In the photo, it looks like there are 3 (or 4?) bolts in an 8 foot span. I guess it was originally done on aid by midgets?

This is an old route, and bolt ladders on old routes tend to be spaced pretty close together(aside from Kor bolt ladders). Drilling from top steps is a real skill, and even drilling from the second steps feels hard the first time. Over time, as climbing ability and gear got better and hole counts started to be an issue, the ladders got more spaced out.