In order to preserve herself and her stake, a Pioneer Woman takes responsibility for acquiring the skills she needs. ~ Ramona Zabriskie, Wife for Life: The Power to Succeed in Marriage (Chapter One)

Setting out on a road trip with Honey today! I love spending hours alone with him. In honor of our breezy 2,000 mile drive, though, I thought I’d publish reminders of our modern life and marriage compared to that of my great-grandmother, “Gammy”, The Pioneer Woman, from the first chapter of my book, Wife for Life: The Power to Succeed in Marriage. Here are the shake-your-head-in-wonder childhood memories of her daughter, Ellenor, my great-aunt, as recorded in her 96th year. Gammy, The Wife for Life “Pioneer Woman”, is the mother in these stories.

Enjoy!!

Living 96 Years Ago

My Mother and Father were married Nov. 3, 1913 in Grangeville, Idaho.

My father was working for Priddy Hardware IN Grangeville, Idaho but he took another job working for farmers, jobs and helped with building barns and other buildings.

They had a little cabin on a farm. No lights or water in the house. They used Kerosene lamps and lanterns. Dug wells for water. They would dig the wells 10 to 12 feet deep and the water would be good for drinking and other things. Usually they had made a turnquist, that meant they could pull the water up more easily. They also had to have water for the animals. Usually all the farmers had horses, cows, pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, dogs and cats. Sometimes goats.

None of the houses had lights or water.

They stayed there until my sister Belle was born at home. People never went to the hospital but did have a doctor sometimes. Most of the time babies were born at home with the help of a midwife to bring the baby . My grandmother had one of her sons under a big oak tree with no help at all. Grandpa had to go to Kansas to get a doctor, and they got back and grandma had taken care of everything. It was very hot in Oklahoma.

In January 1914 my folks decided to go to Rainier, Washington where my dad had purchased 80 acres of forest land, nothing but old growth fir trees Cedar and Hemlock, so they packed the covered wagon and left for Washington. They had no buildings on the property so for two years lived in a 10×10 tent. My father had put it up on a small hill so they wouldn’t have to worry about getting water in it.

Nothing but the trees on the property. First thing he dug the well. Then he cut a tree down and took it to the sawmill and had enough lumber to build a wall around the bottom of the tent. Otherwise, when the wind blew hard it would have taken the whole thing. They had a Monarch cook stove, and it was also used for heat. It wasn’t an easy life. They had to cut trees for wood and it would be green wood. When it dried out it was better.

They got along for two years and went to work on a farm for some people. I was born May 29, 1916. My mother had a little problem so father hired a Negro Mammy to come and take care of her. And me. Some of the places had windmills and Father built one for the people we were with, then went back to the tent. Father decided he wanted a cabin instead of a tent to live in. So he started cutting the trees and used horses to take them to the sawmill to cut and dry the lumber. He built a two room cabin, a small bedroom for he and Mother and the rest just one room. It took him about two years to build. He had a job at the sawmill in town.

Mother was happy with a little more room. They had at least four rain barrels, so when it rained they would have enough water for washing clothes. Some people would dig holes to catch the water. They used washboards and two tubs, one for washing one for rinsing . It is hard to believe, but it worked. They would put up a clothes line between the trees for drying the clothes. If it was raining they had to dry them in the house. Mother kept up somehow. She always dressed us girls in pretty little dresses, a lot of white. She made all our clothes. Mother was an expert seamstress.

When bath time came, we would use one of the round wash tubs. Us Girls loved that. Then Mother and Dad used one also. We always used rainwater for bath, except in the warmer times of summer, and then would use the water from the well. Mother always kept her house and everything spotless.

My Dad had built a rocking chair for himself and one for mother. Seats with leather. When the butchered a cow they would tan the leather and have enough for chairs, and shoe soles.

Mother always had a nice white tablecloth on the dining table, My Dad built that too. He also made some little chairs for us girls, there were four of us. At Christmas time Dad would make small toys of wood and Mother would make our dolls and both would work on Christmas trimmings. The did buy clip on candle holders. We just knew there was a Santa Clause. When my oldest sister was four a neighbor dresses in Santa clothing and played Santa for us. My sister went up and slapped him in the face. I think she must have recognized him.

We had lots of Hazelnut trees on our property, Dad would pick them and dry them so we had a lot. Mother made the candies. We loved it when Dad would light the candles. Christmas and other holidays were always enjoyable. There was no churches at that time so the meetings would be held in houses.

When it was our turn, Mother would kill chickens and fix a large dinner for everyone. She would bake pies and cakes for desert and also canned fruit if she had it. Everyone loved her cooking.

My Dad had Rheumatism so bad he could not milk the cows so Mother would take care of the chores while Dad made the breakfast. He would sit my sister and I on top of the range and put our feet on the warming oven to keep us warm. He would make oatmeal, Farina (cream of wheat) for breakfast. When he made the pancakes he would make little animals or birds. We loved it.

Ellenor I. Schroeder, Abeln

We usually had about three feet or more of snow. So my Dad built a sleigh to take us to church or neighbors. Our horse loved it. She was a beautiful dapple gray. We thought she was the prettiest horse in the country. She loved taking the family everywhere.

We all did well in school, Mother and Dad both helped us and Dad was an expert mathematician so we never had a problem.

We also had lots of Huckleberries, Strawberries and gooseberries so Mother never had to buy fruit for Jams and Jelly. It was a wonderful life.

No matter how hard my parents worked, they always had time to spend the evenings with us girls.

They were such wonderful parents.

***************

“Building an enduring reciprocal relationship like that requires nothing less than what I call a Pioneer Woman: courageous, stubborn, pliant, resilient, centered, and most of all, self-reliant…

• She learns how to take care of herself, emotionally and physically, so that she can give with abundance (from a full heart and a strong body) and receive with confidence (from a deep-seated belief that she deserves nurturing and attention).
• She makes, and sticks with, difficult choices and lives from the heart.
• She believes in her own objectives, but finds a way to meld them with the hopes of others, particularly those of her husband, so that in the end, her little homestead has turned into a thriving estate, humming with activity, life, and love—a fully orchestrated piece of music instead of a lonely solo.”

– Wife for Life: The Power to Succeed in Marriage (Chapter One)