Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-20
HOW WE LIVED IN oTTUMWA
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
(By ]. M. McElroy.o

FIFTY YEARS AGO.
(By ]. M. McElroy.)
A family residing in the same place
almost fifty years, beginning when
young and when the country was
young,may have recollections of how
they did in those early days that to a
few may be interesting. Houses We're
small and cheap and cold, set on posts
and no underpinning, warmed by the
sun in summer but not warm at all in
winter. We had no furnace heating
of any kind. Our fuel was wood, coal
not having as yet come into use.
We had mo sidewalks. Streets were
not graded and were often almost inn
passable whether for teams or foot
travel. Yet our life was public one.
The people were kind and sociable,
and keeping open house was both a
duty and a necessity. Our door-bell
never rang, for we had none, but we
had good many callers, and still
larger number of visitors, and many
corners on business of various kinds
friends from the east, home-hunters
looking for places in town or country,
agents, travelling ministers and va
riety of angels, fallen and unfallen,
coming mostly unawares.
A wide hospitality was unavoidable.
1t was sometimes burdensome, but us
|ually pleasant and joyous.
What about our supplies? You think,
at once, Of obliging grocers and de-
livery teams and nice packages of
eatables ready for the table, perhaps
pre-digested. We had nothing of the
kind; no phones, no canned goods, no
California fruits, in fact no fruit at all,
except limited amount of wild fruits
and berries.
AS to substantials, potatoes are
plenty and cheap, perhaps Is cents per
bushel Get g wagon load if you can
only keep them from freezing. Corn
meal, too, was plentiful, but you need
a sieve to sift it. A. good many of the
pioneers used corn mush. Entertain
ers, however, did not like to restrict
their guests to hasty pudding and po-
tatoes. Go to the mill with team and
get a UNDERGROUND bag of flour.
There was not at that time paper
sack west of the Mississippi or east
of it.
Buy quarter or half of beef and
cure for yourself, keeping the round
for dried beef and the tallow for can
dies. From your pen, or in an honest
way from some other persons pen,
pick out and slaughter a few fat pork
ers. Try out your own lard. Cure
your own hams and bacon for
twelve months supply. You will have
sausage, ribs, ETC., to do you all win
ter and grease for soap-making in the
early spring.
What about the washing? Laun-
dries had not yet arrived nor the
crank wringer, nor the washing ma
chine; nothing but elbow grease. The
whole business was in the hands of
Wife, Bridget & Co.
What about creamery butter? Moth
ing about 1t! We had not heard Of it.
Of our own churn.
But what about music and the fine
arts? These were not entirely I'M
known. There were several pianos in
town, and several yiolins, but our mus
ic in general was Of the vocal sort.
The voices of Harrison Hammond,
John Gillespie and George Bowen were
familiar in church services, also those
of Mrs. DR.. Orr, Bird Baker and Capt.
Charles Cloutman. The pipe organ
was far distant and the smaller cab
met organ was entirely unknown. Eff
teen or twenty years later it would
come in force with pleasant tones and
charming voice taking possession of
every home and singing in every as
sembly the country over
Compared with the present we were
lacking in the play business. Bread
winning and home building were more
urgent. We had no professional
amusement makers. School boys were
expected to play ball, but grown peo-
pie paid no attention to it. Entertain
ing as matter of hospitality and good
will was practiced, but not as a fine
art. The numberless clubs and unions
Of recent years were unknown and the
fraternal orders were restricted to
two or three that were Masonic and
Odd. True we had Choppers and
Woodmen and Grubbers and Workmen
of various kinds, but they were not or
ganized or uniformed. DR.. A. d. Wood
sometimes drove a pair of elks.
Wild game was plentiful in the bush
and on the table, and fish-not in
Clear Lake OF in the Columbia river.
but right at home in the Des Moines
river
What about our. kilograms and late
news? What Of our evening paper?
Give us little time. We must wait
yet five or ten years. Meantime the
weekly paper will tell us what New
York and Washington were doing
some weeks ago, and some late immi-
grant from Ireland can give us the
news from Europe.
IOWA STATE AFFAIRS.