The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1906-03-23
TRUE ACCOUNT OF
PIONEER DAYS
Craig S. Thomas Writes Inter-
estingly Of Frontier Life in
South Dakota
THE NUMEROUS HARDsHlPS
He Tells of the Privations of
Those Days Thirty
Years Ago

craig ). Thomas, president OF the
board Of trustees of Sioux Falls col
lege, has prepared a history of the
early days of South Dakota, a part OF
which follows:
The fact above all others which the
Atlantic states are slow to understand
is the marvelously rapid growth of
the west. This is especially true OF
that part of the west through which
runs the treacherous Missouri.
Storms, floods, billiards., cyclones, In
dians, prairie fires, sod houses, wolves,
bears, trackless prairies. deer and
game of all kinds in abundance-such
are the ideas which many fasteners
have of this portion of the west, where
not a few large cities are located and
bumper crops are raised.
Such lack of knowledge of present
western conditions is doubtless due to
two facts. First, to the llardships of
early western life, which, by letters to
friends, and newspaper records, were
thoroughly advertised in the east:
and, second, to the pr~ovincialism Of
many eastern people who travel little,
regard the place where they live as
the center of civilization, and forget
that those who have built up western
cities and towns are people from the
most ambitious and enterprising
classes of the east.
AS a matter of fact, not one 1.-THE of
the early hardships in the west has
ever been told.
In many places water had to be
hauled in barrels for miles, and even
then was sometimes taken from
dammed-up draws in which cattle
waded and drank.
For several years in succession, be-
cause of drought, hot winds, or grass
hoppers, crops failed. AT such times
many families had neither means with
which to live MOI cash to leave the
country, and farms had to be mort
Ing covering their bodies but thin
calico dresses.
Prairie fires, set by sparks from en-
gines and by careless smokers or camp
ers, swept the prairies like demons.
All the available Inhabitants of a town
went out by wagon loads, often twoo
three times a week, to fight the
flames. Valuables, piled in trunks or
boxes, were buried in gardens to save
them from destruction. Household
goods were carried to the middle of
plowed fields, only to be set on fire
by tumbling, flaming Russian thistles,
and, Notwithstanding all efforts to
prevent it, whole towns we're often
destroyed by the flames.
Winter billiards., with snow as fine
as slfted flour, a 60-mile wind, a cruel
temperature, and the atmosphere so
laden with electricity that one could
not come near a stove without receiy-
ing a severe shock, blinded both men
and cattle, and wrought destruction
upon every living thing out of doors.
Buying coal for fuel was like pur-
chasing diamonds, and could be in
dulged in only by people of means.
For many even wood was out of the
question because of the long distance
to it. Hay was twisted into large
doughnut-like whisps and burned in
stoves; straw was tramped into sheet
iron, boiler-like holders, the covers of
the stove removed, and the filled
holders placed over the fire UPSIDE
down SO that the flames might eat
slowly from bottom to top; COW chips
(drled dung made hot fires, and were
preferred to either hay or stray.
Many were prostated by fever and
ague; and the few we'll women of a
neighborhood went from house TO
house to bake and do homework for
those who were sick; while occasional
visits from Indians kept a whole
neighborhood afraid.
At first crops were usually disap.
pointing. An old pioneer once told
that land, like a colt, had to be
subdued, and that many, not UNDER
standing this, became discouraged
and left before the land had lost its
Floods occasionally damaged the
property of those who had farms in
the river bottoms, keeping the land
wet to cultivate, submerging early
and sometimes sweeping away
buildings and drowning stock.
But into these hard conditions came
J hardy people.
The early settlers from this part Of
west were largely from the old
world, often from conditions of power
y and sometimes Of oppression. A