Pioneer Home, A

[Music] more than a hundred years ago pioneers from the East Coast came to settle in the winds of the Midwestern United States here they lived much like other pioneers who settled in various parts of our country one pioneer was a furniture maker named Thomas Cook who came with his family from New York State and built here is his son David with a kettle of burning coals he got at a neighbor's cabin these coals are important to the family where their fire has gone out his sister Martha and his mother have been waiting for him to bring the coals to start a new fire you see pioneer families could not buy matches at the store and they had no furnaces or radiators as we have no wonder they are eager to have the fire burning again it's the only way they can heat the cabin David can't wait to tell some exciting news he learned at the neighbor's cabin they're going to have a visitor that is exciting news living in their lone cabin in the woods they seldom see other people except when they make the long trip to the store in the village david is teasing Martha because she's so eager to know who the visitor will be well it's mr. Barlow a settler who lives many miles away while mother puts corn muffins in the oven David and Martha wonder will mr. Bhalla want father to make some furniture for him and will he bring some wool to trade Martha would love to have a new cape and hood made of wool but there's work to do this morning work for everyone while David goes out to help his father mother and Martha busied themselves about the cabin cutting firewood is a job each pioneer family must do for itself David wishes he were as big and strong as his father but even now david has a regular job carrying the firewood to the cabin this is a year-round job because the family depends on the fire not only for heat but also for cooking their food and for light a fire gives off very little light and since the Pioneers had no electric lights as we have they used candles which they made themselves see how mother pours the melted fat into the candle mold around the wicks later when the fat is cooled and hardened mother will take off the candles one of Martha's regular jobs is churning butter and now the butter has come going to the spring for water is one of David's regular jobs you see in those days there were no pipes bringing water to the houses inside the churn there is warm sour cream Martha churned the dasher up and down for a long time and now the butter has come out of the cream if you had lived in Pioneer days you would have made butter at home too for there were no dairies that made butter and delivered it to stores and homes now David's back with water from the spring and just in time - just in time for a drink of buttermilk fresh from the churn mmm good later mother and Martha are busy preparing the noonday meal the family provides most of its own food only a few things are bought at the store in the village father shoots rabbits and wild turkeys and sometimes deer today they're having rabbit Martha is helping to prepare a vegetable stew made from vegetables mother grew in a garden behind the cabin here's father with mr. pollow it's been many months since the cook family entertained a visitor Martha is curious to know whether mr. Barlow's bundle contains wool but not yet Martha we have to set another place at the table the men are hungry after their morning's work we'll eat together and listen to the news mr. Brownlow has to tell and then later father and mr. Barlow will talk business after they have eaten father shows some of the furniture he made perhaps mr. Barlow wants a china cabinet but mr. Barlow eats from rough wooden bowls he made himself so Eve has a need a china cabinet what about some stools no these are simple to make and nearly every settler makes his own Martha hopes mr. Barlow finds something he wants father to make for him then the bench by the fireplace catches mr. Barlow's eye this high-back offers protection against the cold rats in the cabin besides look it makes a fine table it's really two pieces of furniture in one that saves valuable space in a small cabin well mr. Barlow might have used for a bench table like that at least he's willing to bargain for it and now what is in the bundle is it wool yes it is this is we'll just as it was cut off the sheep last spring this place has been washed thoroughly but much more must be done with it before it becomes woollen cloth mother thinks this will make fine cloth and so father and mr. Bravo make a trade now the visitor is gone and David and father are again working in the woods Martha just couldn't wait to start making yarn from the wool first she cards the wool combing it out so the fibers will lie straight and flat at the spinning whale mother spins the wall into soft strong yarn round and a round goes with wheel as mother makes enough yarn to weave a piece of cloth Martha will have her beautiful wool cape and hood made at home as are all the family's clothes because there are none to be bought at the store David and his father were strong warm clothes many made of deerskin do you know what David is going to do he's going to do his lessons you see there were few schools to which pioneer children could go most of them were taught at home by their mothers and fathers in the evening david and martha play before the fire to keep warm david is building a toy house of sticks much as his father built their cabin of logs first two long logs for the sides of the cabin then two shorter ones for the ends the logs are notched so they fit together up and up to the walls of the cabin but now it's time to read from the family bible this is one of the very few books father brought with him from the east tonight he's reading from Psalms it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name almost high to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night it's been a good day but night is here and the children are tired Martha is snug and warm soon she will be dreaming of her beautiful new cape and Hood David sleeps in this trundle bed which is pushed under the big bed in the daytime he may dream of being a grown man building a cabin hunting working protecting his family just as his father does now before going to bed mother and father talk over plans for next spring plans for clearing more ground planting more crops improving their home every day is a busy day and a hard one for every member of a pioneer family [Music]