Yesterday's Weapons Forums

Sargent, Nebraska. 1886

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

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"Ain't no Half-Way" -S.R.V.

"Oh Yeah!.....All Right!" -Paul Simon

Homesteaders. Few of them made a go of it, and more than a few women went mad from the isolation and incessant wind.

Dad worked for a wealthy rancher in Cherry County during the 30s who would give starving homesteaders $100 for their place after they were broke - can't recall how many acres was standard. Which was about enough to get to the nearest town - Valentine - where they could take a train somewhere they could survive. Dad said a popular choice was Sioux City where jobs were available in meat packing plants.

Dad would ride over to be sure they were gone, throw a loop over gate posts and such & pull everything down.

This part of the world is called the Sandhills of Nebr due to the soil being just that. Crops don't flourish in sand which led to so many homesteaders going broke.

You need a lot of ground to graze cattle, too. This family at least has a well so there's a chance for them. SW

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Slava Ukraini!!

There were sod houses here too, but no where near that size.
Most were built by Dukhbour settlers and had thatched roofs.
A little better up this way for grain growing, which is what the Dukhs did with reasonable success.
Wells did not have to go that deep, especially in the major river valleys.
Even up on the escarpment, I hit water at about 4 feet. Awfully hard limestone water though.
Soft water did not arrive here until the aqueduct to lake of the woods was completed.

Our family history on Grand-dad's side were predominantly Dutch rail roaders...
There's a whole whack of us that I'm related to in the Chicago area, and have never met.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

_________________
"Ain't no Half-Way" -S.R.V.

"Oh Yeah!.....All Right!" -Paul Simon

Sharptail. What's your relatives last name in the Chicago area? i'm about 80 miles west , but worked in the western and northern suburbs, I might know some.

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"Like a tank with it's tracks blown off, my turret still swivels and my cannon fires, so whenever the fight kicks off, I'll likely live or die right there, where the fight begins and ends"
John Connor

_________________
"Ain't no Half-Way" -S.R.V.

"Oh Yeah!.....All Right!" -Paul Simon

tough life no matter where it was in those times , but thats part of what building this country was all about , not sure there is much left of that type ,