The older Jeeps had so many attachments and equipment... I had a 3 point hitch that bolted in the back, and there was a hydraulic pump that mounted on the pulley on the drive shaft in front.. With that, you could use just about any 3 pt. equipment (except when you needed a PTO which it didn’t have.)<<<
Those old ones were real work horses.
The new ones will never replace them.
The first car that I bought for me, was a 40 Chevrolet business coupe.
http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
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National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Entrance
The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center offers living history demonstrations, interpretive programs, exhibits, multi-media presentations, special events, and more than four miles of interpretive trails.
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* Dutch Oven Cooking Workshop (PDF)
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News Releases
* Dutch Oven Cooking Workshop at Interpretive Center 05/13/09 - (PDF)
* Pioneer Wagon Encampment at National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center 05/11/09 - (PDF)
* National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Advisory Board to Meet 05/05/09 - (PDF)
* Interpretive Center Offering 19th Century Activities Day 04/27/09 - (PDF)
Hours of Operation
continues.
http://www.essortment.com/all/pioneercovered_rjtw.htm
Inside a pioneer covered wagon
A look at what pioneer women stocked in their wagons for the long journey west, this article also includes some diary excerpts.
The inside of a pioneer wagon, or ‘prairie schooner’ as they were often called, was designed first for utility and then for comfort. Enough supplies to last the occupants for up to six months had to be packed into an area usually ten feet long and four feet wide (about the same amount of room as the inside of a VW van).
The labor involved in preparing for a journey west was generally divided equally between women and men. The men built the wagons and prepared the livestock, while the women prepared and stocked food and clothing for the journey, as well as decided what household essentials to pack. Keturah and George Belknap, who traveled overland from Iowa to Oregon in 1848, outfitted their wagon with a minimum of space and maximum storage in mind.
George put together a sturdy traveling wagon, making by hand the bent wood bows, probably four or five, to support the top cover. The cover was made by Keturah, who spun the linen for it in the long winter evenings leading up to the trip. Most likely she treated the material with linseed oil to make it waterproof. Next, George built a box at the front on which he would sit while driving the wagon, and in which Keturah stored bacon, salt and other staples. The top of the box was made with holes in each corner so that it could be lifted off and used as a table when sharpened sticks were inserted into the holes for legs.
Keturah filled an old chest with clothing and other items for use along the way. “Will start with some old clothes on and when we can’t wear them any longer will leave them on the road,” she wrote in her diary. Before the journey began, she washed and packed everything suitable the Belknaps owned, and also spent most of the winter cutting and sewing several new suits of clothes for them to use when they arrived in Oregon. (Some women recorded cutting material beforehand to save room in packing, others carried bolts of uncut cloth in order to be prepared to meet whatever need arose).
The clothing chest was packed in behind the food storage box, and to keep it from slipping around in transit, George fastened a system of cleats to the bottom of the wagon bed. Then Keturah put in a chair to ride in, leaving a small space on the floor for her son to occupy while he played. After that another trunk was put in containing dishes (most likely china) and household goods set aside for use when they reached Oregon. A washtub and a basket containing the dishes she planned to use on the trip (most likely tin) were stowed in a corner. Then George loaded four 125 lb. sacks of flour and one of corn meal, then bags of dried apples and peaches, beans, rice, sugar and coffee.
“The wagon looks so nice,” Keturah wrote. “The nice white cover drawn down tight to the side boards with a good ridge to keep from sagging. It’s high enough for me to stand straight under the roof with a curtain to put down in front and one at the back end...I have made 4 nice little table cloths so am going to live just like I was at home.”
Her iron ware was stashed in a box that hung outside the wagon, and her butter churn was put in by the washtub. When all was packed and ready, she added a feather mattress and pillows, which would be laid on top of the boxes and over a side of shoe leather at night, with two comforters on top “and we have a good enough bed for anyone to sleep on”.
Keturah spent the last few days before their departure from Iowa in her kitchen, making provisions to get them through the first week of travel–baking bread, frying doughnuts, stewing dried fruit and cooking a chicken and a ham.
Keturah Belknap’s preparations for the journey were typical of most travelers. Large amounts of staple food like flour, corn meal, and bacon, were the foundation of any wagon outfit. “Put nothing in your wagon except provisions and clothing and such articles as are indispensably necessary on the road,” cautioned Louisiana Strentzel, after surviving a harrowing overland journey in 1849. Many travelers who packed luxury items would end up throwing them overboard along the way to lighten the burden of the overworked oxen or horses.
Wagons were typically arranged in a similar fashion to the Belknaps’, with boxes or trunks filling the floor space and providing a flat surface on which to make up a bed for sleeping at night. Margaret Frink, who traveled west with her husband, searching for gold in 1849, could afford to spruce up her wagon a little. “The wagon was lined with green cloth, to make it pleasant and soft for the eye, with three or four large pockets on each side, to hold many little conveniences–looking glasses, combs, brushes, and so on.”
One other important item mentioned in most diaries of the overland westward journeys is the ‘India rubber water bottle’ (somewhat similar to a very large hot water bottle). Margaret Frink carried two, each with five gallon capacity, in her wagon. She also carried an India rubber mattress, which could be filled with water, providing convenient storage and a comfortable sleeping pad. Louisiana Strentzel recommended that a wagon be able to store about fifty gallons of water. She, too, preferred the India rubber bottles.
Because women were often responsible for the growing, storing and preparing of food at home, families relied heavily on their knowledge and experience when calculating how much and what kind of supplies they would need on the trail. A well-stocked, wisely packed wagon made all the difference on a long journey where travelers were likely to find themselves without food, water, or shelter if they had not planned carefully beforehand.
Written by Robin Flinchum - © 2002 Pagewise
http://www.essortment.com/all/oldwivestales_opt.htm
What are some ‘Old Wives Tales’?
What are some ‘Old Wives Tales’? Learn about them here.
There are lots of old wives tales that have spawned common myths and sayings. Did you ever wonder which are based in fact and which are not, or where the sayings came from? Well, let’s have a look at a few of them.
One of the most popular old wives tales is about colds and flu. This is one that people often get mixed up. Do you feed a cold and starve a fever? Or is it the other way around, starve a cold and feed a fever? I’ve heard this one told both ways.
One explanation is you feed a cold, getting the vitamins you need, which in turn will help you from getting a fever. However, this isn’t really starving a fever, its more like staving one off. Another explanation is when people have high temperatures, they burn more calories, thus you want to feed it with liquids.
