Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-03-15
4 TRUE ACCOUNT OF
EARLY PIONEER DAYS
Craig S. Thomas Writes Inter.
estingIy OF Frontier Life
In South Dakota.
THE MANY HARDSHIPS
He Tells of the Privations Of Those
Days Thirty Years Ago, and Com
pares with Them the Wonder
full Prosperity Now.

WI ~ OoRSb'AI OW
Nerlnillion, S. D., March 5.-Craig S.
Thomas. president of the board OF
trustees of Sioux Falls college. has
prepared a history of the early days
Of South Dakota, a part of which fol-
lows:
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. indians
prairie fires, sod houses, wolves, bears
trackless prairies, deer and game of all
kinds in abuudalce-such are the ideas
which many easterns have of this por-
ton of the west, where not IL 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 hardships OF
early western life, which. by letters to
friends, anG newspaper records, We're
thoroughly advertised in he east; and.
second, TO the proNinciallsn OF many
eastern people who travel little, regard
the place where they live as the CEN
ter of civilization. and forget that those
who have built up western cities and
towns are people from the most ambl-
tious and c~nterpIising classes OF the
east.
AS a matter of fact. not one 1.-THE of
the early hardships in The west has
ever been told.
Water a Scarce Article.
In many places water had to be
! hauled in barrels for miles, and even
then vas sometimes taken from
iammed-up draws in which cattle wad-
ed 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 nor cash to leave the
country, and farms had to be mort
gagged. Children sometimes went bare
footed in winter, and with nothing Gov
ering their bodies but thin calico
dresses.
Prairie fires, set by sparks from en-
gines and by careless smokers or
campers. swept the prairies like de-
MONS. All the available inhabitants of
a town went out by wagon loads. often
two or 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 pre-
vent It, whole towns were often de-
stroyed by the flames.
Winters Billiards.
Winter billiards., with snow as fine
IS sifted flour, a 60-Inile wind. a cruel
temperature. and the atmosphere so
.aden with electricity that one could
ing n severe shock. blinded both mel
and cattle. and wrought destruction
upon every living thing u of doors.
Buying coal for fuel was like pur-
chasing diamonds, and could be In
aulged in only by people of means. For
lion because of the long distance to IT.
Hay was twisted into large doughnut-
ike whisps and burned in stoves:
straw was tramped into sheet iron.
ooiler-like holders. the covers of the
stove removed. and the filed holders
that the flames might eat slowly from
potion to top: COW chips (dried dung)
made hot fires. and were preferred to
either hay or stray.
Tho Summers Fevers.
Many were Frustrated by fever and
,gue; and the few we'll women OF a
1eighborhood went from house to
aouse to bake and DO housework for
hose who were sick; while occasional
sisits from Indians kept Il whole neigh
3orhood afraid.
At first crops were usually disap-
pointing. An old pioneer once told me
hat land, like a colt. had to be sub
iued, and that many, not understand
ng this, became discouraged and left
before the land had lost its
Floods occasionally damaged the
property of those who had farms in the
liver bottoms. keeping h land too wet
70 cultivate. submerging early crops.
md sometimes sweeping away build
ngs and drowning stock.
But into these hard conditions came
I hardy people.
Hardy Early Settlers.
The early settlers from this part of
The west were largely from h ole
world. often from conditions of poverty
and sometimes of oppression. A single
room shack or dug-out on the wide
spreading prairies of a free land. and
upon acres that were their own. was a
home Of which the owners were justly
proud. Although not a tree was In
sight. and the boundless green expanse
i; OF spring was often soon withered b.
furnace winds and h merciless sum
, mer sun: although clouds Of grass
hoppers often left not a shred of grow
: ing crops. or flaming tongues licked W
: the meager harvests which the newl,
: broken sod yielded. yet these people
3 were Injured to hardships: these con
w "a CAiO0ehs AS sNA>
IS no better to which to turn. Homes the.
e must make for their families. n the.
stuck to the task with grim determine
tion.
AS a reward of such perseverance
conditions have entirely changed
II Farms that 30 years g discourage
II American owners sold for 81 per acre
Is tina they might have enough to leav
the country. are now worth from $55 I
n s75 per acre. G-rasshoppers are Of tn
,e past: the breaking w of the sod ha
eliminated prairie fires: thorough cult
"a walton has brought the land up to II
highest efficiency: 30 years growth {
w trees has modified the winds and moll
fed the storms.
Standing on top of Spirit Mound l
South Dakota, where a hundred yea
ago. Lewis and Clark stood and locke
n upon t~ree!ess prairies. one now sees
or land Of splendid homes. each home ne
ct tied in the shelter of an ample grove
US cottonwoods. box elders. silver maple
lie elms and walnuts. and many of the
OF boasting good orchards OF apples ar
r plums. The greater part OF this ma,
at velous transformation has bee
he Wrought within the last 30 wears.