| Show It was not long until he with his inborn love of music and his natural talent began to accompany the first choir which had been singing with no Next he began playing for valley piano or organ dances--one of the earliest forms of entertainment for the settlers After his old marriage in 1875 he became more earned the affectionate and to young alike Fredericka adept on nickname Tollestrup the fiddle and of Jim Fiddler soon his family of boys and girls became known as Jim Fiddlerchildren The first dances in the valley were held in private homes--a primitive dugout orlog cabin They were known as corner dances since no other space was available The dances of course were very simple and the dancers few in number My mother born in 1878 was onlychild when her parents and older brother moved from Gunnison to Centerfield They were in the field in 1882 when the first public building was built--a small log structure withdirt roof wooden floor two small windows andcobblestone fireplace The building was used aschurch school house and for social functions James played for many dances held in the used by popular Bishop meeting house for load widow withfamily be burnt in the stone or even the permissible butdefinitely by the too worldly even fact at that time waltz name most commonly Centerfield residents One of the most dances was called wood dance The Christian Madsen would scheduledance in payment dance the dog of wood hauled of children or fireplace Any lively and split for for logs to type of square Danish-Slide-0ff was waltz was frowned upon very bishop because he felt it was evil for his young charges In many of the settlers termed the dance Often James would fiddle away until the wee small hours of the morning or until the exhausted Eventually dancers were ready to leave for home as time passed other men began to play George Saunders who strummed the banjo Tinker Madsen accordionist musicians played alone never 76 and Chris but each of the as an ensemble Hale three |
