I was born in a dugout, but later Father built a stone house over the dugout. One winter my mother told my sister and me that she was afraid we’d have to stop school because we did not have enough clothes to keep us warm. But when we came home from school the next night, Mother had solved the problem. She had made us petticoats out of an old quilt she decided she could spare. We were proud of our quilted petticoats and showed the other girls. They were very, very warm. On bitter cold mornings, we donned our petticoats, Father wrapped our feet in gunny sacks, and we trudged off to school.
Mrs. Will Sammons
Stockton, Kansas
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.
