This unidentified square dance team performed under the banner of Eureka Grange No. 311, established in 1916 to serve the rural communities of Longlane, Sunnyside, Bondad and lower Florida Mesa. Part of a national organization founded after the Civil War to promote agricultural interests, the Grange initially met in the original Sunnyside School before constructing a Community Hall in 1948 on U.S. Highway 550 near the present Sunnyside School. That building was later demolished during highway reconstruction after 2010. Square dancing was a proud tradition within La Plata County granges, with teams competing at both county and state levels. Eureka Grange claimed the county championship in 1942, and in 1951, organized a community square dance club to pass the tradition along to new participants. Regular dances remained a cornerstone of social life at the grange hall for many years. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 13.26.405 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)
This unidentified square dance team performed under the banner of Eureka Grange No. 311, established in 1916 to serve the rural communities of Longlane, Sunnyside, Bondad and lower Florida Mesa. Part of a national organization founded after the Civil War to promote agricultural interests, the Grange initially met in the original Sunnyside School before constructing a Community Hall in 1948 on U.S. Highway 550 near the present Sunnyside School. That building was later demolished during highway reconstruction after 2010. Square dancing was a proud tradition within La Plata County granges, with teams competing at both county and state levels. Eureka Grange claimed the county championship in 1942, and in 1951, organized a community square dance club to pass the tradition along to new participants. Regular dances remained a cornerstone of social life at the grange hall for many years. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected] (Catalog Number: 13.26.405 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)