Indiana's State Motto: The Crossroads of America - adopted in 1937
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Pioneer Life…
When settlers first came to Indiana they depended on the trees and wildlife for almost everything. The forest was both friend and foe, it provided food, clothing and wood, but also a great deal of danger. Some Indians didn’t like the settlers cutting down the trees in their hunting grounds. The pioneers had to keep an eye out for hostile Indians, and animals that would eat them or their livestock, while they set up a home.
The pioneers first built a temporary shelter and began clearing out an area where they could plant a small crop. For shelter they would build a three wall structure with an open front facing south where they would build a fire. They would gather branches and poles to build the walls, and with dried grass and mud, they would plaster the gaps to keep the wind from coming through. The first summer they worked hard to build a permanent home; one winter in one of these was enough for anybody.
Men worked the big trees while women cleared bushes and small trees and burned them. Setting up home was everybody’s job; the father took the heavy work and the children worked on the lighter things. They fell the trees with an ax they sharpened often. Generally tree felling occurred in the winter when other work couldn’t be done. Sometimes they would “girdle” the tree by cutting a ring around it - in its bark. This would cause the tree to die in a few months; then they could grow corn in the area and fell the trees later.
In the spring they would have a big log rolling party with their neighbors. All of the logs cut in the winter would be rolled to an area and burned, the best saved for building a cabin. They would break out into teams and make a game of it, trying to be the fastest to roll their log. When the games were over the women would have a big picnic and everyone would get their fill.
Nearly everything the pioneer needed was made from the trees. Their cabins, barns, fences, many of their tools and even their wagons, were made from the surrounding trees. Most of the things they built were made with only an ax and a knife. They made their own beds, dressers, chairs and tables. They even built their own buckets, butter churns, toys, and sometimes even musical instruments. The trees were important to Indiana’s early settlement; much of the opportunity Indiana held was based on its trees.
When the pioneers built cabins they used heavy logs. At each corner they would place a large stone and then lay the logs on top of them. This kept the logs off the ground. They stacked them one over the other until it was about 8 logs high. They notched each log to lay inside of each other to hold it together; most of the early pioneers didn't use any nails. Most cabins had a loft and a fireplace and one window that was covered with greased paper to let light in. There was no locks, just a board that operated like a latch on the door. It had a leather string that went outside through a hole in the door. When someone pulled the string outside the door it would open, and you could lift it from inside easily. When they pulled the string back inside the house, people outside could not open the door. This is how they "locked" the door at night.One of the first things a pioneer looked for was a spring. If they couldn't find a spring they would have to dig a well. They would try to locate their cabin close to a spring so that they didn't have to carry water far. Water carrying was a job the children held. Another job for the young ones, both male or female, was hoeing the corn.
When the pioneers first started working the fields, the dirt was full of roots and very difficult to plow. Even the grassland prairies and meadows were difficult; the ground was hard and the grass roots were thick. Sometimes they raised cattle, sheep, chickens, and hogs. Animals could be traded for the things a settler couldn't make or for himself, animals were like money.
For more on Hoosier Pioneer Life Click Here
- Candlemaking
- Fire Building
- Food
- Remember Mama's Recipes
- Grama's Recipes for Life
- Games and Toys
- Medicine
- First - Aid on theTrail
- Growing and Harvesting Wheat By Hand
- Quilting Bee
- Soapmaking
- More Soap Making
- Tanning Skins
- Pioneer Games, Toys, and Songs
- Potting Meat
- Long Life Salt Cured Ham
- Salt Curing Meat in Brine
- Yeast Cultures for Bread Making
- Making Bread in a wood burning oven
- Making Butter
- Making Sauerkraut
- Growing and Harvesting Wheat By Hand
- Knowing Where To Dig A Well
- Digging A Well By Hand
- The Out House
- Building a Root Cellar
- Building a Cistern
- The Ice House
- The Spring House
Source: Hardin County School, Upton Elementary, Elizabethtown KY
This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller- Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2006 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 06/04/07 04:16:59 PM -0700