Examine the hardships faced by frontier families; understand the roles and contributions of men, women, and children on the frontier; identify and analyze patterns of settlement on the Great Plains.

In the 19th century, settlers streamed across the Great Plains, enticed by the promise of opportunity and the challenge of an untamed western frontier. However, daily life was fraught with hardship. The wrath of nature proved insurmountable for many. A landscape of vast grasses without trees for fences and barns and lacking adequate rainfall was difficult to domesticate. Just as difficult was the sense of deep isolation that forced family members to rely on each other to survive. Prairie fires, winter blizzards, and harsh summer winds tested the mettle of both men and women. One man wrote of a summer in Dakota Territory: “The winds were hot and dry and the grass, baked on the stem, had become as inflammable as hay…. The little gardens…withered, and many of the women began to complain bitterly of loneliness…” (Son 308) Frontier life posed many difficulties—each man, woman, and child had a role in the survival of the family.

• CA  Chronological and Spatial Thinking: 3
• TX  113.32(12): a; 113.33(25): h; 113.34(6): b, (7): b
• FL  SS.B.2.4: 1, 2, 6
• NCSS  IV (HS): c

2 class periods

• Activity Sheet, Family Life on the Frontier
• Timeline, Chronology of Daily Life on the 19th Century American Frontier 
• Map, U.S. Territorial Growth, 1860 
• Graphic Organizer, Concept Map
• Writing Rubric

Students have the opportunity to write a Research Report (see Extension below).

What hardships existed for family members living on the frontier?

Point of View Students will write a diary entry from the point of view of one family member living on the frontier. Students will research the issues confronting settlers, including the challenges posed by isolation, disease, and malnutrition, as well as the harsh climate and other environmental conditions.

Have students research the topic using the provided links. Encourage them to use the suggested graphic organizer as they read the articles.

Custer County, Nebraska, 1892: A frontier family is shown in their dugout house. Built into an embankment, its front wall was made of layers of sod.

To start students thinking about the daily life of frontier families, have them examine the photograph.

Key questions students should answer are:

• Why might settlers have built this type of house? What advantages or challenges might this have presented?
• What does this tell you about the specific challenges faced by frontier families?

Distribute the Student Activity sheet. Tell students that they will research the daily life of frontier family members. Have students consider the following topics:

• Social Relationships and Isolation
• Geography and Climate
• Health and Disease
• Children’s Life and Education
• Housing
• Food and Clothing
• Economics
• Gender Roles
• Physical Labor

Remind students to include sensory details, and elements of setting and character as they examine the roles and challenges faced by men, women, and children living on the frontier. Suggest that they also include illustrations, parts of songs, or bits of dialogue.

You may wish to have students share their diary entries with the class.

Use the Writing Rubric to assess students’ performance.

Have students reflect on their performance and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.

Ask students: Who had the greatest responsibility in maintaining the family: men, women, or children?

Expository Writing Have students use Daily Life through History to conduct research and write about the lives of cowboys on the frontier.

Critical Thinking: ANALYZE