For a trip from Canada to Kansas, my parents bought a covered wagon and camping equipment. When they stopped for the night, they slept in the covered wagon. Often after they had gone to bed, they would hear bears close-by, looking for table scraps. A bear encounter was inevitable.
One night Papa decided to go out and scare the bear away. The bear turned on him, and Papa whirled and came dashing back to the wagon. As frightened as she was, my mother had to laugh. She said he looked so comical in his voluminous nightshirt, halfway between his knees and feet, and flapping.
The bear was permitted to finish his meal in peace.
Mrs. Nora Schesser
St. Petersburg, Florida
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.
