After a howling blizzard during the night,
The snow looked so beautiful and white
We couldn’t use the kitchen door for the snow,
Where the wind had piled and packed it so.
The snow was drifted in swirls and waves
With peaks, valleys, tunnels and caves
Reminding me of my childhood days
When winter storms came in a similar way.
We walked a mile to attend our school
And were taught to live by the “Golden Rule.”
We studied our lessons and recited them well
Arithmetic, reading, writing and learned to spell.
All eight grades by one teacher were taught
In the one room country school our lunches we brought
Around the big pot belly stove we moved our seats
Where we could warm our bodies and feet.
On Fridays we had poems to recite,
Also cyphered long or short arithmetic division on the blackboard
Subtraction, addition, geography, naming states and capitals,
A very exciting fun time.
We also studied language, spelling and art
We opened each morning school singing a song
On cold winter days we played games inside
We all wrapped up good and took dinners along.
A neighbor would hitch a team to a bob sled,
With straw, heated rocks and sideboards on the bed.
The farmer would whistle as he drove along
While sleigh bells would jingle a song.
Children had been bundled up good and warm,
And were delivered to their own family farm.
Ruth Jincks
Bethany, Missouri
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.
