Return to the Land

The Log Cabin

The depression was to linger for ten years. No relief seemed in sight so while living on Kimberling, with John Harvey and Minnie Catherine, Mother and Dad decided to build their own home. The crash of 1929 had appeared so suddenly that most people had little time to save for a long winter. Fortunately, my parents were frugal and they had managed to save $1,800.00. This had to sustain them until a better dawning. Carefully, they budgeted themselves to make this meager cushion last as long as possible. At least they were not in debt to suffer any material losses. Building their home using their own labor and skills to say the least was a test of their patience. Dad was never blessed with carpentry skills and mother, needless to say, had no inclination to become a construction foreman. To undertake such a project seemed insurmountable but determination and necessity overcame their apprehensions. It was approximately five miles from John Harvey ’s to the Nobusiness farm, which had to be negotiated when the weather permitted. The winter roads were rutted and muddy which made travel difficult. The Dodge however, provided transportation when possible but horsepower was required to pull and haul the logs that were needed for the cabin. For that need John Harvey provided an old grey mare which either Dad or Mother would ride from Kimberling to Nobusiness on a daily basis. Modern tools were a crosscut saw and an axe and with these this devoted couple began to build their own home. Their hope was to build a temporary home while waiting for the economy to improve when they would be able to move to more comfortable surroundings. Little did they know then this rustic cabin would become their cherished home for life. Unable to afford hired labor Mother and Dad would saw oak trees from the early morning to dusk and with the horse drag the logs to the building site. Both being accustomed to office work, blisters on their hands quickly appeared turning into calluses by the end of the first summer. Early morning rising was greeted with a hot breakfast prepared by Minnie Catherine and ham biscuits were packed for their lunch. Then, off they would go by horseback and by Dodge to Nobusiness. Exhausted by days end from cutting timber the journey back to Kimberling was begun. After supper sitting by the fireplace with the warmth and smell of burning logs, laughter was had and stories of the family were shared. Night found them in a feather tick bed upsta irs where they dreamed of the “good ol’ days” only to rise the next morning to repeat the same backbreaking routine as the day before. With time Mother learned to pull the crosscut saw as well as Dad until finally enough trees had been harvested to start the cabin. Large oak logs were positioned for the foundation occasionally using rock for support. The stacking of the logs, one on top of another, became difficult for them to lift. Poles were placed on each end of the stacked logs and a rope was looped around the log to be placed. Next, the horse would pull the rope thereby rolling the log to the next highest position. This went on until the cabin took on its architecture. The logs were notched with the aid of an axe and would be locked into position at the ends and corners. Sawed

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