This column by Meghan G’Schwind was originally published in the Jan. 20, 2022 issue of the Custer County Chief.
The Chief will be publishing a special Progress edition in a couple weeks and I have the privilege of writing about the history of a local family. As I flip through scrapbooks and photo albums, I’m intrigued by the life our ancestors lived. Many of them came to this land to start a new life but were met instead with the harsh realities of the West.
One story of this particular family is about the first year that they came to Nebraska. They came in the fall of the year and had never experienced the harsh winters of the West. Their first home was a hole they dug in the ground. Unfortunately, they dug the hole facing the south and the cold wind blew right inside. The children often spent nights in the barn, which faced the north and was protected from the wind.
As I sit in my insulated house with the heater running, I have a hard time imaging what it would be like to live in a hole in the ground all winter. I spend my fair share of time outside in the elements, but I don’t think I’m tough enough to survive in the same conditions as those people did.
They grew their own food and made their own tools. They watched their crops die in a drought, yet planted more the next year. No matter what was thrown at them they kept trying to make a life. I admire their hardiness and am thankful they never gave up.
Because of their grit and determination, I am able to live a relatively easy life. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I try to put things into perspective and be thankful for the luxuries that I have.
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