writing as Angela Raines
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According to the article, in May of 1859 a man from Indiana had left packets of vegetable seeds for sale at the Rocky Mountain News offices. They were selling for twenty-five cents a packet.
Soon the paper was talking about the first crop of radishes and how there were several acres of corn, peak and onion that were sprouting up. Throughout the summer there were gardens that had peas, beans onions, squashes, cucumbers, beets along with melons.
So you can see, at least in early Denver, there were fresh vegetables available. But what about flour, rice, cornmeal,etc. Those products needed to be shipped in from the 'states' or New Mexico. Prices would vary depending on where they originated from, along with the distance, etc.
The article quoted the following prices:
Flour from the states - $14 @ 16 per 100 pounds
Flour Mexican $10 @15 per 100 pounds
Potatoes 25¢ per pound
Rice 25¢ per pound
Butter 75¢ per pound
Fresh Beef 15¢ per pound
Venison $1 per quarter
Milk 10¢ per quart
Molasses $2.50 per gallon
Whiskey $3.00 per gallon
Bacon sides and Ham 35¢
Cheese 50¢
As winter approached people began preparing to put their vegetables for winter. The cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage were combined with vinegar. There also appeared bear, turkey, grouse and duck as the winter months approached.
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| Early Denver Illustration Colorado Encyclopedia |
As people continued to arrive, many may have had gardens, but those in the high mountains would have had short growing seasons. The town of Guffey, Colorado in the late 1800s chose to grow potatoes to sell to the mining camps. Towns like Fountain and Canon City grew vegetables and fruit.
The Mormons who came through in 1853-54 planted gardens and while the rest of the party moved on toward Salt Lake, there were those who stayed behind to harvest the crops which the carried on to their destination.
This information is in stark contrast to an article in 1881 in the Colorado Miner where the early pioneers met and stated their 1859 menu was Beans, Dried Apples, Hard Tack, Bacon and Taos Lightning.
Which story is true? Probably a bit of each. I can see the how those away from the larger settlements would have to do with much less, but those in the 'cities' seemed to have fared much better.
So, what did they eat? Probably whatever was available. It is something to think about when writing, that's for sure. In my latest novel, "The Outlaw's Letter" my heroine eats cornbread made by the woman who is tending her while she recovers. It seemed logical for someone to eat in 1880.
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Colorado and Women's History
Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
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6 comments:
So interesting, Doris! And so fun to see the prices listed. Thanks for sharing this!
I think one of the things I struggle the most with and have the least confidence in when writing historical fiction is the question of what did they eat!? And how did they prepare and store food. I spend a lot of time researching this question and have gotten some surprising answers. Life is so much easier for us nowadays in that respect, and I often think if my family had to rely on my gardening skills, we'd be in trouble.
Shanna,
I'm glad you enjoyed the article. I have to give credit to the initial article in the early Colorado Magazine for a lot of this information. Since 'Denver' was a new town, so much had to be freighted in, and I think prices reflect that. The article also said that someone had been milking the cow(s) on the sly and there was a mile shortage.
It seems one of the editors of the Rocky Mountain News was fascinated by the idea of gardening and food, so we have him to thank for this wealth of information about that time and place. Doris
Patti,
I have the same problem when I write. We really do have it easy in this day and age. When I come across articles like this, I devour them, to make a food pun. I do the same with recipes when I find them in the old newspapers.
Like you, I would starve if I had to depend on my gardening skills. When I was a child my mother woulnd't let me near the garden. When I asked her why, "You pulled the vegetables and left the weeds." Guess my poor skills started early. (Grin) Doris
You always write such interesting blogs, Doris. Food back in the day is something I think about quite often when I write my historicals, especially the storage of same. Here where I live, our pioneers were lucky to have a river running through it and in the heart of winter, when the river was frozen, workers from the ice house would cut out big blocks of ice and store it (somehow) and sell it in the warm months. Before we had electricity, my mother kept a pail in the cistern, filled with butter, milk, cream and no doubt meat, that stayed cool. She rented a locker in town where the meat was kept packaged and frozen and every Saturday we'd go to town for weekly shopping and bring home some meat that would thaw out in the cistern. That cistern fascinated me....covered only by a big square of wood latched down. I remember leaning over the rim and yelling or laughing something, fascinated by the echoes. That cistern both terrified me and fascinated me. Our neighbor had an ice box with a big aluminum pan under it to catch the drips. Somehow that ice must have been delivered from town. I often think of cowboys and living off beans for one or two meals each day. How boring that must have been but when you're hungry....
Thank you Elizabeth. I remember my great grandparents home and their cistern. We were not even allowed to go near it.
Since I grew up in farming country, we always had vegetables and fresh meat. Although not a perfect life, there were a lot of things I give thanks for to this day. I even am thankful for the Mississippi River and the fishing we did, and the fish frys that came after. (Smile) Doris
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