Not infrequently the settler's
family slept on bear skins or blankets stretched on the floor.
But crude bedsteads were made by erecting a pole with a fork in
such a manner that other poles could be supported horizontally in
this fork and by crevices in the walls. Split boards served as
"slats" on which the bedding was spread. For a long time
"straw-ticks"--large cloth bags filled with straw or sometimes
dry grass or leaves--were articles of luxury. Iron pots and
knives were necessities which the wise householder carried with
him from his eastern or southern home. In the West they were hard
to obtain. The chief source of supply was the iron-manufacturing
districts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, whence the wares were
carried to the entrepots of river trade by packhorses. The
kitchen outfit of the average newcomer was completed with a few
pewter dishes, plates, and spoons. But winter evenings were
utilized in whittling out wooden bowls, trenchers, and noggins or
cups, while gourds and hard-shelled squashes were turned to
numerous uses. The commonest drinking utensil was a long-handled
gourd.
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