Pioneer Living - The Home (1970)

[Music] to the Pioneers moving northward and westward in the advancing front of settlement their new Homeland was a huge Wild Land of forests rivers and lakes the first settlers traveled over old Indian Trails carrying their belongings in carts and wagons drawn by either oxen or horses many families did not have the opportunity to choose the land they they wanted for their own it was drawn by lot and it was difficult to find the boundaries because of undergrowth swamps and dense trees often Lots were traded so that friends might settle near each other the location for the first home was chosen with care keeping in mind the winds and the weather The Nearness of water and the many other factors that would contribute to the comfort of the family there still remained a great deal of work before they would have a comfortable home the settler had to have helped with building his house neighbors and Friends traveled many miles to help with the construction this was called a bee and bees were held for many reasons in fact for anything that required Community labor materials close at hand were used the White Pine Oak and Elm logs were dressed with the ads and Broad ax Corners were carefully cut so that each log fitted exactly the log in the opposite wall this method was called dovetailing and eliminated the use of nails or wooden pegs nails were scarce and expensive for each one was Hand Forged by the blacksmith to make the home as warm as possible for the winter the space between each log was filled with small pieces of wood then they were plastered with clay and straw inside and out this was called chinking and often Moss was used if clay was not [Music] available shingles for the roof were also made by hand the settler forced a shingle of shake to Splinter off the block of wood setting as stride the shingle Horse He shaved each shingle smooth and to the correct thickness when it came time for the family to move in they brought out from Storage the precious articles that they had brought with them with Loving Hands the spinning wheel was dusted and the headle cord adjusted so that it might be tested to make sure that it had not been damaged on the journey the fireplace became the heart of the home it provided the only source of heat and means of cooking and baking around it all Family Life revolved it was built of stone and dominated one wall of the [Music] house for cooking meals utensils were simple and limited in number a few cooking pots several long handled ladles and forks and a simple spit where bacon was rendered [Music] the grease caught in the trough below would not be wasted but carefully stored for cooking baking or as a fuel for the grease lamp each member of the family had to assist with the work children were an asset but they could share the workload with their [Music] parents boys used the shoulder yolk and wooden buckets to bring water from the well while one of the children lowered the bucket the other controlled the pole or sweep of the sweep well when full the bucket was lifted from the well using the sweep as a lever the operation was repeated until all the buckets were full to cook the family meals required a daily supply of dry wood this too was a chore that fell to the children of the family often they were kept home from school to help with the work and contribute their efforts to the Daily struggle for [Music] survival girls learned to help their mothers in making the family's clothing and all the household Linens they became skilled needle women at an early age learning to darn holes in mittens and socks or make or repair any item of clothing for the family Tallow the melted fat of oxen or sheep was saved for dipping [Music] candles two chairs supported long poles on which the short sticks were hung when the Tallow was melted over the fireplace each Wick was dipped in it and the candles grew in size until they were ready for [Music] use if allowed to cool between each dip they grew more quickly and took fewer dips to finish in the fall a quantity of soap was made to last the family for the winter scraps of Grease fat and pork rinds were always saved for [Music] this rainwater was poured through hardwood ashes collected from the fireplace the rainwater dissolved certain chemicals in the ashes and the resulting liquid was called lie this this process is referred to as leeching the lie was boiled with the fat and some salt was added to make a clear Mass after boiling and mixing thoroughly the soap was poured into wooden boxes to harden if salt was not added the result was soft [Music] soap family Pleasures were simple and the daily diet was monotonous for it was limited to the products of the forest and the farm grains salt or smoked pork fish wild fruits and vegetables from the garden a visit from a neighbor or a friend was a very special occasion Hospitality was unlimited and if the visitor arrived near Meal Time the host insisted on the visitor joining the family for the simple [Music] meal All Too Soon the visit ended and a lantern was lighted to guide the visitor along the homward path through the [Music] forest as the children got ready for bed mother heated a stone at the fireplace and wrapped it in Woolen cloth to keep their bed warm form homemade coverlets and quilts kept them snug through the night the eldest child was charged with the responsibility of keeping the fire burning all night in the evening father might repair harness or make simple pieces of furniture for the home while mother made or mended clothing for the children hands were never idle and everyone needed to be skilled at many tasks the Pioneers surmounted the dangers and privations they encountered to build strong foundations for an enduring civilization on this [Music] continent