Description
Book SynopsisA firsthand view of Texas farming life before World War II.
Trade ReviewHarder than Hardscrabble is a contribution to scholarly understanding of the rigors of a past lifestyle that remains remarkably close to us in time. Lay readers, especially those interested in farm life or Texas history, will enjoy the humanity and stories of Sitton's subjects. * Agricultural History *
Harder than Hardscrabble brings new life to Central Texas communities otherwise lost to history, and is an important contribution to the history of early-twentieth-century rural life in Texas. * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Chapter One. Introduction: Lost Worlds
- Chapter Two. Homeplaces
- Lay of the Land
- Chores
- Gardens, Home-Use Field Crops, Fodder Crops
- Domestic Livestock
- Fishing, Hunting, Trapping, and Gathering
- Medical Self-Help and Town Doctors
- Chapter Three. Money Crops
- Cotton and Other Crops
- Cash-Crop Livestock
- Minor Money Crops
- Part-Time Cash Labor for Others
- Peddlers and Country Stores
- Visits to Town
- Chapter Four. Settlements
- Country Schools
- School Entertainments
- Family Visits
- The Sporting Life
- House Parties and Dances
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
- Churches and Religious Life
- Chapter Five. Modernizations and the Takeover
- Communication Breakthroughs
- Roads and Automobiles
- Government Programs and the Takeover
- Epilogue: Sixty Years Afterward
- Appendix: The Fort Hood Oral History Project
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
