Presidents’ wives of the past Part 4 — Cunning, vindictive, and one may have...
By John Silveira
Issue #35 • September/October, 1995
(This is a four-part series. Click the links to navigate to parts one, two, three, and four.)
Do you think we'll ever have a woman as President?" I asked....
The vanishing outhouse
By Tom Kovach
Issue #79 • January/February, 2003
A person recently wrote to a large Midwest newspapers' advice column asking for information about outdoor privies. It seems that this person's family inherited a log cabin from...
Farm baseball … with ghost runners!
By Tom Kovach
Growing up on a farm in north-central Minnesota wasn’t all chores and hard work … although there was plenty of that too. But back in the l950s and early l960s when I...
Fried chicken for breakfast
By Danny Fulks
Issue #88 • July/August, 2004
Danny Fulks, 71, is one of those rare writers capable of painting a vivid picture of life back in another time. His stories focus on the 20s, 30s,...
Feeling nostalgic? Now you’ll rave! Here’s the story of Burma Shave.
By Martin Waterman
Issue #37 • January/February, 1996
I can remember taking a trip as a child and seeing my first Burma Shave signs. Technically speaking, after 1963 all the 7,000 or so sets of signs...
George Washington Carver — He wrote the book on self-reliance
By John Silveira
Issue #31 • January/February, 1995
"What were you listening to when I got to your house? Sounded nice. I don't think I've ever heard it before."
O.E. MacDougal looked at me from across the...
Constitution of the united States of America
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of...
Habeeb Salloum — Poet, Traveler, Recipe Writer
Habeeb Salloum, 95, a poet, world traveler, linguist, and author of recipe books on Middle Eastern cuisine, has written recipe articles for Backwoods Home Magazine for 19 years. The son of Syrian immigrant farmers,...
The Great Depression — A reminiscence
By Alice B. Yeager and James O. Yeager
Issue #115 • January/February, 2009
I was a girl of 8 when the stock market crashed in 1929. It was the Great Depression, and unless you were living...
Oregon Trail preparedness: What supplies did the settlers carry?
By Don Lewis
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
The year was 1834, a year that didn’t really stand out as all that particularly important in American history. But like any other year, it had its share...
Emancipation Proclamation by Historical Document
By the President of the United States of America:
A PROCLAMATIONWhereas on the 22nd day of September, A.D. 1862, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the...
Doesn’t anyone remember Tom Paine
By Robert L. Williams
Issue #19 • January/February, 1993
Many years ago, before I came to my senses and left public education for good, I was teaching on a college campus when one of the administrators...
Grandpa’s justice
By Tom Kovach
Issue #65 • September/October, 2000
Having the best vegetable garden in the village might put food on the table and make some money at the market, but it also can cause some problems....
Who were the best…and worst U.S. Presidents?
By John Silveira
Issue #49 • January/February, 1998
It was one of those days I love. We were between deadlines and Dave, Bill, Mac, and I had gone fishing on the lake. Dave, of course, is...
Presidents’ wives of the past Part 3
By John Silveira
Issue #34 • July/August, 1995
(This is a four-part series. Click the links to navigate to parts one, two, three, and four.)
Do I have to stay and help you?" my 12-year old son...
From Martha and Abigail to Dolley and Louisa, America’s earliest First Ladies were fascinating
By John Silveira
Issue #29 • September/October, 1994
(This is a four-part series. Click the links to navigate to parts one, two, three, and four.)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...wait...
