Page:A Brief History of South Dakota.djvu/168

162 By New Year's Day operation of the trains was given up entirely. The stocks of goods in the country were naturally small, and the difficulty of operating the trains in the fall had in many instances made it impossible to get in the usual winter supplies.

The supply of fuel in the country was exhausted almost as soon as the trains stopped running. There was, however, an abundance of wheat and of hay, and soon the settlers were reduced to the necessity of grinding wheat in coffee mills, and baking their bread upon fires made of twisted hay.

One of the great inconveniences was the lack of any material out of which to make lights. Kerosene oil was not to be secured at any price, and the stock of tallow was very small. Many families were compelled to sit for months through the long winter without a light of any kind in their houses except the glow of a hay fire.

To save the limited supplies on hand and particularly to secure the advantage of warmth without consuming too much fuel, families would club together and several of them live in the most comfortable home in the community. Most of the people were young, vigorous, and hopeful, and they made the best of the bad circumstances. Every one exerted himself to be cheerful, and to keep those about him in a cheerful temper. Many an old settler will to-day refer to the bad winter of 1880 as one of the most enjoyable he ever passed. Dancing was a favorite pastime, and the number of persons who could be accommodated, for a dancing party, in a little homestead shack, is a matter of astonishment to those who enjoy