The Prairie Girls

 The Conductors

Daniel was the runaway’s name.

His life filled with misery and pain.

Maddie and Owen, their families, too,

Knew what they needed to do,

Help Daniel travel that “underground train.”

The two became part of the plan.

Together they spied on the mean old man.

Kansas, bleeding at the time,

Saw good men fight across the line.

Could slavery be stopped with a ban?

Dressed as a girl, Daniel sought to be free.

He was hid in an old, cottonwood tree.

They could not know how effective the train became.

         Each worked in secret, with only conductor as a name.

Risking all so free others might be.

PLEASE NOTE THIS BLOG CHANGES THE FIRST AND THIRD WEEKS OF EACH MONTH.

Be sure to check out The Storyteller’s Corner and Up the Family Tree.

Maddie

                  

  

I’m Maddie and came to Kansas Territory with other members of my family. The New England Emigrant Aid Society assisted us as we planned our journey west. It was hard for me to leave my home and my pet cat. Grandpapa promised to take good care of my cat though. Mama and I cried when we kissed Grandmother good-by at the train station in New York. I was afraid I would not see her again. Grandmother said I was a courageous young girl.

After my family arrived in Kansas, my cousin, Owen, and I saw a young boy mistreated by a bounty hunter. I didn’t know who the boy was or what he had done. I did know it was wrong he had wounds and scars on his back from beatings, and I was determined to help him escape. When our writing project is completed, you can learn more about me.

May Baskets

One of my favorite activities in the spring was making May baskets with my little sister. We didn’t have many kids where we lived, but there were some within walking distance. We looked forward to the event each year.

Since my mother didn’t plant many flowers, we used an old spirea bush which had to be ancient. The fun part was putting food coloring in a glass of water and letting the flowers drink the color. We made them every shade we could imagine. Next, were the baskets. We usually had some construction paper around and would fold a small piece into a cone and tape it shut. The stems of the flowers were wrapped in a tissue so they wouldn’t ruin the paper. Sometimes we used old wallpaper left from a project.

After adding some penny candy, we were on our way to the neighbors. You had to be very quick to do this. Usually we’d hang the basket on the door handle, ring the doorbell, and then run really fast to hide so no one would see us. It seemed the bushes we chose to hide in usually had thorns or stickers. Then it was on to the next house to leave another.

It was also fun to return home and see what we had gotten as well. Lilacs and daffodils were favorites, but the candy was always good too.

Up the Family Tree: It's Spring

It's Spring!

Can anything compare to springtime on the prairie? Fields of green wheat promise a bountiful harvest. Blossoming red bud trees, yellow jonquils and crocuses peeking above the ground, and the sweet smell of lilacs promise us the cold, bitter winter is over. Baby calves play in the pasture while their mothers contentedly tug at sweet, new strands of grass. There are baby kitties in the garage and even the old dog feels the excitement of the season as he sniffs a rabbit in the old tree stump. Oh yes, it is spring.

Unfortunately, springtime on the prairie also means unpredictable weather. Eighty degrees with tornado watches on Monday, but come Tuesday, six inches of snow on the ground. Certain human behavior, though, is quite predictable. Every child under five picks a dandelion bouquet for his mother. Elementary school children study fractions and participate in spelling bees. After school brings bicycle rides, soccer games, kite flying and jumping rope contests.

Adolescent girls write notes to girlfriends about boyfriends. Adolescent boys play baseball, find where the fish are biting best and ignore girls. Older girls consider whether to cut their hair or not to cut their hair, what to do on Friday night and what to wear to prom. Teenage boys work on car stereos and wonder if they can afford to take a girl to the prom.

Adults are predictable in spring too. Some, the eternal optimists, plant gardens certain the weather will be better than last year’s. They are sure spring rains will not wash the seeds away and a late freeze will not get the potatoes. Nor, will the August sun parch the tomatoes. Some women clean closets, wash widows, turn mattresses and have garage sales. Some men clean the garage. Some watch ballgames on television, go fishing or head for the course with their golf clubs.

Yes, spring is a time to forget winter, to start anew. It is a time to enjoy warm sun on our faces and gentle breezes blowing in our hair. It is a time to relax on the patio. And that is exactly what I am going to do…just as soon as this spring shower passes over.

The Historical Fact

Popular Sovereignty

 

The decision about how Kansas would enter the union as a state was determined by an election among the residents of the territory. Normally this is a lawful and simple vote by the constituents. This was not true in the 1860’s in the Kansas Territory. Instead it became a blood bath and, some consider, the first shots of the War Between the States were fired here. A struggle ensued between the “border ruffians” who crossed state lines on Election Day to skew the vote for Kansas to enter the union as a slave state, and the freestaters who wanted no slavery in the new state.

