CASE STUDY Nebraska Pioneer Women In the late 1800s, many young couples homesteaded in the plains states of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and so forth. Some had migrated from the east with very...

CASE STUDY

Nebraska Pioneer Women

In the late 1800s, many young couples homesteaded in the plains states of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and so forth. Some had migrated from the east with very few resources and very little farming experience. The land was free if you could prove it up. That is, if you lived and farmed the land you homesteaded for a set period of time. Some of these couples built dug-out homes or sod homes, cooking on an open fire, with very little cooking equipment. They ate what they grew and sometimes did not have very much to eat between harvests and the gathering of wild plants and the killing of wild animals. Those who had greater resources would have cast iron cooking pots and were able from time to time to buy needed staples. After living out on the prairie for months at a time, the women would become unable to work and maintain their households. They became pale, listless, and weak. They would be taken into the nearby towns for rest and recuperation. After a month or two, they usually perked up and were able to return to their homesteads. What was going on? Describe the factors leading to the listlessness of these women? Were other members of the household similarly affected? Why or why not?