Emigrant Women of the 19th

¶ … emigrant women of the 19th century west overcame the hardships of living on the Great Plains. Many historians believe women of the Great Plains failed to overcome the many hardships they faced in day-to-day life. Christine Stansell writes that women faced severe odds on the Plains, from housekeeping to weather and lack of social interactions, and she believes women were unable to recreate their living experiences of their prior lives, and that life on the prairie simply wore them down. She writes, "Workers in an enterprise often not of their own making, their labor was essential to the farm, their womanhood irrelevant" (Stansell 99). However, many other experts believe this is not the case. Certainly, women suffered as their families sought out new experiences and greater opportunities, but they did overcome the hardships of living on the Great Plains, because they were strong, motivated, and committed to their family's success. Plains women survived and even thrived because they were creative and they could come up with creative solutions to serious problems, such as acquiring water. They were also resolute, surviving conditions and abuse that would daunt many women, but they continued to support their families even in the toughest conditions, mostly because they always remained hopeful about the future. Finally, these resolute women often had the support of family, and later friends, to help them through the most troubling times. Certainly, many women buckled under the pressures of life on the Great Plains, but many others found ways to survive and overcome the many hardships they faced every day.

Plains women were creative, not only in the "crafty" sense, but also in coming up with creative ways to survive and thrive in their new, hostile environment. For example, writer Glenda Riley notes some of the ways women managed water in a largely water-free environment. She writes, "They carried water in pails attached to neck yokes or in barrels on 'water sleds.' They melted snow to obtain cooking and wash water" (Riley 101).

This shows their ingenuity and creativity, and it indicates how determined they were to survive on the Plains, even though it was an extremely hostile environment. They did now bow down under pressure; instead, they rose up and created imaginative solutions to complex problems to help their families survive in a hostile world. To say they were brave is an understatement, they were extremely courageous and determined, but they also had a strong will to survive. This is especially true since many of them had not made the decision to come west, it had been their husband's decision, but they supported them and endured harsh conditions as a result. Their resilience in the face of horrific natural disasters also shows their creativity and resolve. Riley continues, "In the months that followed, she 'learned to cook wheat and potatoes in every way possible'" (Riley 102) after a grasshopper plague ruined this woman's garden and winter food supply. Later, she notes the woman found creative ways to make "coffee" with wheat, and used the wheat kernels to make "rice" (Riley 102). Clearly, these women had to come up with creative, innovative solutions to their problems, and they did, often with a bit of humor or resilience thrown in for good measure.

It is clear that these women were resilient and resolute, and they survived because they supported their families, and because they never gave up hoping for the future. Riley notes, "They hung on because they had hope for the future, or according to one migrant, because they didn't expect the hard times to last" (Riley 104). For many, those hard times did not last, and they prospered in their new homes, just as they had hoped. Their husbands' farms became successful, they were able to afford better housing, and schools, churches, and other social amenities began to come to the Plains. Their lives got better, just as they hoped they would. Riley states, "Often, their optimism was rewarded, and conditions did improve. Innovative technology gradually conquered the arid Plains, and economic booms occasionally appeared" (Riley 104). That is not to say that these women did not continue to be challenged. The weather, the loneliness, the hostilities, and the isolation all took their toll on Plains women, but they were resolute and determined, and held out hope for the future, and so, for the most part, they managed to survive and even come to love their life on the Plains. One of the most famous Plains women is Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote about her family's experiences in the "Little House" series. Riley quotes her as saying these problems were "a natural part of life'" (Riley 104), and another woman saying, "those years on the Plains were hard years but I grew to like the West and now I would not like to live any other place'" (Riley 104). As women became accustomed to their new home, they came to love it, and if they did not, they left, leaving their homes and work to other new settlers who might appreciate it more than they had.