Skirmishes resulted in several towns in eastern Kansas with Lawrence being sacked and its citizens terrorized. John Brown made a name for himself as a violent abolitionist in the territory. It would take several tries and constitutional conventions before Kansas was allowed to enter as a free state.

The following sites would be helpful to visit and learn more about this topic:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_sovereignty

www.history.com/topics/bleeding-kansas

http://thomaslegion.net/bleedingkansas.html

 

 

 

 

Prairie Recipes by Collette

Prairie Recipes

 

One of the problems pioneer families encountered was the preservation of food. Most of this was taken care of by canning. A very old method used on sailing ships for long voyages called for a beef carcass to be placed in a tub of salt water with an appropriate amount of gunpowder containing some salt peter. It was referred to as powdered beef in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The following is an old-time way to prepare beef for those living in the 19^th century.

Spiced Beef

1 gallon water                                             1 dozen whole cloves

1 teaspoon saltpeter                                   1 cup sugar

½ box mixed spices                                    1 quart salt

2 sticks cinnamon                                       1 8-10 pound round of beef 

Mix all ingredients except beef; boil for 10 minutes. Cool until cold. Add round of beef; weigh it down with a weight. Let remain for 2 weeks, turning after first week. Beef may remain in spice mixture longer. Place beef in large kettle to cook; cover with liquid, using ½ the spice mixture and fresh water. Cover kettle. Simmer beef 15-20 minutes per pound or until thoroughly tender. Serve cold, slicing in very thin pieces. Yield: about 15 servings.

 

Homesteaders might have chosen the following recipe for a turkey dinner.

 

Turkey with Sweet Dressing

Turkey giblets                                             1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 bay leaf                                                    6 cups dry bread cubes

3-4 apples, peeled, and chopped                          Dash of pepper

1 cup chopped celery                                  1 teaspoon sage

1 cup chopped onion                                  ½ teaspoon marjoram

1/3 cup melted butter or lard                      ½ cup raisins

Salt                                                             1 12-15 pound turkey 

Place giblets in saucepan; add water to cover and bay leaf. Season with salt, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove giblets from broth to cool. Sauté apples, celery, and onions in butter in large skillet until onions are soft. Add brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly until sugar is melted. Remove from heat. Combine bread cubes, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, sage, marjoram, and raisins. Cut up giblets; add to bread mixture. Add apple mixture and toss to mix well. Add turkey broth gradually, until it is absorbed. Stuff loosely into body and neck cavities of the turkey. Bake in preheated oven at 325 until done. Yield: 15 servings

 

My favorite dressing recipe is similar to what my great-grandmother made.

 

Granny’s Dressing

1 package Perridge Farms Cornbread Stuffing     Giblets

1 stick butter                                                        Water

1 cup chopped onion                                           Boxed chicken broth

1 cup chopped celery                                           1 beaten egg 

Place giblets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until done. Sauté onions and celery in melted butter until transparent. Chop giblets and add to sauté mixture. Add package of dressing, beaten egg and giblet water and chicken broth until it is absorbed. The following may be added to enhance the flavor: chopped apples, dried fruit (especially craisins) or nuts. Place in ovenproof casserole and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

 

 

The Storyteller's Corner: Gardening and Other Things

Gardening and Other Things

 

 

My husband grew up in a family of ten. Like most farm families a garden was essential to feeding the members. Although he was the oldest, eventually everyone helped him with the planting and upkeep.

Fifty pounds of potatoes were planted, and most of these were consumed as they matured with few left for canning. The usual salad ingredients of lettuce, radishes, green onions, tomatoes, carrots, and peppers abounded. The canning of green beans and the making of dill pickles were common practices.

His family had a milk cow, and they drank raw milk. Every year 100 chicks were purchased, hens for egg laying and roosters for eating. His mother killed three daily, cleaned them, and fried them to take to the field during harvest. At dark the kids rounded up the chickens, got them out of the trees and into the hen house.

Since the chickens were what today is known as free-range, the eggs were frequently everywhere on the farm with lots in the barn. If you missed finding all of the eggs, the result would be rotten, unusable ones. After several days they were ripe for a rotten egg fight. Now I would have thought it would be better to be in the barn loft during a fight, but my husband says being below worked just as well. Apparently if you lobbed them up and they hit the roof, they would splatter all over anyone hiding below.

My husband doesn’t remember getting into trouble for the egg fights because it happened more than once. It might have been why he is able to throw a rock further than anyone I know. Practice makes perfect?