By Kimberly Grist
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“Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On” - Old Cowboy Saying — circa late 1800s
Some lessons hurt more when you learn them the hard way.
The American frontier was a land filled with significant challenges, offering hard lessons at every turn. Some challenges arose from the land itself, including scorching summers, freezing winters, sudden prairie storms, and swarms of grasshoppers that devastated entire harvests. As pioneers dealt with hunger, illness, and isolation, they built resilience that was tested and strengthened by faith and endurance. Their wisdom, shaped by trial and error and shared moments over campfires with coffee and the comforting presence of Scripture, reflects a deep, often hard-earned understanding of perseverance and hope.
https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume81_2013_number2
ð Reading the Word on the Frontier
Though national literacy in the 1880s approached eighty-five percent, rates were lower on the frontier, where schools were scarce and books even scarcer. Families often relied on a neighbor, preacher, or child to read the Scriptures aloud. Whether gathered around the hearth in winter or a campfire under the stars, pioneers found both comfort and instruction in shared readings.
Though national literacy in the 1880s approached eighty-five percent, rates were lower on the frontier, where schools were scarce and books even scarcer. Families often relied on a neighbor, preacher, or child to read the Scriptures aloud. Whether gathered around the hearth in winter or a campfire under the stars, pioneers found both comfort and instruction in shared readings.
ðū On Faith and Providence
· “Man proposes, but God disposes.” — A saying of preachers and settlers alike.
· “The Lord will provide.” — Found repeatedly in pioneer women’s diaries.
· “Man proposes, but God disposes.” — A saying of preachers and settlers alike.
· “The Lord will provide.” — Found repeatedly in pioneer women’s diaries.
ðĒ “Don’t Judge a Man Until You’ve Walked a Mile in His Boots”
https://www.heddels.com/2019/04/horses-hollywood-high-fashion-history-cowboy-boot/
https://www.heddels.com/2019/04/horses-hollywood-high-fashion-history-cowboy-boot/
In the 1880s, a sturdy pair of hand-stitched boots could cost a week’s wages. Those boots weren’t just footwear; they were a record of hard miles, weathered trails, and long days in the saddle.
“Every man’s boots are filled with his own gravel—don’t go borrowin’ it.” — Old Trail Saying
ðŽ “Never Miss a Good Chance to Keep Your Mouth Shut”
Popularized later by Will Rogers, the wisdom echoes Proverbs 10:19: 'When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.' Frontier mercantiles and blacksmith shops traded goods—and gossip. The wise learned to speak less and listen more.
https://www.theattic.space/home-page-blogs/2020/9/10/the-wonderful-will-rogers
ðŠķ On Neighbors and Boundaries
· “Good fences make good neighbors.” — Common American proverb, 1840s Farmer’s Almanac
· “Let each man mind his own field, and God will bless the harvest.” — Midwestern farm journals, c. 1860s
https://www.farmcollector.com/equipment/history-barbed-wire-fencing/ ð§️ On Weather and Hardship
“After the Rain Comes the Rainbow”
Before forecasts, families read the sky as carefully as Scripture. Handed-down sayings guided daily life: 'Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.' 'When the smoke goes to the ground, ’twill soon rain in your town.' 'A halo ’round the moon means rain by noon.'
· “Make hay while the sun shines.” — Cherished by settlers (Proverbs 10:4).
· “Don’t pray for rain if you ain’t willing to plant.” — Late-19th-century farm wisdom.
· “Make hay while the sun shines.” — Cherished by settlers (Proverbs 10:4).
· “Don’t pray for rain if you ain’t willing to plant.” — Late-19th-century farm wisdom.
ðī On Character and Honesty
· “An honest man’s word is as good as his bond.” — Printed in frontier newspapers and almanacs.
· “Keep your tongue between your teeth and your hands to yourself.” — A pioneer mother’s advice.
· “An honest man’s word is as good as his bond.” — Printed in frontier newspapers and almanacs.
· “Keep your tongue between your teeth and your hands to yourself.” — A pioneer mother’s advice.
❤️ On Kindness and Community
“Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.” — The Golden Rule, often quoted verbatim on the frontier.
✝️ More than Quaint Phrases
The pioneers’ sayings were more than quaint phrases—they were living sermons, shaped by the land and steeped in Scripture. Each proverb, whether spoken by a campfire or read from a family Bible, carried a truth as enduring as the frontier itself: Faith, hard work, grit and kindness built fences strong enough to hold a family and community together.
Much like the settlers who learned to mend fences and hearts through faith and perseverance, Ruby Shelby has known her share of hard lessons. Abandoned as a child and labeled “different,” she’s learned that life on the frontier, both in body and spirit—requires courage, hope, and a steady trust in God’s providence.
ðļ Coming Soon – A Story Where Faith Meets the Frontier
In my upcoming release, Ruby's Christmas Escape: Mountain Man's Substitute Bride, readers will journey west to the rugged Montana mountains, where a resilient mail-order bride and a reclusive mountain man discover that sometimes the hardest lessons lead to the sweetest blessings.
Available for Pre-Order
Release Date: 12/03/25
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4DY169F ðĪ Connect with Kimberly Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th century will enjoy stories combining History, Humor, and Romance—with an emphasis on Faith, Friends, and Good Clean Fun.
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