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Did you know? Did you know that most of the homes on the prairies were made from sod, only framed by wood?
TakeawaysLoneliness was common for women in the West.Women were thrown into hard-labor as there was very little laborers around to be hired.Women also tended to be not only the nurturers and caretakers, but the doctors, as well.When anyone discusses the Old West, the mostly talk of the cowboys and Indians, the miners, and how they lived. The rugged terrain of the West caused many deaths and suffering, as people left their homes in the East for search of a better life. Women came to the West, as well, in search and hope of a better life. Some came with their husbands and children, others came by themselves in search of that same better life. Yet, what was life like for a women in the West? No longer bound by the norms of society, the woman of the West, became a tough, able-bodied person.
When the Treaty of 1783 ended the Revolution, people, no longer restricted began adventuring toward the West, in search of a better life. Many men went on their own, leaving their wives and children behind, hoping to find good farming land and a place where their families could survive. While land was not free, it was relatively cheap and one could buy a farm for a mere hundred dollars. Again, while most left their wives and children home, others knew if they left them behind, they may never see them again or they were afraid their wives could not make it that long without them.
The journey to the West for women was rough. No longer were they able to enjoy the comforts of the East, the culture, or even the comfort of sitting by the fire enjoying a cup of tea. They were thrown into living within the confines of a wagon, cooking over an outdoor fire, washing clothes in a creek, and dishes with water and sand. They stood the chance of being attacked by Indians and these frontier women proved they were by far, stronger then the men had once thought. However, there were a lot of deaths along the trail leading West and not only did many men die in their attempt for a better life, many women and children succumbed to the harshness of the trip, as well.
Once arriving in the Western Territories and they found miles and miles of flat, grass covered land, men would stake out their land and with joy, begin their future. Women were thrown into hard-labor, at this point, as there was very little laborers around to be hired. Not only were women out haying the fields and building their houses, they were still doing the womanly chores of cooking, laundry, and trying to get food stored away for the tougher, winter months. Many set out to do hunting themselves, for the first time, learning the use of a gun. They would shoot the rabbit, clean the rabbit, and cook it themselves.
The majority of their day, however, was preparing for winter months. They tended their gardens, stored their wares from their gardens, and spent days on days making jams and jellies and canning vegetables. This was something they had once done in the East with pleasure. Life in the West, however, made things only much more difficult. Any meat that was caught, specially venison, was salted and smoked and put away for the winter months.
They kept their woodstoves running, watching their use of wood, knowing that in the flat plains they were now living in, that wood was no longer easily available. Even most of the homes on the prairies were made from sod, only framed by wood. They reused everything possible, including water, using their bathing water to clean their homes and such. Laundry was usually done by washing them in a tub of water which they had pulled from a nearby creek in buckets. Wash was then hung to dry, on outside lines or if it looked like rain, they were hung inside.
Women also tended to be not only the nurturers and caretakers, but the doctors, as well. No longer was a doctor available just down the street. Out West it may take days before a doctor was able to come to their farm. Women had to learn to tend to their loved one’s needs, whether it was mending a broken arm or stitching up a bad cut. They also learned how to bury their loved ones.
Loneliness was common for women in the West. Their nearest neighbors might be twenty-five miles away or more. It wasn’t often they saw anybody else for days and even weeks. A trip to town could end up taking a whole week of their time. When it came to socialization, it was often that families from as far as one hundred miles away would gather at one family’s home and have a three day gathering. Here the women would prepare meals, fill each other in on what was going on in their families, and look forward to an evening filled with dancing. Before their time together ended, they would set a date and place for the next gathering, which would give them something to look forward to.
Children were schooled at home unless they lived near a town that had a schoolhouse. Even if there was a school available, a lot of young boys stayed home to work the farm with their fathers. Of course, when it came to educating the young, it was the womenfolk who had this added chore. They would fit this time in between the cleaning, the cooking, the preparing food for winter, gardening, haying, doctoring, and taking care of the animals. Somehow, the women that survived in the West, made time for it all.
Towns in the Old West generally catered to the men folk. There were saloons, gambling casinos, and, of course, women to be found at these establishments. The women at these places came to the West, as well, looking for a better life. Whether that meant more money or simply a place to work, they found what they were looking for in such places as Tombstone and Dodge City. They worked in brothels or as bar maids, relying on the man for what money they could earn. Most yearned to be swept up off their feet and carried to a new life, however, it was very rare to happen in the West.
There was another type of woman from the West. She was the one who wore man’s clothing, mined with the men, and took no guff from any of them. She was a tough one, doing man’s work, taking care of herself, and not afraid of anything. There weren’t a lot of them out there, but women like Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane live on through history for being such women.
Nobody had it tougher than a woman in the West. If she was married and had a family to take care of, it totally consumed her every waking moment. There was no time to sit and dream about the past or dream of what was to come. She was up before the sun rose and worked until the last chore was done for the day. While life for women in the West was tough, it made women what they are today. They proved that a woman could do the man’s work, run a family, and maintain their dignity. They did it in style and they did it with grace. The women of the West will always live in in history for being robust and filled with a strength like no other. |
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