Women on the Frontier

In the past, women had been seen as secondary - self sacrificing helpmates to the real settlers of the western frontier.  However, women of the frontier were much more than mothers, housekeepers and healers.  They arrived many times after the men had staked out the homestead, and then women created the real home - organizing and civilizing necessities such as churches, schools and libraries that made the frontier into communities.

The work required to make life possible on the frontier was hard, frustrating, and agonizing.  Most of these women came from eastern homes and many were from "well-bred" homes with clean, tidy houses that spoke of morality in their communities.  How could they keep a sod house clean when dirt fell from the ceiling? The floor was dirt as well and sweeping created more dust and dirt.  Water was not available from the tap and fuel had to gathered.  Cooking was many times done by cow dung and who gathered the cow dung?  Women!  A problem as simple as how to gather cow poop to use was a woman's problem.

Along with these cleaning and cooking eye-openers for these women from society was the problem of loneliness on the frontier.  Distances between neighbors was too far and too spread out to enable frequent visits.  There were no church socials, no quilting bees, no barn raising get-togethers to bring families together.  The men might get to town sometimes to buy and sell, but women stayed a home tending to chores.  There were no breaks from child care, no nights out to get away from it all.  Not surprisingly, mental illness on the Plains was much higher among women. 

Next time - No Shrinking Violets
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On September 10, 1881, tensions neared the breaking point between the Earp brothers and the Clanton-McLaury families, the two major power centers in Tombstone. Two days earlier, a stagecoach had been robbed and the Tombstone sheriff formed a posse that included Morgan and Wyatt Earp to find the culprits. The situation would not be resolved without violence. The Earp brothers and two families were headed for a showdown at the O.K. Corral in October.