FARGO — TikTok’s got nothing on the Turkey Trot.

In 1911, a new and scandalous dance craze swept the nation. It spun polite society, including church and civic leaders, into a full-scale morality meltdown.

It was called the Turkey Trot.

Considered exotic and indecent, it was condemned from pulpits, banned in ballrooms, and shunned by civic leaders.

The Vatican denounced it. President Woodrow Wilson canceled an inaugural ball partly to avoid it. South Dakota outlawed it. Cities across the region barred it from dance halls.

The craze shows that TikTok dances are only the latest version of something very old: Some people love a wild new dance, while others see it as the end of civilization.

For a few heady years, the Turkey Trot was the hottest thing on two feet. Then, nearly overnight

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