When someone has a cold, without a fever, there are no calories lost, and usually no appetite, thus, no need to take in more calories. Just like fuel on a fire, this refers how to restore balance to one’s body temperature, by using food.
Whichever way you look at this saying, you will probably be right because whatever you do about them, these ailments will usually get better on their own, in their own time. The trouble is that the infection often gets better despite what is recommended, rather than because of it!
There is another old saying that when planting peas and beans, the rows should always run north and south. This makes sense since the sun moves from east to west and gives the plants maximum sunshine.
The wild foxglove is a fairy plant in folk-tradition, and has several other names such as Fairy Weed, Dead Men’s Bellows, Bloody Man’s Fingers, and Witches’ Thimble. The Irish believe that foxgloves in the house are unlucky. It should never be taken aboard a ship. To pick the Foxglove is to offend the fairies that live within the flowers and will bring bad luck, even death, to the picker and his family.
The truth of this saying probably lies in the fact it contains a chemical known as digitalis. Used in proper dosages it is often used in modern medicine to treat heart disease, since it slows the rhythm of the heart. However, taken in larger doses, the heart will slow completely until death results.
You have probably heard the saying, “You can make ice faster by starting with warm water.” Is this statement truth or fact? Actually, it is true because hot water is steaming, and the process of evaporation (the steam rising) is a cooling process, thus actually causing hot water to freeze faster than cold.
The phrase “getting out on the wrong side of the bed” usually refers to someone having a bad day, or feeling grumpy or crotchety. This goes back to the superstition that, by going to bed on one side at night and getting up out of the other side in the morning, one formed a protective magic circle. Not to do so was bad luck.
The lucky horseshoe is a throwback to a time when it was thought that witches rode on broomsticks because they were afraid of horses. Nailing a horseshoe over your door kept witches from entering.
Speaking of witches, that’s an old wives tale that isn’t true. Witches weren’t really afraid of horses. The reason they ride broomsticks is so that they can fly. Almost everyone knows that! The broomstick (with the bristles forward, please) is a symbolic horse, and used to be commonly used as such by children, when it was called a hobby horse. Why witches were thought to use brooms rather than real horses probably has to do with the poverty most old women endured. The women who were thought to be witches were generally too poor to own a real horse, but almost anybody can own a broom.
The reasoning behind the phrase “Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck” originates in a period of time when the cost of a mirror was so much, it would take approximately seven years to save enough money to replace it.
Another tale I heard often growing up was “let a dog lick a wound because a dog’s saliva is antiseptic and will kill germs.” This is totally untrue. Dog mouths are infested with the germs of everything they put into them. If you or another animal receives a dog bite, it is like injecting yourself with a large dose of germs, which is why infection is almost inevitable.
Don’t let your dog excessively lick his own wounds, either. Veterinarians often give wounded dogs Elizabethan collars or buckets for their heads to prevent the dog from keeping his wound open or ripping out stitches. On the other hand, a mother licking her pup’s wound can debride the area allowing faster healing, which is what probably brought about this saying.
“Humpty Dumpty” dates back to the English Civil War. One of the sides had a siege engine called “Humpty Dumpty” because it was a rickety contraption. During one castle siege as “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,” the engine finally fell over and shattered and “Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.” Thus, “All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again!” The Egg idea for Humpty Dumpty came when the rhyme was written down in a children’s book and the illustrator decided Humpty Dumpty was an egg.
Starting in the early 1600s tobacco was often used as an alternate for currency, it was often said to be “As good as gold.”
Only the wealthy could afford real floors. The rest of us were “dirt poor” and had to settle for the bare ground.
Hopefully, this will enlighten you just a little about these sayings. There was one, though, that I just couldn’t figure out: Why is it bad luck to say the word “Pig” while at sea?
© 2002 Pagewise
Interesting blog on Pioneer foods.
http://pioneerfoodie.blogspot.com/
Hearth Cooking
Previously, CowboyCurtis asked for information about dutch oven cooking.
Early emigrant Annie Taylor Dee remembered of her experience on the trail, “Most people cooked in camp kettles.”
Some settlers such as “Mrs. Lorenzo Roundy” in Kanarraville continued cooking directly on the coals well after the arrival of the railroad. In a previous query someone asked how the arrival of the railroad might have impacted foodways in Utah.
Most directly, the railroad made it cheaper to buy a cook stove, because the freight issue on cast iron became more affordable. Even so, Patty Sessions brought a cook stove with her in the vangard company of 1847.
So then, having established that most people cooked directly on the coals (i.e. hearth cooking) before 1870, let’s draw out what that means. Hearth cooking usually happens at ground level, so cooking utensils (such as lid lifters, coal shovels, spoons & spatulas)tend to have longer handles— this as an effort to eliminate stooping. Think of your common fireplace set with its poker, tonges, shovel, and broom. Also the cooking pots must have legs to situate themselves on the coals. Legs are either cast directly into the construction of the pot, or pots can be set on a trivet or spider. And of course some pots were suspended from tripods or cranes. A crane is an L-shaped bracket on hinges mounted into the masonry of a fireplace so that suspended pots can be easily rotated into and out of the fire.
So much of cooking (as with any other pursuit in life, such as carpentry or bicycle mechanics) is a matter of having the right tool for the job. Count how many kitchen utensils and implements you have in your kitchen— dutch oven cookery requires similar (though uniquely adapted) tools. And just as some chefs get by with one crappy knife and a terrible pan, some early Mormon hearth chefs got by with just one frying pan and no dutch oven.
As for the cooking part, most elements there are the same as cooking on a stove top. It all comes down to careful regulation of heat. In modern day dutch oven competitions, people cook just about anything you’d find in a fine French or Italian restauraunt. Some dishes call for frying, others for stewing and yet others for baking. All of these operations are done with the same pot (or multiple incarnations of the pot), but with different approaches to heat regulation. More coals equals more heat. Closer to the coals equals hotter. For beginners, try experimenting with frying bacon and not burning it to a scorched crumble. This takes patience on a moderate heat. Like many beginning stove-top chefs, too much heat is the beginning dutch oven chef’s common mistake. When you can do this reliably without a lot of hassle, then you might step up to stewing. A long slow simmer without burning to the bottom takes a bit more effort. Baking is most tricky as it requires hot coals on the lid as well as underneath. Modern competition chefs use a formula of charcoal briquettes for establishing precise temperatures; historic chefs used coals from burning logs and did it by gut feel. I prefer to cook with wood rather than charcoal briquettes. They just seem so artificial. If you want to get really fancy you might try chunk charcoal, still in wood form (not compressed).
