The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-03-08
Craig S. Thomas Writes Inter.
estingly OF Frontier Life
In South Dakota.
THE MANY HARDSHlPS
He Tells Of the Privations OF Those
Days Thirty Years Ago, and Com.
psrss with Them the Wonder
ful Prosperity Now.

| Thomas. president OF tho board OF
trustees OF Sioux Falls college. has
prepared n history OF the early days
OF South Dakota, n part OF which fol-
| lows:
The fact above all others which the
Atlantic states are slow TO understand
In the marvelously rapid growth OF the
west. This In especially true Of that
| part OF the west through which runs
the treacherous Missouri. Storma
foods, billiards, cyclones. Indians
prairie fires, sod houses. wolves. bears.
tracklcrs prairies, deer and game OF all
| kinds In abundnnce--such are the ideas
which many easterns have OF this por-
4 ton OF the west. where not a few large
cities are located and bumper crops
are raised.
Such lack OF knowledge of present
western conditions 10 doubtless due To
| two facts First, TO the hardships OF
carly western life, which. by letters To
| friends, and newspaper records, were
thoroughly advertised In the east: and.
second. TO the provincialism OF many
eastern people who travel little. regard
! the place where they live Az the GEN.
| ter OF civilization. and forget that those
who have built up western cities and
| towns are people from the most ambi-
tious and enterprising classes or the
east
AS a matter OF fact not one 1.-THE OF
| the early hardships In the west has
! ever been told.
Water n Scarce Article.
In many places water had To be
| hauled In barrels for miles, and even
| then was 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
1 49, al
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 COW
ering their bodies but thin calico
| dresses.
Prairie nres. set by sparks from en-
gines and by careless smokers or
| campers. swept the prairies like de-
| mons. All the available Inhabitants OF
| q town went out By wagon loads. often
two or three times n week TO night the
flames. Valuables, piled In trunks or
| boxes. were buried In gardens TO save
| them from destruction. Household
| goods were carried 20 the middle OF
plowed fields. only TO be set on FIRE
by tumbling flaming Russian thistles.
and. Notwithstanding all efforts to pre-
| vent 70. whole towns were often de-
stroyed by the flames.
Winters Billiards.
| Winter blizzards. with snow as fine
| a. sifted -four. a 60-mile wind. a cruel
| temperature, and the atmosphere so
aden with electricity that one could
| aot come near n stove without receiv-
| 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
aulged In only by people OF means. For
| many even wood was out OF the ques-
lion because OF the long distance TO II.
Hay WAS twisted into large doughnut-
| Ike whisps and burned In stoves;
straw was tramped into sheet iron.
| ooiler-lke holders. the covers OF the
stove removed. and the nlled holders
placed over the IRE upside down so
that the flames might eat slowly from
potion 10 top: COW chips (dried dung
made hot fires. and were preferred to
| sither hay or stray.
The Summers Fevsrs.
Many were Frustrated by fever and
| Igue; and the few well women or
leIghborhood went from house TO
aouse 20 bake and do housework for
| hose who were sick: while occasional
sisits from Indians kept whole neigh
Oorhood afraid.
At hrst crops were usually disap-
pointing. An old pioneer once told me
hat land. like n colt. had TO be sub
iued. and that many. not understand
ny this, became discouraged and left
before the land had lost It's wildness.
Floods occasionally damaged the
property OF those who had farms In the
liver bottoms. keeping the land too wet
- cultivate, Hubmerging early crops,
md sometimes sweeping away build
ngs and drowning stock.
But into these hard conditions came
hardy people.
Hardy Early Settlers.
The early settlers from this part OF
he west were largely from the ole
world often from conditions OF poverty
| and sometimes OF oppression. A single
room shack or dug-out on the wide
spreading prairies OF free land. and
upon acres that were their own. was q
home OF which the owners were Justly
proud. Although not a tree was In
sight. and the boundless green expanse
| OF pprinR was often soon withcred by
furnace winds end the merciless sum-
! mer sun: although clouds or grass
hoppers often left not "A shred OF grow
Ing crops or flaming tongues licked W
the meAgcr hRTvests which the newly
broken sod yielded. yet these people
were Injured to hnrdships: these con.
d!tionE were bad enough, but they had
no better to which TO turn. Homes they
must make for their families, and they
/ stuck To the task with grim determine
ton.
As y reward OF such perseverance,,
! conditions have entirely changed
! Farms that 30 years ago discouraged
? American owners sold for 81 per acre.
} that they might have enough To leave
: the country. ar" now worth from s55 &c
: S15 per acre GrAsshoppcrs are % the
: past: the breaking up OF the sod has
! eliminated prairie fires: thorough cult.
walton has brought the land up To it,
highest efficiency. 20 years growth Of
irecs has modified the winds and molli.
fed the storms.
Standing ou top ~ Spirit Mound In
South Dakota. where "A hundred years
ago Lewis and clark stood and looked
, upon trvciess praiTics. one now sees D
land az splendid homes. each home nes.
.haII..r ~ rIir,ls. u