For those of you who want to watch the Frontier House on PBS, here is a web site with more information. Frontier House

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002

Answers

As one who applied to participate I am disappointed at the commercials my local PBS station has been airing to promote the show.

In one clip I see what appears to be a log cabin kit that has been used instead of a homebuilt log cabin. Also sticking out of the roof is a double or triple wall insulated modern flue, hardly available in the 1880s.

I'm anxiously awaiting the show to see if the house show is really one of the cabins that was occupied or if it is merely from a promotional clip. Sure hope that they didn't stray too far from 1880s real life as that was what I was planning on living had I been selected.

Aires beginning April 29th in my area.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 16, 2002.

I'd hope they were made to use heating devices which are actually safe by todays standards.

-- Bert (Bert@sesamestreet.com), April 16, 2002.

Notforprint, perhaps that is why you were not selected. You wanted to be real and the TV show wanted make believe.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), April 17, 2002.

Bert, we now have the knowledge to make a stone replica fireplace that is safe! I agree, a kit and new fangled chimney aren't Laura Ingalls!

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), April 17, 2002.

As I had mentioned before when someone had talked about this program my husband and I "applied" to do this !! They wrote us back and said that they wanted people with no experience in this type of living. We thought it would be nice to have all the time to devote to homesteading and not worry about a job !! I think they wanted families that were sort of ..."city slickers". I guess I'll have to find out what type of families they did finally deceide on. Should be interesting..

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), April 17, 2002.

A promo clip does show a guy giving way to his temper and throwing some kind of a pry or other bar. Also a woman making some remark to her child in what I would call a snotty manner. I sure never treated my daughter like that. Yup, the show will be interesting.

You are probably right about wanting inexperienced folk. After all, look at those they choose for the reality shows on some networks. Seem to recall a big city limo driver on a survivor type show. Can't imagine that he would know much about surviving except on the streets.

At any rate, I can hardly wait for the show. Wonder if the US PBS will air the Canadian homesteading project? Anyone seen it yet? It was a longer filming program, maybe it's still in the works.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 17, 2002.

Now, in defence to "Reality":

IIRC most of those who homesteaded were "City slickers" themselves. Of course, in these days city slickers are a lot "Slicker" than they were then. Reguardless, building a cabin, planting crops, storing lots of food, dealing with animals, these were all foreign to the average immagrant from New York, Chicago, or where ever.

I for one will be recording this one.

-- James in ID (jlfinkbeiner@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.

James you do raise a good point about city folk moving and homesteading. Also about skill levels.

In the area I grew up in, i.e. Western Kansas, almost all of the pioneer families/homesteaders were ones that had moved from farms in the East, Mid West, or the South. Don't know about those going to Montana in the 1880s whether they would have been from the cities or farms.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 17, 2002.