Well, there’s the quick and dirty for you. Don’t burn yourself!
Posted by Brock
http://pioneerfoodie.blogspot.com/
Mormon Tea: another thought
So a while ago I wrote a couple of thoughts about the supposed “Mormon Tea” Ephedra varietals, and hinted that it was perhaps not used during the pioneer era, i.e. pre-1870. Further research is tending to corroborate this conclusion.
First, the OED puts a time stamp of 1910 on the label. Even if we assume a significant lag on its coinage to publication, the likelihood of pioneer era usage is a stretch. Further, botanical notes on the indigenous species note that while e. nevadensis and other varieties are native to the desert regions of the West, generally they show up at lower altitudes, vis a vis the deserts of the four corners region. In previous entries we noted that circa 1870 St. George, the common tea was a mixture of cayenne, cloves, bayberry, and other herbals. The wild ephedra at question was not in the mix.
When we consider that colonization to points further south and at lower elevation occurred in the late 19th century, the dovetailing of the “mormon tea” with the southern colonies begins to hint that this ephedra tea was likely a product of a later era and not part of the lore of Brigham Young’s time. The more common tea of the pioneer era is described by Brigham’s daughter Clarissa Young as follows:
“4 oz. each of bayberry, poplar bark and hemlock; 2 oz. each of ground ginger, cloves and cinnamon; and 1 ounce of cayenne pepper... take a small bit on the end of a spoon, fill the cup with hot water, and use plenty of cream and sugar.”
Until I find a better citation, I think this is the most likely “mormon tea” for the pioneer era. That being said, there was also a significant amount of Earl Grey and other traditional English varieties as well as coffee sold by retail grocers during the era. It seems this cayenne tea was more a medicinal than a drink for pleasure in common consumption. Further, as per our previous discussion of old world/new world, research is showing that Brits stuck with tea, while Danes held stubbornly to coffee. So there’s a recipe for ya!
p.s. the hemlock referenced is not the poisionous kind that makes you think of Socrates and Hamlet. Herbal shops carry a powdered hemlock bark suited to this composition.
Posted by Brock
http://pioneerfoodie.blogspot.com/
My Personal Stash
So here’s a little bit about my methodology. I go to the local university libraries and peruse any diary I can find.
Sometimes I get lucky and find a woman’s diary that talks a lot about what she ate. For example the other day I found a woman who said she ate nothing but fried jack rabbits and boiled wheat for more than a year. Not often do they tell the actual preparation of their food, and NEVER is there a recipe presented in context.
Yesterday a friend gave me his family history, and in it the fellow told how he learned to make smoked jerky from the local Indians. He threw in the added step of dipping the strips of meat in boiling salt water. A nice touch, that...
So after I find some dishes referenced in context, then I have to find a source describing a recipe or preparation. A lot of times this comes from Michigan State University’s Historic Cookbook Project. They have scanned dozens of historic cookbooks and posted them online. The cookbooks are indexed by date, by subject and by author.
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/
They are all browsable online. There are a half dozen or so within the dates of my study, so I often resort to those for the specific preparations of the dishes I find referenced. I commend this source to you.
Posted by Brock
http://pioneerfoodie.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-04-07T11%3A53%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7
You mean... they DRANK???
So in the course of research I sometimes come across something that takes me completely by surprise. The other day I came across this description of pioneers making beer. It surprised me! Particularly, I was intruiged by how detailed the description is. I don’t ever find these kind of detailed descriptions of how to cure a ham or butcher a steer. But look at this detail for yourself. From Anna Madsen Bench:
“For beer making, mother first made the malt. This was done in the summer time. Clean grain was selected, put into a wooden tub that was used only for that purpose, and soaked until it would hold no more water. Then drained and put up in an attic on a scrubbed platform, heaped in a pile, well covered, to make it heat and sprout. When it was well sprouted and matted together it was spread out gradually and thoroughly dried. Then taken to the mill and crushed or ground. A wooden tub with a hole in the bottom near the edge was used in which to brew the beer. Clean straw was scalded, twisted and put in the hole; this served to strain the beer. A stick the size of the opening and as high as the tub was forced into the hole. A portion of the malt was placed in the tub, and boiling water poured over it, in proportion to the malt. When the strength of the malt was well absorbed by the water, the stop was loosened a little, so the beer could filter through the straw. This dripped into another wooden tub, and while at blood heat, yeast saved from the last batch was added. A little flour was sprinkled over the top, the vessel well covered, and the liquid allowed to ferment. When well worked and settled it was put into jugs, stored in a cool place, and was then ready for use. The yeast which had settled in the bottom was carefully stored for breadmaking and for the next batch of beer. Sometimes for the sake of variation part of the malt was put in the oven and slightly browned to make the beer a darker color and sometimes hops were boiled and the liquid added to give it a bitter tang. Beer was made as much to obtain fresh yeast as for the drink.”
I found that all very curious. Now don’t you go trying this at home!
Posted by Brock
http://www.nps.gov/archive/whmi/educate/ortrtg/ortrtg14.htm
PIONEER AND INDIAN RECIPES
Recipe List
Hardtack
Beef Jerky
Indian Fry Bread
Tea Biscuits
Potato Pudding
Apple Treat
Apple Snow
Cranberry-Nut Muffins
Hardtack
You will need:
2 cups stone ground flour
1 cup water
Combine the flour and water. Knead until smooth. Sprinkle some flour on a smooth surface and roll the dough flat until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut biscuits out with a can or a glass making each biscuit about 3-4 inches in diameter. Poke holes into each biscuit with a fork. Place on a floured cookie sheet. It should come out hard and dry.
Oven: 400 F
Time: 35-45 minutes
Yield: 12-15 biscuits
Recipes Beef Jerky
You will need:
1 flank or london broil steak (or other very lean cut of meat)
salt and pepper
1 cup soy sauce
aluminum foil
Cut the steak into strips with the grain of the meat. It is very important to cut along the grain or the cooked meat will fall apart into small pieces! Pour the soy sauce into a bowl and dip the meat strips in it. Lay the strips out on a piece of foil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the strips on a metal rack in the oven with foil below to catch the drippings.
