A life worth living

By Rennie Phillips

A post on Facebook a week or two ago had a picture of some homesteaders standing in front of a frame house, probably in Nebraska. The comment that was put on the post was "Homesteaders, a hard life." When I read the caption and saw the picture I guess my mind began to wander around. What was a hard life and was it still enjoyable? Was it worth living as opposed to an easy life? Some today want an easy life but on the other hand some wouldn't be happy with the easy life.

My grandparents immigrated to the United States back about the turn of the century in 1912. It took them awhile but eventually they ended up living in the Sandhills of Nebraska north of Arthur, Nebraska. There wasn't any local timber so all the wood for building houses and such had to be hauled in by horse and wagon and this consisted of about a 30 to 40 mile one-way trip to a train station where lumber came in on the rails. Most all the houses were constructed of sod and lumber. The walls were made totally of sod while the roof was of timber.

There was a lot of sod but very little timber so the homesteaders and settlers would cut sod and lay up their walls with sod. They tried to keep the walls fairly smooth and plumb. Some would then stucco over the sod with a kind of sand mortar which sealed the sod from moisture. My grandparents' house was stuccoed inside and out. It was a really neat house.

Most of the houses when they were first built had dirt floors. Only later did they actually put in wood floors. The way it sounds, the fleas and bedbugs were atrocious back then. Many took to sleeping outdoors to keep from being eaten alive.

Since there was very little wood, all the settlers collected cow chips and this was their only heat during the winter. It had to be cold even though the old sod houses were insulated really well, as thick as the walls were. Usually the well was out in the yard so they had to pump water into a bucket and bring into the house. Normally a water dipper was by the water bucket so that one could get a drink.

It wasn't an easy life. Some had cattle so they could make a little money off the cattle. Most tried to farm the Sandhills and raise corn or other grains. It kind of worked but was only marginally successful. Grandpa was a mason so he'd build chimneys or cellars or stucco something. But life was difficult.

Most left a life that was difficult at best to travel to the United States. Many left behind their family and friends and journeyed to the U.S. where they virtually were alone. They faced a hard life here but when you have virtually nothing even a hard life has promise.

The mountain men who traveled and explored and trapped the U.S. before it was settled had a hard life but at the same time there was a sense of adventure. It wasn't like they were forced to hunt and trap and travel but they chose to. There was a sense of freedom with no boss or clocks or a daily grind. Most could guess the season of the year by how the weather was acting. No one to oversee their lives but themselves. There was no dress code. If I had to put one thing that stood out for them it was the freedom the lifestyle offered. But along with the freedom there was also the allure of rich thick beaver pelts or other hides or sights to see.

I think it was the same for the immigrants who settled this country. They came here to be free from regulations and oversight and such. They wanted a life of promise where they could maybe get ahead and their family would be blessed. Many probably dreamed of wealth and a life of luxury and wealth and being waited on. I forget how it was put in the one Wyatt Earp movie but she wanted a life of "room service" I believe.

The one thing that stands out to me about the mountain men and the settlers was their sense of community and being neighbors. For the mountain men they held rendezvouses every so often where they could sell their hides and party and just let loose with like-minded individuals. For the settlers they had community dances or meals or church services. For some getting to these events took hours. People where I grew up in the ranching country in Nebraska had rodeos where men tried to ride the unbroken horses. Some held turkey shoots where their skills with their black powder squirrel rifles was challenged.

I don't know where we are headed today. It concerns me that so many are wanting the easy way with little if any sacrifice or work. The "hard life" seemed to build character and that don't give up attitude. It also seemed like it also developed a proud generation that didn't want hand outs. A hand up or a little help was OK but one didn't take a hand out.

We watched our grandson along with the class of 2018 graduate from high school recently and I was struck by the promise of a new generation. Some of us old timers are going to hand the reins to them. I believe we will be OK.