Anybody watching Frontier House? (For those not in the USA, it's a television program following 3 families who are trying to recreate the experience of homesteading in Montana in 1883.) The first episode was on Sunday 29 April, to be followed on Monday and Tuesday. My maternal grandparents and my great-aunt and great-uncle on Dad's side both homesteaded in Colorado around 1910. I'm getting a big kick out of Frontier House - even though it's set earlier than the experience my folks had, I think a lot of it would be familiar to them. On Sunday's episode, one of the mothers sent her kids out to fetch the cow, which had wandered off. She'd washed the day before and the clothes weren't all dry yet - and it was snowing. One of the kids went out in the snow wearing just her undies, I guess, and a blanket. I don't think an 1883 mom would have done that. From my memories of the older folks in my family (grandma born 1879, parents and their sibs born 1902-1914), people were a lot more concerned about catching cold than we are today, because colds could and did lead to pneumonia and made one more susceptable to diseases we immunize against today. Antibiotics have made a big difference in our attitudes! I think people then were a lot more aware of the frailty of human life. Any other homesteaders' descendants out there who are watching this program? Sara

sssss@noaddress.com (Sara) wrote in news:3cced569.174978697@news.cybercomm.net: > Anybody watching Frontier House? (For those not in the USA, it's a > television program following 3 families who are trying to recreate the > experience of homesteading in Montana in 1883.) The first episode > was on Sunday 29 April, to be followed on Monday and Tuesday. > <snip> > > Any other homesteaders' descendants out there who are watching this > program? > > Sara My great-great grandfather settled in Bannack, Montana in 1862. That was after travelling from Bangor Maine to Australia (by 1854), back to Bangor then to Central City Colorado (1860), back to Bangor (1861) and then to Montana. Wives and children were involved in the travels. Phew. Supposedly one of his children was killed by Indians near Miles City, MT (although I don't know how to verify that....) Ya gotta remember, the father of that particular family said he hadn't even mowed his own lawn for 16 years... they hired people to do just about everything for them. They had *no* idea what the real world was like, let alone frontier life! And as much as they whined about not being able to wear makeup.... it seems at this point that they're *really* out of their element! Any good frontier family would have made their food last longer too! Sherry

My wife's aunt Ella Rose Dean was born on the plains of Nebraska in 1888. She wound up getting a degree in Education at Illinois State Normal University around 1915 or so. She was the one that gathered and kept all the family genealogy info including pictures dating to 1868. "Sara" <sssss@noaddress.com> wrote in message news:3cced569.174978697@news.cybercomm.net... > Anybody watching Frontier House? (For those not in the USA, it's a > television program following 3 families who are trying to recreate the > experience of homesteading in Montana in 1883.) The first episode > was on Sunday 29 April, to be followed on Monday and Tuesday. > > My maternal grandparents and my great-aunt and great-uncle on Dad's > side both homesteaded in Colorado around 1910. I'm getting a big kick > out of Frontier House - even though it's set earlier than the > experience my folks had, I think a lot of it would be familiar to > them. > > On Sunday's episode, one of the mothers sent her kids out to fetch the > cow, which had wandered off. She'd washed the day before and the > clothes weren't all dry yet - and it was snowing. One of the kids > went out in the snow wearing just her undies, I guess, and a blanket. > I don't think an 1883 mom would have done that. From my memories of > the older folks in my family (grandma born 1879, parents and their > sibs born 1902-1914), people were a lot more concerned about catching > cold than we are today, because colds could and did lead to pneumonia > and made one more susceptable to diseases we immunize against today. > Antibiotics have made a big difference in our attitudes! I think > people then were a lot more aware of the frailty of human life. > > > Any other homesteaders' descendants out there who are watching this > program? > > Sara

I have ancestors who were living in Minnesota at the time. They were poor farmers who were, undoubtedly, living in the same conditions as the people in Frontier House. Also, in a similarly rigorous climate! I'm totally fascinated by the show. My ancestors got on the railroad to Seattle as soon as it went through. I'm sure they found living in Seattle considerably easier than in Minnesota which is why they left. Donna "Sara" <sssss@noaddress.com> wrote in message news:3cced569.174978697@news.cybercomm.net... > Anybody watching Frontier House? (For those not in the USA, it's a > television program following 3 families who are trying to recreate the > experience of homesteading in Montana in 1883.) The first episode > was on Sunday 29 April, to be followed on Monday and Tuesday. > > My maternal grandparents and my great-aunt and great-uncle on Dad's > side both homesteaded in Colorado around 1910. I'm getting a big kick > out of Frontier House - even though it's set earlier than the > experience my folks had, I think a lot of it would be familiar to > them. > > On Sunday's episode, one of the mothers sent her kids out to fetch the > cow, which had wandered off. She'd washed the day before and the > clothes weren't all dry yet - and it was snowing. One of the kids > went out in the snow wearing just her undies, I guess, and a blanket. > I don't think an 1883 mom would have done that. From my memories of > the older folks in my family (grandma born 1879, parents and their > sibs born 1902-1914), people were a lot more concerned about catching > cold than we are today, because colds could and did lead to pneumonia > and made one more susceptable to diseases we immunize against today. > Antibiotics have made a big difference in our attitudes! I think > people then were a lot more aware of the frailty of human life. > > > Any other homesteaders' descendants out there who are watching this > program? > > Sara

On Tue, 30 Apr 2002, Sara wrote: > Anybody watching Frontier House? (For those not in the USA, it's a > television program following 3 families who are trying to recreate the > experience of homesteading in Montana in 1883.) The first episode > was on Sunday 29 April, to be followed on Monday and Tuesday. I guess I'm in the minority (story of my life), but I was disappointed. I enjoyed the Victorian House show that was done last year and was looking forward to Frontier Hous. Instead of getting a lot of hows and why of frontier life, we got whining about no makeup and commentary about who's on the virge of divorce. The show was more about the people playing the roles than it was about frontier life. JMHO --