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McCord and District Museum in southern Saskatchewan Canada would like to share how the pioneers in our area used and reduced the use of things that they had. In the early 1900s and in the years that followed, they learned to reuse and recycle. They became thrifty and innovative. Pioneers used the old trails that crossed the grasslands to get to their homesteads and to visit their neighbours. Water in creeks and rivers was valuable, and they dug wells. They learned to preserve ice in winter, to keep their food cool in summer. Fuel for heat and cooking came from the prairie in the form of dung, brush, local coal, and dried plant stalks. Local materials were used to make dugout houses, brush shelters, sod homes, adobe houses, and a few stone houses. Animals and plants contributed feathers, fur, leather, fibre, and food. Animals provided farm power and transportation. Gardens and wild plants helped to sustain life. Metal, wood, paper, and cloth were highly valued. They were used and recycled. They were used in hundreds of ways. Nothing was wasted. The new settlers came with skills and abilities that they used for their own benefit and for their neighbours’ benefit. Remote locations, little money, and time to think encouraged men and women make innovative and creative things that made their farms and homes better. Pioneers created new communities with businesses, schools, churches, clubs, local governments, and they worked to obtain the services they needed. The people that lived before us left a legacy of caring for the land, and using resources thoughtfully. Many of these attitudes continue on in prairie people and communities today. McCord and District Museum and community members contributed pictures and information to this exhibit. The Communications Class of Glentworth School 2012 also contributed their perspective through material they gathered.
