Nothing to Do But Stay: My Pioneer MotherIn the early 1900's, twenty-five-year-old Carrine Gafkjen boarded a train from Minneapolis to claim a homestead for herself on the western North Dakota prairies. She lived alone in her claim shack, barred her door at night against the coyotes, existed on potatoes and salt, and walked five miles to the nearest creek to wash her clothes. A decade later she had, by her own ingenuity, doubled her landholdings and became a secure women of property. Then, at an age when most other women would have been declared spinsters, Carrine Gafkjen married Sever Berg and had six children. Nothing to Do but Stay tells the story of this uncommon woman with warmth and good humor. It gives testimony to the lasting spirit of our pioneer heritage and, in these uncertain times, to the staying power of family and tradition. This book will appeal to all those with an interest in the settlement of the West, the history of the Great Plains, women's studies, and the perseverance of the early-twentieth-century farmers. |
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Page 43
... baby in St. Paul while her husband was in the marines . She and her baby shared their apartment with Gladys and Fran . Gladys was in the stenographic pool at the Ford Motor plant , where armored cars were made , and Fran worked as a ...
... baby in St. Paul while her husband was in the marines . She and her baby shared their apartment with Gladys and Fran . Gladys was in the stenographic pool at the Ford Motor plant , where armored cars were made , and Fran worked as a ...
Page 54
... baby was due the last week in May . My father and she planned to take the train to Minnesota two weeks before the birth to go to her par- ent's home where her mother - an experienced midwife— would deliver the baby . On April 20 my ...
... baby was due the last week in May . My father and she planned to take the train to Minnesota two weeks before the birth to go to her par- ent's home where her mother - an experienced midwife— would deliver the baby . On April 20 my ...
Page 119
... baby brother in his coffin . The tears were spattering out and falling on his brother like warm raindrops . The sight of us seemed to intensify his grief , and without even stopping to greet us he rushed from the room . A half hour ...
... baby brother in his coffin . The tears were spattering out and falling on his brother like warm raindrops . The sight of us seemed to intensify his grief , and without even stopping to greet us he rushed from the room . A half hour ...
Contents
ONE The Education of a Family | 1 |
TWO The Seedling Years | 49 |
THREE Prairie Cook | 69 |
Copyright | |
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