About 70 years ago when I was 9 years old, I remember hearing pioneering women tell about ways they saved time on busy days.
One woman said she always put the big baby in one end of the cradle and the little baby in the other. As the big baby played, it kept jiggling the cradle and kept the little baby content.
Another neighbor said she put her baby in a high chair, put molasses on his fingers and gave him a feather to play with. That kept the child happy for hours. A third woman said she put her baby in the cradle and gave her a piece of fat meat to suck. She tied a string to the meat and attached the other end to the baby’s toe. That way if the baby choked on the meat, it would start kicking and pull the meat out.
Mrs. E.G. Caine
Indianola, Neb.
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.
