During homesteading times, plains settlers did whatever they could to band together – be it by family or some other acquaintance – and get through tough times.
Sundial on the Sill
In the second summer at my father’s pioneer home, I went to a subscription school. We were taught by an “old maid,” who was probably in her twenties. She was holding down a claim while her brother worked with the gang building the railroad across the state.
Anna Holmes
Donna, Texas
Stones for Warmth
In the cold Kansas winter Grandfather set the box of his covered wagon down in the ground and some of the children slept in it, with hot stones and buffalo robes to keep them warm.
Mrs. Maud Beattie
Inman, 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.