Most of the early settlers of Iowa came from older States, as Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, where their prospects for even a competency were very poor. They found those States good—to emigrate from. Their entire stock of furniture, implements and family necessities were easily stored in one wagon, and sometimes a cart was their only vehicle.

     After arriving and selecting a suitable location, the next thing to do was to build a log cabin, a description of which may be interesting to many of our younger readers, as in some sections these old-time structures are no more to be seen. Trees of uniform size were chosen and cut into logs of the desired length, generally twelve to fifteen feet, and hauled to the spot selected for the future dwelling. On an appointed day the few neighbors who were available would assemble and have a “house-raising.” Each end of every log was saddled and notched so that they would like as close down as possible; the next day the proprietor, would proceed to “chink” and “daub” the cabin, to keep out the rain, wind and cold. The house had to be re-daubed every fall, as the rains of the intervening time would wash out a great part of the mortar. The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by shortening the logs gradually at each end of the building near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout poles suitable distances apart, and on these were laid the clapboards, somewhat like shingling, generally about two and a half feet to the weather. These clapboards were fastened to their place by “weight-poles” corresponding in place with the joists just described, and these again were held in their place by “runs” or “knees” which were chunks of wood about eighteen or twenty inches long fitted between them near the ends. Clapboards were made from the nicest oaks in the vicinity, by chopping or sawing them into four-foot blocks and riving these with a frow, which was a simple blade fixed at right angles to its handles. This was driven into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down through the wood, the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end being held by a forked piece of timber.

     The chimney to the Western pioneer’s cabin was made by leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cutting one after the structure was up, and by building on the outside, from the ground up, a stone column, or a column of sticks and mud, the sticks being laid up cob house fashion. The fire-place thus made was often large enough to receive fire-wood six to eight feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the “back-log,” would be nearly as large as a saw-log. The more rapidly the pioneer could burn up the wood in his vicinity the sooner he had his little farm cleared and ready for cultivation. For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of the one of the wall logs, and the hole closed, sometimes by glass but generally with greased paper. Even greased deer-hide was sometimes used. A doorway was cut through one of the walls if a saw was to be had; otherwise the door would be left by shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinning clapboards to two or three wood bars, and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with catch, then finished the door, and the latch was raised by any one on the outside by pulling a leather string. For security at night this latch-string was drawn in, but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the “latch-string was always hanging out,” as a welcome. In the interior over the fire-place would be a shelf called “the mantel,” on which stood a candlestick or lamp, some cooking and table ware, possibly an old clock, and other articles; in the fire-place would be the crane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood; on it the pots were hung for cooking; over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever-trustful rifle and power-horn; in one corner stood the larger bed for the “old folks”, and under it the trundle-bed for the children; in another stood the old-fashioned spinning-wheel, with a small one by its side; in another the heavy table, the only table, of course, there was in the house; in the remaining was a rude cupboard holding the tableware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers, and blue-edged plates, standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table-furniture more conspicuous; while around the room were scattered a few splint-bottom or Windsor chairs, and two or three stools.

     These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true-hearted people. They were strangers to mock modesty, and the traveler seeking lodging for the night, or desirous of spending a few days in the community, if willing to accept the rude offering, was always welcome, although how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily imagine; for, as described, a single room was made to answer for kitchen, dining-room, bed-room and parlor, and many families consisted of six or eight members.

     The bed was very often made by fixing a post in the floor about six feet from one wall and four feet from the adjoining wall, and fastening a stick to this post about two feet above the floor, on each of two sides, so that the other end of each of the two sticks could be fastened in the opposite wall; clapboards were laid across these, and thus the bed was made complete. Guests were given this bed, while the family disposed of themselves in another corner of the room or in the loft. When several guests were on hand at once they were sometimes kept over night in the following manner: When bedtime came the men were requested to stop out of doors while the women spread out a broad bed upon the mid floor, and put themselves to bed in the center; the signal was given, and the men came in and each husband took his place in bed next his own wife, and single men outside beyond them again. They were generally so crowded that they had to lie “spoon” fashion, and whenever anyone wished to turn over they would say “spoon,” and the whole company of sleepers would turn over at once. This was the only way they could all keep in bed.

     To witness the various processes of cooking in those days would alike surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cooking stoves and ranges came into use. Kettles were hung over the large fire, suspended with pot-hooks, iron or wooden, on the craw, or on poles, one end of which would rest upon a chain. The long-handled frying pan was used for cooking meat. It was either held over the blaze by hand or set down upon coals drawn out upon the hearth. This pan was also used for baking pancakes, also call flapjacks, batter-cakes, etc. A better article for this, however, was the cast-iron spider, or Dutch skillet. The best thing for baking bread in those days, and possibly even in these latter days, was the flat-bottomed bake kettle, of greater depth, with closing fitting cast-iron cover, and commonly known as the Dutch oven. With coals over and under it, bread and biscuits would be quickly and nicely baked. Turkey and spare-ribs were sometimes roasted before the fire, suspended by a string, a dish being placed underneath to catch the drippings.

     Hominy and samp were very much used. The hominy, however, was generally hulled corn — boiled corn from which the hull or bran had been taken by hot lye, hence sometimes called lye hominy. True homily and samp were made of pounded corn. A popular method of making this, as well as real meal for bread, was to cut out or burn a large hole in the top of a huge stump, in the shape of a mortar, and pounding the corn in this by a maul or beetle suspended by a swing pole like a wellsweep. This and the wellsweep consisted of a pole twenty to thirty feet long fixed in an upright fork so that it could be worked “teeter” fashion. It was a rapid and simple way of drawing water. When the samp was sufficiently pounded it was taken out, the bran floated off, and the delicious grain boiled like rice.