Oven: 150 F
Time: 10 hours
** You can put your beef jerky in the oven at bedtime and it will be ready to take out in the morning before school.
Recipes Indian Fry Bread
You will need:
3 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 cup cold water
corn oil (for frying)
In a bowl, mix sugar and milk. Add flour. Gradually stir in the water until the flour is moistened and the dough forms. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface; knead until dough is well mixed. Roll to a 10 inch square and about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 12 rectangles. In a deep saucepan, heat some oil at 375 F. and fry the dough 2-3 minutes or until medium brown. Turn often as you are frying. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Recipes Tea Biscuits
You will need:
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tarter
Mix all ingredients together. Make into a thin loaf and bake in flat, greased pan. Break into chunks. Serve warm with butter and honey.
Oven: 350 F
Time: 30 minutes (check after 20 min.)
Recipes Potato Pudding
You will need:
3 large potatoes
3 eggs (separated)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cream
1/2 fresh lemon (juice squeezed, and rind grated)
Boil, mash and cool the potatoes. Mix with egg yolks. When well blended, add egg whites, (which have been well beaten and combined with sugar) flour, salt, cream, and lemon, juice and grated rind. Bake in a buttered dish until firm. Serve with sugar and cream. Also, they are good when they are topped with fresh berries, sweetened and crushed.
Oven: 350 F
Time: 30 minutes (or until firm)
Recipes Apple Treat
You will need the following:
4-5 slices of buttered bread
1 can sweetened apple sauce
2 eggs
1 pint milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Line the bottom of a pudding dish with buttered bread and cover with apple sauce. Repeat until dish is half-full, finishing the layering with the bread on top. Mix eggs, milk, sugar, and salt. Pour this mixture over bread and sauce. Bake until set. Serve cold with cream, sugar, and nutmeg gratings or cinnamon.
Oven: 350 F
Time: Approx. 25 minutes
Recipes Apple Snow
You will need: 10 apples
1 cup water
Grated rind of 1 lemon
10 eggs (separated)
1 cup granulated sugar
Peel and core apples. Simmer in water with lemon rind until tender. Put through colander and cool. Take egg whites, beat to a stiff froth, and fold into apples. Add sugar, and continue beating until stiff. Serve in a glass dish with either custard sauce made with the egg yolks, or whipped cream. This is good enough for a party when served with ladyfingers, snow cake, or sponge cake.
Recipes Cranberry-Nut Muffins
You will need the following:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup honey
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cream margarine and honey. Add the eggs, orange juice, and rind. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, add the cranberries and the walnuts. Bake in oiled muffin tin.
Oven: 350 F
Time: 35 minutes
http://www.nps.gov/archive/whmi/educate/ortrtg/ortrtg4.htm
Pioneer Tidbits:
Interesting facts about pioneers and their way of life.
1.
The pioneers walked the Oregon Trail, but have you ever thought how many shoes were worn out by the time they reached Oregon?
According to the diary of May Ellen Murdock Compton, a 1853 emigrant, she started from Independence with ten brand new pairs of shoes and wore all of them out except the last pair. She saved this pair for the Oregon Country by walking barefoot over the last miles of her journey.
2.
Some wagon trains painted their wagon canvas covers a bright red or blue. This way the individual wagons would know to which group of wagons they belonged.
3.
Pioneers had what they called a “Roadside Telegraph.” Pioneers would write messages on anything that was available to communicate with other wagon trains. “Anything available” meant cloth scraps, animal skulls, rocks, bark, leaves, etc. Some places were “Prairie Post Offices” meaning there were a number of messages that had been left at that spot for others.
4.
1852 was the “Year of the Bloomer,” although few women emigrants wore this new fashion item. The bloomer offered a woman the chance to become more practical in regard to attire during their overland journey. Mariett Foster Cummings chose to wear bloomers to avoid the mud. Eliza Ann McAuley and her sister dressed in the height of fashion as they wore bloomers with light calf-skin top boots for wading through mud and sand. Most women preferred skirts (See #8).
5.
It took roughly $800-$1,000 to obtain a proper outfit (wagon, food, clothing, etc.) and enough supplies to live a whole year without planting or harvesting a crop. Some families saved for three to five years before being able to begin their trip west.
6.
The idiom, “Going off half-cocked,” can be traced back to the safety device on most muzzleloader guns. In theory, the “half cocked” position on the gun would prevent the hammer from falling all the way, causing the gun to shoot. Obviously, this safety device did not always work.
7.
Of the known deaths along the Oregon Trail, cholera was the leading cause. The present day state of Nebraska was the deadliest state for cholera. Ninety-six percent of all cholera deaths occurred by the time the emigrants reached South Pass. The disease “cholera” was first reported in the United States during the years of 1832-1834. St. Louis lost a tenth of its population to this disease. Many pioneers thought that by going west they might be able to escape this disease. But as one emigrant diary read, “The road from Independence to Fort Laramie is a grave-yard. “Another emigrant put the number of burials at 1,500 to 2,000 at this point on the trail, while yet another put the death total at around 5,000.
8.
Toilet facilities were, for the most part, not mentioned in journals written along the Oregon Trail. But, according to emigrant Charlotte Pengra, one trail-side rest area looked more like a communal ditch. There are suggestions that the full skirts worn by most ladies acted as shields or “curtains of modesty” for this purpose. Obviously, bloomers would not provide this advantage.
9.
Fine china was packed in barrels of flour and cornmeal. This packing technique was designed to prevent family heirlooms from being destroyed during the journey. In theory this was a great idea, but there was one serious drawback—usually, the travelers had to eat the flour and cornmeal during the trip, and most of the dishes ended up breaking anyway and had to be discarded along the trail.
10.
It appears that one out of every five overland women were in some stage of pregnancy during the trip and virtually every married woman traveled with small children. This clearly illustrates the physical demands endured by women during their journey.
11.
Women were considered young ladies when they reached the age of 13 or 14, and it was common for a 15 year old woman to be married. The average age for a woman to get married during the mid-1800’s was 20, and the average age for men to be married was 25.
12.
According to author John Faragher, “Children along the trail were pretty much allowed to shift for themselves, to grow as they might, with relatively little parental or maternal involvement in the process.”
13.
Portraits and photographs of dead family members, particularly infants and young children were highly cherished. This became a way of holding onto a life too soon snuffed out. In fact, in was not uncommon for a parent to pose with a dead infant in their arms and later place this picture on their mantle or table.
14.
Over 60 percent of all male heads of households traveling the trail were farmers. Physicians, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals made up about 12 percent, while craftsmen and merchants made up about 20 percent.
15.
