Our outhouse was a special one. Most all the neighbors around our farm had just got bathrooms in their house, but we couldn’t do that so I remember the special work Dad put inside our “outside bathroom.” Freshly-painted walls with padded covers to set on with lift-up covers for our eight brothers who had poor aim.
An extension cord was strung .through the kitchen window for lights and a portable heater, so when we’d get up in the morning Dad would plug the lights and heater in for us. We really thought that was moving up in the world.
Name Withheld
Minnesota
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.