What Were Some Of The Hardships That Frontier Farmers Faced In The Mid To Late 1800s?

The frontier farmers in the late 1800's were a tough group of people. They were rushing to take their families to settle in the Western half of the United States. Sometimes they were so poor that they would let part of their family behind, hoping to get them later. Often that reunion never happened.

Sometimes they would rush to places that had been known to have abundant rainfall for crops, and all of a sudden there would be a drought.

There were few machines used for farming in those days, but horses and oxen supplied the power. The families were pretty much self-sufficient. They did not have stores to go to, they traded their food and crops and items they made between themselves.

The farmers tried to treat their families with home remedies and many times their loved ones died. People were afraid of being buried alive so they kept the bodies around for weeks after they died. Most all of the medicine was home made.

One man in a crowd made all the shoes. The width didn't matter and one shoe could be worn on either foot. And today we have to have a different pair for everything we do.

Travel was in wagons and took a long time. There were no quick runs anywhere. For the most part people were laid back, hard working, and overworked. But they made do, and seldom complained, and appreciated life. Maybe we have too much today.

What do you think it would have been like to live on the frontier in the late 1800s?

I think being a women and living on the frontier would have been both hard and exciting. I believe it would have been exciting because everything was so different. Each day would be a new adventure. It also gave the women more equality because their husbands needed their support in order to just survive.

I think it would also be very difficult to live on the frontier. First, they were fast with the difficult journey to get there. If they survived the trip, they then had to help with the building of their own houses. Nothing of which resembled anything like they had left. They also were in constant fear of being attacked by the Native Americans.

Another problem they would have faced on the frontier was isolation. Most of them left all of their relatives behind to travel westward. This must have caused a lot of these women to become homesick. They would be totally alone in this new land. Many would have to travel many miles to the nearest town or neighbor for that matter. They also had problems with obtaining the necessary supplies. Even if supplies were obtainable, a poor harvest would mean that they would have no money to buy their needed supplies.

Which experience that you have read about do you identify with most and why?

I would have to say that I identify most with the farmwife. I have lived on a farm for most of my life. The farm has been in my family since 1857. It has always been my way of life. Like the women of the frontier, I often have to help my husband with the chores associated with farming. It is not uncommon to see me cleaning stalls, feeding animals, or driving a tractor. We all have to pitch in to get the work done. When my husband goes away, I have to take care of his duties, just like these women did. I also am somewhat isolated. My nearest neighbor is a half a mile away and the nearest grocery store is about 6 miles away. Although I do have an advantage over the frontier women, I have a car! Several people have moved out to this area from Pittsburgh. Some love it because of the open spaces and low crime rate. Others, move back to the city in a short time because of the isolation. I guess you either love it or hate it!

The weather which could change in a moment and herds of cattle could stomp your crops as well as sickness, for instance if a woman died in childbirth and a man was left to rasie children alone.