Survival in a Northern Wilderness: A Mother's Story--Part XXVIII
It had been four years since Orrah told Wesley that they did not need a team of horses, including harnesses, that he could have purchased for fifty dollars. A year or so later, the proprietor of the Kettle Falls Hotel had told Orrah that she would give him her horse in trade for him and the boys cutting a few 2 x 4’s, but because she had run an old red light place many years before, Orrah flatly refused the offer. She later gave it to a neighbor who butchered it for mink fe
Survival in a Northern Wilderness: A Mother's Story--Part XXVII
Violet had a proverbial laundry list of things to do before winter set in but Orrah kept pestering her to go out on the trap line with him, iterating that the kids were now responsible enough to get the chores done prior to winter. The kids agreed and Violet was persuaded. The plan was for her to go out with Orrah for about a month and return after freeze up; as it turned out Orrah got real lucky. Orrah and Violet were about three miles from their trapping cabin when he fell
Survival in a Northern Wilderness: A Mother's Story-- Part XXVI
Violet’s boys took jobs guiding tourists during the summer, however, the girls were not allowed to participate in any work outside the home, their dad would not allow it, but that didn’t mean they didn’t work. With the girls help, Violet put up quarts and quarts of jams, jellies and preserves,an they processed jars and jars of pumpkin to make pies with in the winter. The boys dug a cellar and put up shelves so Violet could store their jars of canned meats, vegetables and fru