In many wagon train groups, once every couple of weeks the women spent a full day doing the wash. As one emigrant woman wrote, “Camilia and I both burnt our arms very badly while washing. They were red and swollen and painful as though scalded with boiling water. I do not see that there is any way of preventing it, for everything has to be done in the wind and sun.”
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications_detail.aspx?p=8
Ox-team days on the Oregon Trail
Title Ox-team days on the Oregon Trail, by Ezra Meeker. Rev. and ed. by Howard R. Driggs ... illustrated with drawings by F.N. Wilson and with photographs
Author: Meeker, Ezra, 1830-1928
Contents: Follow a young pioneer family as they set out to build a new life in the Pacific Northwest. Also follow author Ezra Meeker as he retraces the trail many years later to memorialize the Oregon Trail and the pioneers who lived and died on it.
Publication Information: Yonkers-on-Hudson, N.Y.: World Book Co., 1922
State Library Catalog Information
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Respironics, Inc. SmartMonitor 2 Infant Apnea Monitor, Models 4002 and 4003
Audience: Consumers, Pediatricians
Respironics and FDA notified healthcare professionals of a Class I recall of SmartMonitor 2 Infant Apnea Monitor, Models 4002 and 4003, used for the continuous monitoring of respiration and heart rate of infant patients in the home or in the hospital. The monitors may fail to sound an alarm during periods of temporary interruption of breathing or low heart rates. The affected products were manufactured from January 16, 2008 through November 13, 2008 and distributed from January 17, 2008 through December 31, 2008.
Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary, including a link to the FDA recall notice, at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#SmartMonitor
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/apr09_quickview.htm
[Long list, wide variety]
The April 2009 posting includes 65 drug products with safety labeling changes to the following sections: BOXED WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT, and MEDICATION GUIDE.
The “Summary Page” provides a listing of drug names and safety labeling sections revised: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/apr09_quickview.htm
The “Detailed View Page” identifies safety labeling sections and subsections revised along with a brief summary of new or modified safety information to the BOXED WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, and/or WARNINGS sections: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/apr09.htm
The following 45 drugs had modifications to the BOXED WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, and WARNINGS sections:
Extraneal, Remicade, Orap, Prevpac, Soma Compund, Aleve, Aleve Liquid Gels, Aleve-D Sinus & Cold, Axert, Carbatrol, Celontin, Depakene, Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakote Sprinkle, Depo-Medrol, Dilantin, Doribax, Enlon Plus, Equetro, Exjade, Felbatol, Gabitril, Heparin Solium injection, Ibuprofen, Kaletra, Keppra/Keppra XR, Klonipin, Lamictal, Lyrica, Midol, Motrin, Children’s Motrin Cold, Mysoline, Neurontin, Peganone, Sarafem, Stavzor, Tarceva, Tegretol, Topamax, Tranxene, Treanda, Tridione, Trileptal, Zarontin, Zonegran
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
Pioneer Dolls
By Judie Fordham
Judie Fordham, “Pioneer Dolls,” Friend, July 1992, 27
When pioneer children were crossing the plains,
They didn’t have cars, airplanes, or trains.
They walked beside wagons loaded clear to the top
With food, bedding, and seeds for the next season’s crop.
There just wasn’t room for a toy or a doll—
The wagons were filled with all they could haul.
So Papa’s handkerchief became a new toy,
A cherished soft doll that brought lots of joy.
This cute little doll loves to play or just sleep.
She’ll brush away tears if ever you weep.
So keep her close by—she’s easy to hold—
And pretend you’re a pioneer child of old.
Exploring:
Home Remedies
By Rebecca Todd
(Based on Homespun, by Shirley B. Paxman)
And whosoever among you are sick … shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food (D&C 42:43).
Rebecca Todd, “Home Remedies,” Friend, Mar. 1997, 42
A red pepper instead of aspirin! What would you say if you went to the doctor with a cold and he handed you a red pepper or mint leaf to treat it? It may sound strange, but the pioneers used seeds, blossoms, and other plant parts to try to cure their colds and ease their aches and pains.
Since many pioneer homes were isolated, it usually fell upon the mother to care for the family when they got sick. She learned by trial and error which roots, seeds, and blossoms might help cure her family’s ills. The medicines were usually made by dropping dried leaves or roots into boiling water and letting it stand for five minutes. When a pioneer mother discovered an effective remedy, she’d be sure to share it with the other sisters at church on Sunday.
Hot peppers dried by the fire were made into a broth to treat colds. Pine needles were also boiled in water, and then the water was drunk for treating colds. Sagebrush dotted the brown valley when the pioneers arrived in Utah. It was used to treat ailments of the liver and the eyes. Many believed that sage helped a person have a long and healthy life. Dry mustard mixed with flour, or pine tar mixed with turpentine, was often spread on a cloth and placed on the chest to relieve congestion in the lungs.
The pioneers didn’t chew spearmint gum, but spearmint was prescribed for an upset stomach, nausea, or kidney stones. It was also thought to prevent swelling and inflammation. The tangy mint flavor made it a pioneer favorite.
When a child came down with a fever, a pioneer mother often boiled parsley to ease the fever. Parsley was also used for jaundice (a liver disease) and gallstones (a gall bladder condition). Raspberry and strawberry leaves were used to treat flu and/or diarrhea. Many believed that raw or cooked garlic helped heart disease.
Sometimes the women experimented, mixing plants with household ingredients. A paste of oatmeal, linseed oil, buttermilk, and baking soda was concocted to ease insect bites or bee stings. Mud or clay mixed with turpentine, crushed chrysanthemum leaves, butter, and salt might also ease the pain of a bite. A paste made of turpentine and brown sugar was sometimes applied to stop bleeding.
Some of the pioneer remedies are still used today, but most have been replaced by new and more effective medicines. There were no hospitals for early pioneer families. Mothers had to rely on Heavenly Father and the plants of the land to care for their families.
[illustrations] Illustrated by Dick Brown
© 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
[This could be an interesting site, as usual I have too many tabs open to really explore, most of what I am posting tonight will interest you, from the looks of it....LOL, a google or two floated through my mind and it will take a long time to see it all.
granny]
http://www.kclibrary.org/kchistory/taste-trail-books-examine-explorers-diet
A Taste of the Trail: Books Examine Explorers’ Diet
The bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition recalls a number of the epic triumphs and tribulations of the Corps of Discovery, but several books in the Library’s Missouri Valley Special Collections analyze a less-examined aspect of the journey: Food. Without daily nourishment of some kind, the explorers would not have had the energy to haul a keelboat up the Missouri River, survive a North Dakota winter, or portage the Great Falls of Montana. Books describing the culinary adventures of the expedition range from scholarly examinations of nutrition and food culture to gourmet interpretations that read like recipes straight from the pages of Bon Appetit magazine.
