Utah Centennial County History Series - Sanpete County 1999

SOCIAL AND LULTURAL LIFE T h e social, cultural, and recreational aspects of life in the Sanpete Valley are rich and varied. While many activities have been passed on from one generation to another since the early pioneer days, new activities have been introduced over time, some remaining in fashion only a short time, others acquiring a permanant place along side those inherited from pioneer days. Ellis Day Coombs and George F. Olsen, in reflecting on the pioneer culture of Fairview, provide a description applicable to all Sanpete towns.

One of the outstanding characteristics of the Mormon Pioneers was their ability to make the best of their surroundings.

No matter how gloomy the outlook, they always found something to help the situation and were prone to see the bright side of the picture. One way in which this was accomplished was through their amusements.

The early settlers of Fairview were not exception to this rule.

As soon as they had planted their crops and built their shelters, they built the schoolhouse which was used as a community center.

They held dances in this building form the first. These dances were