's 24th anniversary observance there were 11 couples who were at the first dance, Walker stated. Those qualifying for free tickets may obtain them by calling Walker at Medford 3-3918. Walker's Dreamland ballroom has been located on the same site since it was founded in the Childers building. Medford Mail Tribune, September 25, 1953, page 4 We had the house room for large gatherings, but Father was a godly man and he never lived long enough to learn that the Creator of life also created a desire within the human being to step to the rhythm of music. So it was we children attended parties away from home. We went to the Colver home at old Gasburg (so named because of a gossipy woman, but now called Phoenix), at the Caldwell home near Soda Springs, at the Giles Wells and John Walker homes, both spacious colonial structures two and three miles from Ashland. Our dances were the quadrilles, polka, schottische, Virginia reel, and sometimes the waltz. Everyone liked the quadrille best. Music was made by two or three fiddlers, and we danced till daybreak, without the serving of food, and little time was lost between sets. I consider them wholesome affairs as compared to the modern dance. "Reminiscences of Mary Neil Dean," Grants Pass Daily Courier, April 2, 1960, page 26 Charley to Manage Dreamland Hall
New manager of Walker's Dreamland, 417 East Main St., is Leland
Charley, Brownsboro Rd., Eagle Point.
He announced that the weekly Saturday night dances will continue at the hall with live music. The dances are scheduled from 9 to 1 a.m. Featuring "Music in the Dixieland Manner," Charley will be remembered for his dance band in the valley during the late 1940s and early 1950s. For several years he held dances at Dreamland on Fridays with his modern dance band. Medford Mail Tribune, November 30, 1961, page C1 Dancers had a choice of several places to do the popular steps of the day, one of them being the "Oriental Gardens" (located in the old Natatorium, since removed to make room for the Chalet Motel on Riverside). Jacksonville and Eagle Point were considered great places to go dancing on Saturday night, even if it meant sometimes limping home on Sunday. J.W.S., "Dancing," Medford Mail Tribune, April 14, 1963, page 4 Last revised July 23, 2024 |
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