Life on the Northwestern prairies was not easy for the settlers and their families. There were many difficulties to overcome, from living in small poorly built houses that are miles away from one other, to the harshness of the winters and the differences in nationalities. There were empty and abandoned tracts in between some of them due to the fact that some of the settlers moved on leaving the land to be claimed by mortgage companies and Eastern spectators. Some of the empty tracts belonged to the state and held school houses for the settlers’ children to attend.
In order to receive the deed to their land tracts settlers had to live on their land for at least five years. Most settlers lived on a 160-acre tract of land however some lived on 320-acres and very few had 640-acres. There were not very many trees on the land because they were hard to grow due to the condition of the soil. Settlers did not have much money to build elaborate houses. They would go to the nearest railway station and get a few loads of lumber to build their houses. They were typically small houses ranging from two to four bedrooms. The walls were covered with tarred-building paper and weatherboard. They were far from being sturdy enough to withstand the rough winter months. …show more content…
The winters were long, cold and covered in snow. Children attended school in the summer months when the weather was nice enough for them to travel the several miles from home to get there. The harsh winters made travel to school difficult so the schoolhouses would shut down. There were not many chances for the settlers to socialize with one another being that the nearest neighbor was over a mile away. They would take trips to the nearest town to visit the stores and socialize for a bit before heading back to their lonely
In order to receive the deed to their land tracts settlers had to live on their land for at least five years. Most settlers lived on a 160-acre tract of land however some lived on 320-acres and very few had 640-acres. There were not very many trees on the land because they were hard to grow due to the condition of the soil. Settlers did not have much money to build elaborate houses. They would go to the nearest railway station and get a few loads of lumber to build their houses. They were typically small houses ranging from two to four bedrooms. The walls were covered with tarred-building paper and weatherboard. They were far from being sturdy enough to withstand the rough winter months. …show more content…
The winters were long, cold and covered in snow. Children attended school in the summer months when the weather was nice enough for them to travel the several miles from home to get there. The harsh winters made travel to school difficult so the schoolhouses would shut down. There were not many chances for the settlers to socialize with one another being that the nearest neighbor was over a mile away. They would take trips to the nearest town to visit the stores and socialize for a bit before heading back to their lonely