In preparation for the trip west, Lewis purchased 193 pounds of what would become a staple of the men’s diet -”portable” or “pocket” soup. Lewis’ expenditure of $289.50 on this item in May 1803 might be compared to a purchase of $4,500 worth of bouillon cubes in a 2004 supermarket. Mary Gunderson’s Food Journal of Lewis & Clark (History Cooks, 2003) provides a recipe for authentic portable soup, consisting of oxtail, onions, carrots, salt, and a bay leaf for a little zing. The recipe calls for boiling these ingredients for five hours, straining out the solids to produce a “quivering, gelled mass” of oxtail stock, letting this substance congeal in a refrigerated pan, and cutting it into 3.5 inch squares. In 1803, these cubes were packed in canvas oilcloth sealed with wax. Gunderson advises storage at room temperature for historical authenticity.
Cornmeal cooked in various forms was another staple of the expedition. It was most often prepared as a “hoe cake” — a patty of salted cornmeal fried in lard. Some 1,200 pounds of “parched meal” went up the Missouri with Lewis and Clark, as well as one keg of lard and 600 pounds of “grees.” The hoe cake was so named by early chefs who prepared it on the blade of a hoe over an open fire.
Once on the river and beyond, the nine men of the expedition went on what could be described as the most intense Atkins Diet of all time. An average of nine pounds of meat was consumed per man per day for much of the journey. Sergeant Ordway, a member of the Corps of Discovery, kept a careful tally of the game ingested from April 9-27, 1805. He records that the men ate all of the following in that three-week period: beaver, beaver tail, deer, deer liver, elk, buffalo, buffalo calves, buffalo tongue, antelope, white rabbit, muskrat, otter, grizzly bear, goose, goose eggs, bald eagles and swan. In his journal, Meriwether Lewis also writes of a potential backyard delicacy for many of us: “I made my dog take as many [squirrels] each day as I had occation for, they wer fat and I thought them fryed a pleasant food” (11 September, 1803). The physical effects of such a diet are examined in detail in Leandra Zim Holland’s Feasting and Fasting with Lewis and Clark (Old Yellowstone Publishing, 2003).
Additional books about food on the Lewis and Clark expedition range from cookbooks that interpret the men’s culinary creativity rather generously (a recipe for “Hazelnut Mushroom Pate,” for instance, or an elk marinade containing garlic, virgin olive oil, shallots and celery seed), to cookbooks intending to document the food preparation techniques of Sacagawea and other Native Americans encountered by Lewis and Clark. So as you remember the sights and sounds of the Lewis and Clark Expedition this summer, don’t forget the tastes. Gourmet cooks and historical purists alike know that the palate is a great way to share the experience of the Corps of Discovery.
Dan Coleman
Missouri Valley Special Collection Librarian
2004
http://www.stratfordhall.org/visit/gardens/herbs.php
Colonial Herbs
The Herb Garden is laid out in a traditional colonial pattern of two main paths meeting on a central axis with smaller paths radiating out in grid fashion. The beds are raised approximately ten inches using wooden boards as would have been done in the eighteenth century. The specimens are labeled and brief information is provided about the uses of each herb. Stratford Herbs
Raising the beds enables the soil to warm more quickly in the spring, allows for better drainage, and permits easy access for weeding and maintenance. The soft paths of shredded mulch make walking among the raised beds pleasant, and encourages guests to go into the garden for a closer look. Please do touch!
The history of gardening with herbs dates back to ancient times, covering all ages, in all countries. In America, the uses and knowledge of herbs grew with each race of peoples that came to the New World. Our forefathers and mothers brought seeds and cuttings from their homelands and the Native Americans passed on their extensive wisdom in indigenous species.
Though for many decades the understanding of herbs had become obscure, today they are enjoying a great resurgence of interest. Here at Stratford some of the herbs are used in our Dining Room for garnish and flavor while others are used in our interpretive programs and arrangements to grace special occasions.
Herbs are easy to grow as compared to other plants. They are relatively pest-free and, with a good start, grow without much attention.
All herbs and flowers - in fact all plants - have been given their own symbolism and meanings. The art of the language of flowers became highly specialized during the Victorian period. You will find in our list of herbs many of the meanings for each.
List of Herbs at Stratford
* Alkanet—Anchusa officinalis—biennial or perennial; used as a dye herb for striking red color; blossoms good in salads; used in herbal medicine.
* Angelica—Angelica archangelica—biennial; “inspiration”; large interesting plant in the landscape; wonderful licorice taste; cut stems, soak in simple syrup, dry and you have candy.
* Anise Hyssop—Agastache foeniculum—perennial; layer leaves in sugar for flavor in baking or stir into beverages; draws butterflies and “painted” wasps to the garden. (They DON”T sting unless harassed!)
* Silver Queen/Silver King Artemisia—Artemisia ludoviciana—perennial; silvery grey foliage is a must for dried arrangements; great in the landscape as well.
* Feverfew—Tanacetum parthenium—perennial; “you light up my life”; flowers fresh or dried are wonderful in arrangements; dried blossoms add sweet fragrance to potpourri; used medicinally to relieve headache and reduce fever.
* Wormwood—Artemisia absinthium—perennial; the plant once used in making absinthe, now known to cause severe brain disorder, a la Van Gogh, cutting off his ear!; good for decorating; tall, wispy foliage for the back of the border, nice pale grey-green leaves; frequently mentioned in the Bible (Jeremiah 23:15).
* Basil—Ocicum basilicum—annual; “love”, “hate”, and “good wishes”; no kitchen or garden should be without! Many great varieties available today; African blue is incredible in the landscape, lemon and cinnamon, as well as traditional greens (of pesto frame), are great for cooking.
* Bee Balm—Monarda didyma—perennial; “compassion”; delightful citrus/mint flavor good for tea and baking; a favorite of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (dark pink variety).
* Betony—Stachys officinalis—perennial; “surprise”; mostly used in the landscape today, beautiful, dark green foliage and purple-pink spiky blossoms; once used medicinally to strengthen the nervous system.
* Borage—Borago officinalis—self-seeding annual; “courage”; cucumber and melon blended into one, tiny sky-blue flowers are great for salads; also makes a nice vinegar.
