Page 186 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915

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on the road to Virginia City in 8 65 stated, "Baked my first loaf of bread,
1
very good." 19 A migrant on the Oregon Trail wrote his wife that he was
"much pleased" with camp life. He reported that "Hank & self have
done most of the cooking, and have succeeded thus f a r, admirably."The
men's only problem was cooking sufficient amounts. "The great
difficulty we find, is to cook enough-All of us have most voracious
appetites . . . But truly we get along finely."2 0 A captain in the Army
.
Corps of T o pographical Engineers, surveying the Salt Lake V a lley in
1 8 49, sounded as if he too got along "finely." On one occasion he
expressed satisfaction with his dinner of buffalo meat, two bottles of
claret, coffee, and a "segar."21
Besides cooking f o r themselves, the other major domestic hurdle
that confronted these men was cleaning soiled clothing. One man
devised a simple solution; after tying his dirty clothes in a blanket, he
submerged the bundle in a swift stream.22 Another bragged that he
"suceeded admirabley" at "the art of washing dirty clothes," but that his
fingers "suffered some fr om the effects of very good soap."23 A man who
hurt his back and knuckles on his first washday said that he and his com­
panions wondered why they had ever been "dissatisfied" when their
wives were impatient on washing day. 24
Men traveling alone missed women fo r more than their domestic
services, however. When one f o rty-niner and his comrades heard "the
sound of a f e male voice" in a nearby emigrant camp, they were quite
"cheered."25 Once men reached the California diggings, they fe lt lonely
f o r women and regretted leaving home.2 6 An unmarried emigrant of
1 8 70 stated that "what goes hardest with me is the loss of the company
of young ladies."27 Others confided their fe elings to diaries, wrote long
letters, and sometimes turned to available women. One unattached
miner wrote plaintively, "Came across a camp ofIndians.We had a bottle
of Brandy along & treated them. Tried to honey up to some of the
squaws, but couldn't come it."28
Because women did not migrate in all-female groups, they did not
voice parallel complaints about a lack of men. Nor did they squabble
about who would cook and wash. It was a given that these were f e male
duties.29 Thus, on the trail and in new settlements, white women col­
lected and exchanged information, including recipes, instructions fo r