Letter of a Prairie Homesteader

A detailed Summary of Letter of a Prairie Homesteader

It has been twelve months since we last met, and I hope this letter finds you in good health. I assure you that father, Anna, John, and I are feeling healthy in spite of our having endured a harrowing winter and extended spring. The snows are only just now starting to melt on the prairies. The nearest town to our homestead is called Nokomis, which is settled mostly by Danes, like you, and Swedes and Norwegians as well. All are hardworking folk and so the town has ample supplies and abundant opportunities for livelihood. Yet father has established a farm rumored as one of the largest and possibly most profitable for fifty miles. We will mainly grow wheat and rye, but have recently begun to harvest berries. Father's blacksmithing skills have funded our farm, and his labor has provided income with which we have planted our fields with grain and acquired the materials and supplies for our home.

When we left you back East I was afraid, as you know, and the journey West was grueling. Last year's spring proved frightfully cold, and we nearly lost our horses along the way. Food was scarcer than we thought and our dried apples offered little sustenance against the cold, and some nights we spent sipping naught b

ut warm water and ginger by the fire.

Last week something interesting happened. John met Mr. Fredriksen, the owner of the town general store and Mr. Fredriksen offered to employ John as an errand-boy. He accepted, of course, and now John happily goes off to work after school and helps Mr. Fredriksen stock his shelves, clean, and occasionally help the customers. Yesterday I went into the general store to buy some salt and to make John work harder, purposely knocked down some cans. Mr. Fredriksen did not see, and Anna and I got a good laugh out of it, seeing John on his knees like that.

Soon the wheat and rye shall make their appearances on the earth and I trust that father expects me to be in charge of the harvest. Nothing would please me more, and there are many others here who can help me to market our crops. We already prepare for grain storage through the erection of a silo, and when the crop is ready we will be sure to thrive, and I will be in charge!

Building the house, as I was saying, was no small feat for this family. Having acquired one ox from Nokomis, father and I made trips back and forth from town with new supplies of lumber and occasional logs, and sod as well, and all the while we lived from our tents and wagon. Once, mother, the cart broke on the way back from town. I cried, screamed even, I will admit. But father remained calm. It was the axel that had broke, and with his deft hands he was able to re-fasten and secure the cart and now it is as strong as ever. And that is only one of our four carts now, for our farm has become larger than we had intended or foreseen. More on that later.

Our house, as it stands complete, has five large rooms. I dare say it is one of the grandest homes in the whole area. Mr. Jorgensen and Mr. Johannsen's homes are far smaller and less attractive. Father built a home that will last, and that is big enough for a large family because he anticipates your immanent arrival and the eventual birth of grandchildren.

The weather was kind to us all summer while we built the house. But mother, you have never seen such mosquitoes! Infernal demons, those insects are, and we feared they might not leave. Thankfully they dread the cold weather and wind, those beasts, and left us by the time our house was finished. They were not welcome within our walls, and I should say they took the hint quite well. However, I anticipate they will be back to hunt for our blood again this summer.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Swedes Norwegians, John Father, Jorgensen Johannsen's, Fredriksen Anna, John Anna, Poor Fredriksen, Anna John, Hopefully Christmas, Dear Mother, , mother hope, dinner day, wheat rye, journey west, built home,

Approximate Word count = 1999
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English