* Salad Burnet—Poterium sanguisorba—perennial; “mirth”; all the flavor of cucumber without the burp; fun foliage is great year round for fresh salads.
* Calendula—Calendula officinalis—annual; yellow and orange petals add festive touch when sprinkled on salads; excellent healing salve made from the flowers.
* Caraway—Carum carvi—biennial; “faithfulness”; the essential seed in rye bread; seeds also used during the colonial period to curb appetite during prayer meetings.
* Catnip—Nepeta cataria—perennial; a delight to most felines, its minty leaves also make a tea that soothes the nerves; good for drawing beneficial insects to the garden.
* Chamomile—Chamaemelum nobile—perennial and annual; “humility”; sweetly scented of apples, it is the tea that soothes the tummy and lulls one to sleep.
* Chervil—Anthriscus cerefolium—biennial; “sincerity”; in the parsley family; excellent cooked with beans or chopped and added to scrambled eggs or omelets.
* Chicory—Cichorium intybus—perennial; popular to smooth out coffee’s harsh stimulant effect; used medicinally as a mild tonic; young leaves good tossed in salad.
* Chives—Allium schoenoprasum—perennial; so pretty in the spring landscape with pale pink pom poms; add to any dish-what would a baked potato be without chives?
* Garlic Chives—Allium tuberosum—perennial; wonderful white clusters of star-shaped flowers, blooms in summer; blossoms and leaves are good in salads and any dish where the light flavor of garlic is desired.
* Clary Sage—Salvia sclarea—biennial and perennial; used extensively in aromatherapy and once used medicinally to “clear the sight”; good landscape plant with fat, fuzzy, greyish leaves and unique dragon-head blossoms.
http://www.stratfordhall.org/learn/teacher/medicine.php
Medicine & Health
A Colonial teenager faced a struggle for existence. The average life expectancy was under twenty-five years. Diseases such as smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, influenza, rickets, and fevers caused many deaths in children and adults. Wells for drinking water were often contaminated by nearby privies and unpenned animals, causing many illnesses.
Colonial homes had no bathroom, septic system, or running water. Chamber pots, hidden under beds and inside chests, performed the function of today’s toilets. Slaves would dump the contents of the pots daily. Outdoor toilets of wood or brick, called privies, sometimes had four or more holes for larger families. The waste pits below the privies were normally cleaned by chickens; sometimes slaves would have to shovel out the pits. People in this period were accustomed to living with smells that we would consider extremely unpleasant.
Today most people bathe or shower daily, a practice that adults and children of the colonial period would have considered odd. They did not believe in bathing everyday, or even every week. They felt that bathing washed away the layer of dirt that was their protection against germs and disease. Most baths consisted of washing with a cloth dipped into a basin of water. When washing in warm water was desired, water had to be heated in the fireplace. No chemical deodorants or anti-antiperspirants masked body odors; however, since nearly everyone shared the same standard of cleanliness, odors were not as offensive. Pomanders, tussie-mussies, colognes, and lavender and other fragrant herbs used as air fresheners all helped to make indoor odors tolerable.
Colonists often wrote back to England for medical advice. Many were fascinated with Indian remedies made from herbs, minerals, and animal products. Home remedies for a variety of symptoms included ingredients such as snail water, opium, herbs, honey, wine, vipers, licorice, flowers, and berries. The alignment of the stars was believed to affect the healing properties of medicine.
Most family illnesses were treated at home. The plantation mistress or housekeeper usually kept a supply of medicinal herbs and other simple remedies in a physic chest in the Great House. She administered first aid and nursing advice as needed to all persons living on the plantation. Local barbers/surgeons would be consulted only after all other treatments failed. These barbers bled patients (a popular remedy) and pulled abscessed teeth in addition to their primary duties of shaving, cutting hair, and curling wigs. Midwives, who delivered babies, were extremely important since all babies were born at home and colonial families tended to have a larger number of children than those of today.
The term doctor was first used in the colonies in 1769. By the time of the Revolution only a small percentage of doctors had attended a medical school; most were either trained by another physician or self-trained. Physicians usually limited their treatments to rich patients who were chronically ill. Lack of knowledge of causes and cures of most diseases, effective medicines and pain-killers, and instruments such as the thermometer and stethoscope handicapped colonial doctors in their practice of medicine.
Suggested Readings
* Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.
* Kalman, Bobbie. Early Health and Medicine. The Early Settler Life Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1991.
* >Savitt, Todd L. Fever, Agues, and Cures: Medical Life in Old Virginia. An Exhibition for the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, 4 October 1990 - 1 April 1991.
* Wilbur, C. Keith, M.D. Revolutionary Medicine: 1700 - 1800. Chester, CT: The Globe Pequot Press, 1980.
Looks very interesting:
http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2007_winter_spring/epidemics.html
[snipped from a page of several reports]
Influenza
Benjamin Rush provided “An Account of the Influenza as it appeared in Philadelphia in the Autumn of 1789 - In the Spring of 1790 - and in the Winter of 1791” in Medical Inquiries and Observations. 19
In October 1789, Congress arrived in Philadelphia much indisposed with colds, which they ascribed to fatigue, night air and travel. The influenza rapidly spread through the city. Symptoms included the following: hoarseness, sore throat, fatigue, chills, fever, head pains, swollen eyelids, watery eyes, ear ache and possible abscess of the frontal sinus. Sneezing was universal (”no less than fifty times in a day”) 20 as was cough. Other complaints were nose bleeds, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, nausea and sometimes vomiting, limb pain - especially back and thighs, sweating and a remitting fever.
Both sexes were equally affected but it usually passed children under eight years of age. It crossed all occupations but seemed to attack those who worked out of doors more severely than those indoors; surveyors of the eastern woods suffered terribly with influenza. There was no previous disease protection and many people were reinfected. It was usually fatal only to older people, drinkers, asthmatics and those with tuberculosis.
Common treatments included bleeding, antiphlogistic medicines, cordial drinks, and diet, but no cathartics.
Rush made the following observations about influenza: 1. It was as contagious as the smallpox, 2. It spread very rapidly, and 3. Neither climate nor state of society produced any change in the disease.
Page 1
Chapter One: The Transfer of Slave Medical Knowledge
In October of 1861, a Charleston shop placed an ad in the local newspaper which read “Van
Schaak & Grierson are agents for the following Southern Preparations!” There followed a list of
products, including Cherokee Remedy and Cherokee Cure, McLean’s Volcanic Oil Liniment and
Universal Pills, among other items. At the bottom of the advertisement, in fine print, the notation
that the druggists were members of the College of Pharmacy in Paris assured readers of the
store’s integrity
continued......
snipped.....Here is another onion cure.....
