The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-07-21
IN SCOTT TOWNSHIP.
An Early Settler Tells OF His
Pioneer Experience.

The first Improvement made by the
writer's father on his claim In sec
ton 80, Scott township, Mahaska
county. was building of double log
cabin built out of round logs with
PARTON Of same, making two l6-foor
rooms, cracks being clinked with split
wood billets and daubed with clay,
using a wooden paddle for troWel,
puncheon floor and clapboard roof,
which was held on with weight poles.
One clapboard door hung with wood
en- hinges and wooden latch on six
light windows with Sx10 glass in each
room; a fire place in each end or
cabin, crib of split logs being built
outside to hold back the wall and
Jams of fireplace. Chimney was
built by using split sticks and layer
of cat and clay alternately, cat and
clay being made of prairie grass thor
oughIy mixed with clay. There was
not single nail used in the construc-
ton of the cabin: This is a tolerably
good description Of all the cabins
built in early days, except a majority
of cabins contained only one room.
A yoke of oxen were used in drag
cling long logs up of fire wood and or
| a cold winter it usually kept one per-
son pretty busy in keeping wood chop
ped land fires going, as most OF the
heat escaped out of the chimney top
| All cabins were cold as l can remem-
| Der. Many a morning on waking up
l found my bed covered with fine
snow which had sifted through the
clapboard roof if it happened to snow
during the night. Furniture being
very scarce, some Of the settlers hav-
ing no bedsteads, made what was call
ed Jackson bedsteads by using two
inch auger and boring holes in the
wall at head and foot Of logs in cor
ner of room when they wanted bed
steads. For side and end poles, call
ed railing, were used. The only post
in bedstead had holes bored in it to
receive side and foot poles or rails,
which stood out in the floor, a hewed
pole being pinned lengthwise to log
in cabin, making the other bed rail,
by laying clapboards across poles
completed bedstead. The writer first
saw light Of day on one of those Jack
son bedsteads a little over Ga years
ago.
The cooking was all done by fire
place. Utensils in use were skillets
and lids and iron kettles, the princi-
hi,
or wild game, and scarce at that. Set
tiers having to go soothing like rs or
80 miles after provisions. Usually
two neighbors would go together and
would fetch provisions for the whole
j neighborhood. The women would
stay nights with each other while the
: men would be gone. Occasionally
, settlers would produce some maple
!, sugar made by the Indians of Keal
boats, which were used on the river
|. before steamboating commenced.
Their trading was principally with
the Sac and Fox Indians and plyed
between Keokuk and FIT. Des Moines.
Cloth to make wearing apparel of,and
shoes were scarce and high priced
and had to be brought a long dis
lance. l give below true copy of a
bill of goods father bought in 40:
R.. Garden bought of M. Perry, Oct.
IA, 1910, Van Buren, county, Territory
of Iowa:
21a yds. casCnet at S1.37 per yd. S3.37
61a yds. jeans at SLIP per yd.. ). 7.31
Is yds. domestic at 161a per yd.. ESQ
21a yds. checks at 20 per yd. 80. 50
2 pair of boys shoes $125 per pair ESQ
1 pair of boys shoes $1.37k per
pair ......... ............. l.371E
uoz. buttons. .l212
pair BaXters ............... 1.62h
IA pounds salt ................. AZ
So far what l have written / have
given from my own memory
R. l. Garden.
Tracy Iowa, July II, 1904.