The Communities of our Forefathers
by Ron and Arlene Kaiser
Pioneer Day at the Waterloo Farm and Dewey School Museum is soon to arrive, so now is a good time to take a moment to remember the people who settled in Stockbridge, Gregory, Plainfield and Waterloo and myriad other small communities in this area. These communities are rich in history, with artifacts and memories around every corner. The men and women who struggled to build a home in the wilderness, to plant a field, to teach their children in a small log cabin school provide life lessons that we must look to in order to better face our own futures.
Not that we intend to clear land or build a log house on Pioneer Day, but we do intend to instill in our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren the love of the land, the fortitude to finish what they start, and to know they can accomplish anything they set their hearts, minds and hands to do.
Without the neighbors, family and friends around them, these settlers would never have made it through their first year. The hardships of being away from everyone and everything they knew alone would have sent them running back east.
Imagine living in a temporary shelter built from a few branches and the canvas off your wagon while working during every daylight hour as ancient oaks were cut down, logs fashioned and fitted to build a one or two room house. Most homes had no glass for windows and no hinges for doors, all in a time when bears, wolves and cougars were roaming the area.
These brave and courageous homesteaders struggled, fought and worked together for the right to live and thrive in this new land. Pioneer Day is a small way to remember what it was like to face hardships, carve out a better life and see the success of many hands working toward common goals.
We don’t have to be rich to thrive. We can thrive through the love and kindness of family and friends. The events and programs at the Waterloo Farm Museum and Dewey School are designed to help us remember and learn what our forefathers practiced to make this land safe and whole and that those values hold true today.
The Waterloo Farm Museum is located at 13493 Waterloo-Munith Road. For more information regarding the museum and Dewey School click to www.waterloofarmmuseum.org.
