My oldest sister was toddling age
when my parents were Iowa
pioneers. Rattlesnakes were everywhere under the large rocks on the place.
In her pioneer stories, Mother admits she was terrified lest the baby be bitten. For some strange reason, Sister
was very much afraid of feathers as they moved about in the air. Mother
discovered she had only to put a large feather in the unscreened open doorway
and the baby would not venture into the yard.
Ella Bedsaul
La Mesa,
California
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.