Domestic Medicine
Self-treatment, relied on from the earliest colonial period, continued to be prevalent during the
antebellum period. Whether by necessity or by choice, southerners frequently depended on
themselves to treat illnesses using remedies passed down in their families. Southerners turned to
do-it-yourself remedy books which were widely available at the time and so popular they went
through several printings.
6
Plantation mistresses and others compiled recipes for cures from a
variety of sources including newspapers, friends and slaves.
7
A daughter of a slaveowner
attempted to cure a slave child of the croup and later wrote of her efforts. While sitting at his
bedside, she decided “to look in ma’s recept book [to see] if there was no remedy there for the
croup. There was one, to cut up onions and stew them with tallow and sugar, give the liquor to
the patient - apply the onions to the breast, feet and wrist.” Unfortunately this particular remedy
failed and the child died.
8
Disseminating knowledge of effective remedies was considered so
important that a 1739 weekly edition of the Virginia Gazette devoted its first two pages to a cure
by a woman named Joanna Stephens, reprinted from a June 1739 edition of the London Gazette.
The cure called for a powder of egg shells and snails; a decoction, made by boiling herbs in water;
and some pills that contained, among the ingredients, snails, wild carrot seed, burdock seeds, soap
and honey.
9
Domestic remedies continued to be utilized throughout the antebellum period
continues
http://www.essortment.com/all/learnhowtomak_rkhq.htm
Learn how to make a corn husk doll
Corn husk dolls were first made by Native American children. Learn how to make a corn husk doll.
Sponsored Links
Corn husk dolls have been around for centuries. Early arrivals to the United States admired the beautiful, simplistic dolls that Native American children made from corn and fashioned to resemble members of their tribe. Some of the first Americans were taught how to construct these tiny, colorful playmates at the first ever Thanksgiving dinner. Since then, thousands use corn husk dolls for decoration and play. They’re a perfect craft and activity for children of all ages, and make for unique and lively decorations.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
9-12 pieces of green corn husk
String or twine
Decorative pieces
Scissors
Bowl of water
Glue
A WORD ABOUT CORN HUSK
The corn husk you use to construct your doll should be green and not dried. Green corn husk can be purchased from any craft store. You can also use green corn husk you peel from a corn cob yourself. If you must use dried husks, before beginning the construction phase, soak all corn husks in a large bowl of warm water to make them more pliable. Corn husks which are purchased or fresh can be treated in this manner also, though it isn’t usually necessary.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Take a small handful of husks and bunch them together so that they are of equal length. Once this is done, use twine or string to hold them together. Approximately 1/2 inch from the top of your husks, wrap two layers of twine and knot tightly. This will serve as the body for your doll. Once you’ve completed this step, set aside.
2. Take 1 or 2 small pieces of husks and roll them together to form a ball. (If husks are too dry or stiff, soak them for about 30-minutes in a large bowl of warm water.) This “ball” will serve as your doll’s head, so you can play with its size until you are satisfied you’ve created the look you want.
3. Once you have the right size for your head, take a single piece of husk and drape it over your head, gathering the two loose ends at the base of the head. Pull the single piece of husk tightly around your ball (so that you can draw or design a face on it later), and twist the loose ends once and tie tightly with a single piece of twine. Set aside.
4. It’s time to make arms. Grab your first group of husks (which you’ve already tied together on one end in step 1). From the loose end, gather one husk and pull upward (as if peeling a banana). Cut two small pieces of twine. Use one piece of twine to tie the arm off near the center stalk of husks. (This will help to keep it separated from the body of your doll.) Use the other piece of twine or string to tie the loose end of the husk, forming a wrist for your doll. Repeat on the other side so that you have two distinct arms on your doll. If the arms appear too long or disproportionate, cut the husk to the proper size or find a husk more to your liking.
5. Take your dolls head and position it on top of the body so that your two loose pieces of twine drape themselves over the neck of the doll. Using a small piece of string or twine, attach the head to the body. (If the head does not seem to want to stay in place, you may dribble a small amount of glue on the underside of the head before securing it with twine to the body or add a pipe cleaner to it. Allow glue to dry completely before proceeding.)
6. Take a small piece of twine and tie a waist on your doll. It will be located near the center of your stalk of husks. Tightly knot the string or twine.
7. To make the legs for your doll, split the husks which have not yet been tied off, in half. (Right below the waistline you’ve just made.) Use several small pieces of twine to tie off the legs on each side. Make one knot just below where the legs separate and a second knot near the foot of your doll. Repeat on the other side until you have formed two distinct legs.
DECORATING AND DRESSING
Your new corn husk doll can be decorated to your liking. Small children will be able to decorate with colored construction paper
, crayons and markers. You can attach paper clothing, jewelry, facial features and other items with a small dot of household glue. Older children and adults can make clothing from fabric, additional pieces of corn husk or many other items.
Facial features, such as eyes, ears, noses, and mouths can be drawn on with permanent markers or crayons. Craft eyes, yarn mouths, and more can also be attached to your doll with glue.
TIPS, TRICKS, AND HINTS
MAKE A SKIRT for your corn husk doll out of a fresh piece of husk. Simply wrap around the waistline and tie off with a piece of twine or colored yarn. You can decorate your skirt beforehand with markers or crayons.
COLORED yarn can be bent in the shape of a smile or ears and glued into place for instant facial features.
CORN HUSKS can be soaked in food coloring to make colored clothing or skin. Soak husks for 30-minutes in a large bowl containing warm water and several drops of your desired color. To make vibrant browns, soak husks in a large bowl of coffee or tea.
DIP the feet of your doll into a small bowl of acrylic paint to make brown or black shoes. Allow to air dry and repeat, if necessary.
USE small doll clothes to decorate your corn husk doll.
SEQUINS, buttons, glitter and other craft supplies can be glued to your corn husk doll to make jewelry, eyes, colored clothing and more.
INSERT a pipe cleaner into the back of your doll to put them on display, help them bend into a variety of positions, or hang them.
MAKE instant hair for your doll with corn silk, yarn, or twine. Attach with glue.
WATERCOLOR paints will soak into corn husks, and give a deep, rich color to your doll.
USE a plastic bottle cap for a doll hat.
YOU can make a perfectly round head for your doll by placing a few cotton balls inside a piece of husk, instead of rolling husks. Decorate first, and then attach to the body using the above instructions.
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