     The chief articles of diet in an early day were corn bread, hominy or samp, venison, pork, honey, pumpkin (dried pumpkin for more than half the year), turkey, prairie chicken, squirrel and some other game, with a few additional vegetables a portion of the year. Wheat bread, tea, coffee and fruit were luxuries not be indulged in except on special occasions, as when visitors were present.

     Besides cooking in the manner described, the women had many other arduous duties to perform, one of the chief of which was spinning. The big wheel was used for spinning yarn and the little wheel for spinning flax. These stringed instruments furnished the principal music for the family, and were operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill, attained without pecuniary expense, and with far less practice than is necessary for the girls of our period to acquire a skillful use of their costly and elegant instruments. But those wheels, indispensable a few years ago, are all now superseded by the mighty factories which overspread the country, furnishing cloth of all kinds at an expense ten times less than would be incurred ow by the old system.

     The traveler always found a welcome at the pioneer’s cabin. It was never full. Although there might be already a guest for every puncheon, there was still “room for one more,” and a wider circle would be made for the new-comer at the big fire. If the stranger was in search of land, he was doubly welcome, and his host would volunteer to show him all the “first rate claims in this neck of the woods,” going with him for days, showing the corners and advantages of every “Congress track” within a dozen miles of his own cabin.

     To his neighbors the pioneer was equally liberal. If a deer was killed, the choicest bits were sent to his nearest neighbor, a half-dozen miles away perhaps. When a pig was butchered, the same custom prevailed. If a new-comer came in too late for “cropping,” the neighbors would supply his table with just the same luxuries they themselves enjoyed, and in as liberal quantity, until a crop could be raised. When a new-comer had located his claim, the neighbors for miles around would assemble at the site of the proposed cabin and aid him in “gittin” it up. One party with axes would cut down the trees and hew the logs; another with teams would haul the logs to the ground; another party would “raise” the cabin; while several of the old men would rive the clap-boards for the roof. By night the little forest domicile would be up and ready for a “house-warming,” which was the dedicatory occupation of the house, when music and dancing and festivity would be enjoyed at full height. The next day the new-comer would be as well situated as his neighbors.

     An instance of primitive hospitable manners will be in place here. A traveling Methodist preached arrived in a distant neighborhood to fill an appointment. The house where services were to be held did not belong to a church member, but no matter for that. Boards were collected from all quarters with which to make temporary seats, one of the neighbors volunteering to lead off in the work, while the man of the house, with the faithful rifle on his shoulder, sallied forth in quest of meat, for this truly was a “ground hog” case, the preacher coming and no meat in the house. The host ceased not to chase until he found the meat, in the shape of a deer; returning he sent a boy out after it, with directions on what “pint” to find it. After services, which had been listened to with rapt attention by all the audience, mine host said to his wife, “Old woman, I reckon this ‘ere preacher is pretty hungry and you must git him a bit to eat.” “What shall I get him?” asked the wife, who had not seen the deer,” Thar's nuthen in house to eat.” Why, look thar,” returned he, “thar’s a deer, and thar’s plenty of corn in the field; you get some corn and grate it while I skin the deer, and we’ll have a good supper for him.” It is needless to add that venison and corn bread made a supper fit for any pioneer preacher, and was thankfully eaten.

     Fires set out by Indians or settlers sometimes purposely and sometimes permitted through carelessness, would visit the prairie every autumn, and sometimes the forests, either in autumn or spring, and settlers could not always succeed in defending themselves against the destroying element. Many interesting incidents are related. Often a fire was started to bewilder game, or to bare a piece of ground for the early grazing of stock the ensuing spring, and it would get away under a wind and soon be beyond control. Violent winds would often arise and drive the flames with such rapidity that riders on the fleetest steeds could scarcely escape. On the approach of a prairie fire the farmer would immediately set about “cutting off supplies” for the devouring enemy by a “back fire.” Thus by starting a small fire near the bare ground about his premises, and keeping it under control next his property, he would burn off a strip around him and prevent the attack of the on-coming flames. A few furrows or a ditch around the farm were in some degrees a protection.

     An original prairie of tall and exuberant grass on fire, especially at night, was a magnificent spectacle, enjoyed only by the pioneer. Here is an instance where the frontiersman, proverbially deprived of the sights and pleasures of an old community, is privileged far beyond the people of the present day in this country. One could scarcely tire of beholding the scene, as its awe-inspiring features seemed constantly to increase, and the whole panorama unceasingly changed like the dissolving views of a magic lantern, or like the aurora borealis. Language cannot convey, words cannot express the faintest idea of the splendor and grandeur of such a conflagration at night. It was as if the pale queen of night, disdaining to take her accustomed place in the heavens, had dispatched myriads upon myriads of messengers to light their torches at the altar of the setting sun until all had flashed into one long and continuous blaze. One instance has been described as follows: ”Soon the fires began to kindle wider and rise higher from the long grass; the gentle breeze increased to stronger currents, and soon formed the small, flickering blaze into fierce torrent flames, which curled up and leaped along in resistless splendor; and like quickly raising the dark curtain from the luminous stage, the scenes before me were suddenly changed, as if by a magician’s wand, into one boundless amphitheater, blazing from earth to heaven and sweeping the horizon round,---columns of lurid flames sportively mounting up to the zenith, and dark clouds of crimson smoke curling away and aloft till they nearly obscured stars and moon, while the rushing, crashing sounds, like roaring cataracts, mingled with distant thunders, were almost deafening; danger, death, glared all around; it screamed for victims; yet, notwithstanding the imminent peril of prairie fires, one is loth, irresolute, almost unable to withdraw or seek refuge.

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