Mostly these were cottonwoods---a beautiful tree but whose wood does not have any great value for lumber or as fuel. In the western parts of the State there was a considerable amount of cedar. while scattered throughout the State were sparse clumps of the osage. orange bow wood or bois darc of the Indians. As the tide of immigration increased. these scanty supplies of wood were soon exhausted. and many and desperate were the straits to which the early settlers were put to obtain fuel. The supply of buffalo chips of course disappeared with the going of the buffalo. Ingenious hayburning stoves were made. corncobs. cornstalks. even the corn itself. was burned to provide heat for cooking or to ward off the cold of the winters. which I am forced to confess are sometimes rather cold.
Keywords matched
immigration