Time Travel

Scattering leaves and gravel beneath their shoes, my 4th grade class hiked up the trail at our school district's outdoor education center back through time to the year 1837. Suddenly a gruff voice hailed us from the trees at the top of the path. "Who's that coming through my woods?" a deep voice shouted and a bearded Pa Merrill stepped out onto the path beckoning us closer.

So began our day long experience living as pioneers of 1837 when Michigan was a new state. Our city kids got to dip their own beeswax candles, help in the preparation of ham stew, and use authentic woodworking tools of the 1830s.

We met Ma and Pa who shared their home, lunch, and settler ways with us. Here are a few pictures of our pioneer adventure.

Ma's domain was the cabin. She showed us how to make cornbread using ingredients from Mr. Bristol's store and an egg from the chicken shed. Sweetened with honey, baked in a cast iron dutch oven over the coals, and eaten outside, her cornbread was delicious!

Outside in the clearing Pa instructed us in chopping potatoes, onions, carrots, and peppers to add to the ham broth brew stewing in the pot hanging over the open wood fire. Mmmm! It began to smell wonderful as we worked up an appetite cutting wood for Pa!

After our chores we all sat down on some wooden benches to a filling meal of ham stew, cornbread, warm homemade applesauce, and cold water from a jug. Seconds and even thirds were offered and we managed to clean the pot!

After lunch we settled on the cabin porch to watch Pa demonstrate his 50 caliber black powder rifle and tell tall tales. Ma shared how to dip beeswax candles, card and spin wool thread on a hanging spindle, and the skill of being thrifty. A couple of students took her wool work back in the cabin. "Pa!" she hollered, "Bring out the special cake I made yesterday. Out he came with a shallow wooden box lined with some plain cotton cloth. She took a small knife out of her apron pocket and proceeded to cut the cake into small squares. What a surprise it was for the students to learn this cake was a cake of lye soap she had made yesterday! Then Pa brought out her homemade lye and some warm animal fat and she stirred the two together while explaining how the lye was made from wood ashes and the fat came from rendered animal fat.

When time came for us to leave after putting the chickens back in their coop we found it hard to go. The journey back to 2008 though short in distance was made longer by our dragging feet. "I'd like to live like they did!" one of my city kid students stated as we wandered back to our bus.

Me too.