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All early settlers have similar stories to tell, the long journey from their homelands to travel by ship to this country. Some tell of being on the sea for many weeks. Many of these people stopped in the eastern states for awhile but when they heard about new land being opened up for settlement in the West they packed their few belongings in a covered wagon and made the long journey to Iowa and other western areas. Some stopped in Illinois for a time. Usually they had to drive oxen and many of the men were inexperienced in driving oxen and as a result the oxen often went "gee" instead of "haw". They usually brought a cow or two along with pigs and chickens. On of the hardships of the journey was crossing streams. They had to unload their wagons of the lighter weight articles and carry them across. Then the oxen could pull the wagon with the remaining load. Many of the articles were left along the way because of this difficulty. The settlers found many wild animals, especially muskrats in the sloughs. Many a settler trapped these muskrats to help pay for the neccessary living expenses and improvements. Some even used this money in paying for their land. Trapping was done usually during the winter time. The first thing necessary for a home in a new land was a house in which to live. Many of these homes were of sod construction but when the freight trains began running, lumber was brought from Ft. Dodge. Some early settlers even brought the lumber for their new homes by wagon and oxen. Many of the early buildings used wooden pegs instead of nails. Furniture was often of the home-made type, and not plentiful. |
Since there were few trees around Pomeroy, the early settlers used twisted grass and buffalo and cow chips for fuel much of the time. Some places there were peat bogs which could be used for fuel. We can't imagine trying to keep warm during the cold winter days. Many stories have been told of these hardships, because of lack of fuel. They did go to Fort Dodge to the coal banks along the Des Moines river. This was a trip of three days but numerous stories were told of the father being gone on such a trip for six days or more. The mother had to keep the children in bed to keep them warm. Others had problems in caring for livestock they had. Pioneers used eggs, butter, and milk to help buy the necessary items for the houselold since there were stores established in Pomeroy in 1870. Most of these things could be purchased there. Other hardships to be endured included much damage to crops from grasshoppers and hail. During the wintertime there were many severe blizzards often lasting for several days. Many of these hardships have continued through the years as many of the older citizens of today can remember dry years with dust storms, wet years, insects, hailstorms and blizzards just as in pioneer days. Another critical time for Pomeroy and other communities was the winter of 1935 and 1936 when for 23 consecutive days the temperature was below zero. Our town had a serious shortage of coal and when a carload of coal arrived the mayor had to be on hand to see that each need was cared for. |