Told by the Pioneers - Washington Secretary of State

Told
by the Pioneers
hand. Threshing was done with a flail or by tramping the grain out
with horses. Oxen were used in the fields to pull plows.
Transportation by land was by means of big farm wagons-some
of these being the "prairie schooners" in which settlers had crossed
the plains. Buggies were not thought of in those days, though by
1866 there were two or three of the latter on the island. One was a
two-seated, open affair similar to the express wagons of the East; it
was owned by John Crockett. The second was a two-wheeled cart
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known as the "Bluejay", the property of Captain Coupe, who later
sold it to the writer for sixty dollars, to be paid in "four quarters of
music lessons". The third was a one-horse "shay" belonging to
Thomas ~esbitt of Crescent Harbor.
Roads were little more than trails through the woods. The first
road passable to wheeled vehicles ran from F.Jbey's to Day's Landing,
and this road later was extended to Coveland, now San de Fuca. A
road was opened in 1858 or 1859 to Coupeville.
'When work was done, the settlers of the early fifties enjoyed a social
life which would scarcely satisfy the people of today, but appeared
eminently satisfactory to the pioneers. Father, mother and
the children would get into the big' wagon and jog and bump over the
rough roads after the farm horses six or seven miles-a long way
then-to spend the day and possibly the night with a neighbor. Hospitality
was unbounded and every man was the close friend and comrade
of his neighbor. Sunday was the day for "visiting out" and it
was no uncommon thing for a family to entertain a dozen guests over
the week-end. Picnics were popular, and to these lunches were taken
-usually in clothes baskets or trunks. Games were played in the
woods and the forest rang with shouts of good-natured raillery. How
they did eat-those stalwart men! They had good times in spite of
their hardships and they were happy and healthy.
The people of the settlement were like one large family and a spirit
of kindliness and neighborliness pervaded the atmosphere from one
end of the island to the other. What was of interest to one was of
equal interest to all. The afflictions of one household became a common
cause of sorrow and the good fortune of a neighbor brought rejoicing
to all.
On those rare occasions when people gathered together, whether
at Quarterly Meeting or at a dance in a new barn or at the county
hall, everybody danced, from gray-haired men to little girls of six.
Other entertainments were virtually unknown, though there were occasional
Christmas and Fourth of July celebrations. When a candidate
for office came to the island to speak, everybody attended to hear
him exalt his own party and abuse the opposing party.
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