Teaching the West

Instructions for You

Objective: Primary sources such as handwritten letters can be a great way to learn about life during a particular time period. To that end, the Library of Congress has posted a rich collection of letters for students interested in homesteading and prairie life.

In this activity, your students will get a chance to peruse several letters from that time and read about life on the prairie from people who were living it. They'll commit to reading a minimum of 10 letters involving the same letter writer (or addressee) and then answering a series of questions to help them distill what they've learned.

Length of Lesson: 1-2 class periods. 

Materials Needed: 

• The Uriah Oblinger Collection from the Library of Congress
• The Oblinger Family Tree

Step One: Direct your students to the Uriah Oblinger Collection, where they can read about the Oblinger family and peruse their letters. 

NOTE: The Uriah Oblinger Collection is filled with personal letters (think Gossip Girl) recounting the mundane details of prairie life (think National Weather Service Coral Bleaching Indices). Truthfully it's more of the former than the latter—it is, after all, prairie life—so your students should not begin their reading with expectations of high drama. But a patient reading provides insights into the struggles, rewards, and hardships of the homesteader's life.

Step Two: When everyone has found their way to the collection, ask students to select a period of time and read at least ten letters from that period written by or addressed to the same person. The letters they choose should be in sequence as much as possible. 

In order to ensure coverage you may find it necessary to assign different periods (i.e., 1872-1873) to different students. Insist that they stick to their selected period. They may be tempted to jump around in their reading, but the value within this sort of research lies in maintaining a concentrated focus. In addition, they will find the letters more interesting if they build a connection with a person over a span of time.

To that end, encourage students to take a look at the Oblinger Family Tree so they will understand the relationships of various family members.

For example, if someone chooses to read letters involving Mattie V. Thomas, they will notice that at some point, her name changes to Mattie V. Oblinger. It could be fun to read the letters back and forth between Mattie and Uriah during their courtship. 

Step Three: After reading their ten letters, students should write a brief analysis indicating what they were able to learn from the letters. The following questions may help them debrief their readings. They can address these questions in their analyses.

• Are the letters dull? Interesting?
• What do you think of the individuals writing them?
• What subjects dominate the correspondence?
• What do these reveal about the homesteaders' lives?
• How similar were their lives to yours?
• What kind of content would your letters home be filled with?
• How would your letters be different? How would they be similar? 

Step Four: When students finish their analyses, give them a chance to share an overview of the letters they read and what they found most interesting or illuminating about them.

Instructions for Your Students

Ever been to summer camp? Or just away from home for an extended period of time? If not, just imagine what it would be like and tell us what kind of information your letters home might contain. 

• Actually...would you even write letters home? 

• Maybe you'd just send emails or texts, but still: what would they say? (Aside from "send money," or "thanks for the cookies"?)

In the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of people left their families and friends, but not to go to summer camp or to visit a relative for a few weeks. They went to start new lives in the West. 

Texts and emails weren't an option for those settlers, and there was no checking in on Facebook. So their letters may have been slightly different from the ones you might send from summer camp. (Although "send money" and "thanks for the cookies" are pretty universal sentiments.)

Today, you'll be reading some correspondence written by a family of homesteaders. See what you can learn about them—and about life on the prairie—from their personal letters. 

Step One: Head on over to the Uriah Oblinger Collection, where you can read about the Oblinger family and peruse their letters. 

NOTE: The Oblinger Collection is filled with personal letters (think Gossip Girl) recounting the mundane details of prairie life (think National Weather Service Coral Bleaching Indices). Truthfully it's more of the former than the latter—it is, after all, prairie life—so you shouldn't begin your reading with expectations of high drama. Still...a patient reading provides insights into the struggles, rewards, and hardships of the homesteader's life.

Step Two: When you've found your way to the collection, select a period of time and read at least ten letters from that period written by or addressed to the same person. The letters you choose should be in sequence as much as possible. 

You may be tempted to jump around in your reading, but the value within this sort of research lies in maintaining a concentrated focus. In addition, you will find the letters more interesting if you build a connection with a person over a span of time.

Be sure to take a look at the Oblinger Family Tree so you will understand the relationships of various family members.

Step Three: After reading your ten letters, write a brief analysis indicating what you were able to learn from the letters. The following questions may help you debrief their readings. You can address these questions in your analysis.

• Are the letters dull? Interesting?
• What do you think of the individuals writing them?
• What subjects dominate the correspondence?
• What do these reveal about the homesteaders' lives?
• How similar were their lives to yours?
• What kind of content would your letters home be filled with?
• How would your letters be different? How would they be similar? 

Step Four: When everyone has finished their analyses, take some time to share your overview of the letters you read and what you found most interesting or illuminating about them. Then listen to hear what your classmates discovered.