File:The ox team - or, The old Oregon trail, 1852-1906 (1907) (14801376333).jpg

Identifier: oxteamoroldorego00meekuoft (find matches)
Title: The ox team : or, The old Oregon trail, 1852-1906
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Meeker, Ezra, 1830-1928
Subjects: Overland journeys to the Pacific Northwestern states -- Description and travel Oregon Trail Overland journeys to the Pacific
Publisher: New York : The Author
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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he day, besidesstudying their lessons, but they went to bed ear-lier than some boys and girls do these days. It was not long until we moved to the Puyal-lup valley, where there were more neighbors—two families to the square mile, but not one ofthem in sight, because the timber and under-brush was so thick we could scarcely see tworods from the edge of our clearing. Now wecould have a real school; but first I will tellabout the schoolhouse. Some of the neighbors took their axes to cutthe logs, some their oxen to haul them, otherstheir saws and frows to make the clapboards forthe roof, while again others, more handy withtools, made the benches out of split logs, or, aswe called them, puncheons. With a good manywilling hands, the house soon received the finish-ing touches. The side walls were scarcely highenough for the door, and one was cut in the endand a door hung on wooden hinges that squeakeda gcfod deal when the door was opened or shut;but the children did not mind that. The roof
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THE OLD OREGON TRAIL 211 answered well for the ceiling overhead, and alog cut out on each side made two long, narrowwindows for light. The larger children sat withtheir faces to the walls, with long shelves in frontof them, while the smaller tots sat on low benchesnear the middle of the room. When the weatherwould permit the teacher left the door open toadmit more light, but had no need for more freshair, as the roof was quite open and the cracksbetween the logs let in plenty. Sometimes we had a lady teacher, and thenher salary was smaller, as she boarded around.That meant some discomfort part of the time,where the surroundings were not pleasant. Some of those scholars are dead, some havewandered to parts unknown, while those thatare left are nearly all married and are grand-fathers or grandmothers, but all living remem-ber the old log schoolhouse with affection. Thisis a true picture, as I recollect, of the earlyschool days in the Puyallup valley, when, as theunknown poet has said: A

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