This is being posted a day late because our motel's router was not working so we had no internet access. They were very kind and gave us a nice discount.
We went to the National Homestead Monument. They had a nice video explaining about the act and what it did for expansion of the west of the US. They also had nice buildings showing how things were in the mid-1800s.
This was one corner of a very small, one-room log cabin. I thought of all my quilt friends when I saw this quilt. Aaron, Sarah, Katie, notice the white container under the foot of the bed. Do you have any idea what it might be used for? Aaron, you have seen one at our house. It has a lid on it.
This is where the boys and girls hung their coats and hats in their one-room school house. At my school, we called this room the cloak room. We hung our coats and scarves and hats here and our lunch boxes were put on the shelf just like here. My school had 4 classrooms with 2 grades in each room.
This is that schoolhouse. All grades from 1st through 12th went to school in the same one room. All three of you would be in the same room if you were going there at this time. The little building behind and to the right of the school house is very small, has no windows and the seat has a hole in it. It also usually smells a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is it? I think you know.
We also went to Rock Creek Station near Fairbury, NE. This is where many covered wagons crossed a creek and there was also a pony express station at the same spot.
Aaron, how would you like to make a bookcase or table like this. They cut trees into boards then attached them to tree branches. Boards would be very expensive but they could cut down small trees or use branches from large trees for the legs. Think how hard it would be to hold the pieces in place while you tried to nail them in place. You might also have to use grape vines or something similar to tie everything together because nails were too expensive.
Here is the only buffalo we have seen. Do you think he was going to chase after us? Why not?
This house is where a man, his wife and their 8 children lived. The man farmed a little and built a little bridge across the creek then he charged the pioneers to cross the bridge. If they didn't want to do that they had drive their team pulling the wagon down one side, across the creek, then up the other side. The creek banks were about as tall as your house. I was standing with my back to one wall and the dresser with the pitcher was on the other wall. It was a very small house too. The mom and dad slept in a bed about the size of your Aaron. They washed their hands and face in the bowl that is under the pitcher. They had to go to the creek to get the water to use. The cradle was not for a doll but for the baby to sleep. He got to sleep downstairs with his mom and dad.
The rest of the children all slept upstairs in the attic. They had glass in the window but look at all the cracks in the wall. Think how cold it would be when the winter wind blew in. It also could blow in snow. There was no heat upstairs.
It is very hard to see but the ruts made by the hundreds of wagons going down the hill made a "valley" on the side of the hill. The ruts made a ditch about 8 feet deep. The ranger said that they usually burn the grass in the spring so everyone can see the ruts more plainly but it was so dry they could not do even a controlled burn.
This was a picture they had in the ranger's office showing the ruts that were made.
Here I am waiting for Pop to hitch up our oxen so we could be on our way!
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