Brief History about my Ancestors who live in the hills of Kentucky in the late 1800’s
Food that was consumed in the hills of Kentucky in the late 1800’s
Meat: Deer, Turkey and squirrel. Garden: Corn, Pumpkin and Kentucky wonder beans.
Law Enforcement.
There is a lot of talk about people in the hills of Kentucky taking the law into own hands. Which was true to an extent because they did not have a have any good communication’s such as a telephone so it was almost impossible to get law enforcement in the time of need. That is still the case when the nearest piece officer were ten miles a way.
Also, people were very skeptical of strangers especially revenue agents.
Churches
During the early 1800’s churches were the gathering and social places in the early days of the people in the hills of Kentucky. For Instance, that is how young people found marriage partners. There would picnics and the girls would auction of a picnic basket and share it with the young gentleman that would purchase it.
Here is one phenomenon in the churches throughout the hills of Kentucky and the Appalchian area in general. People who were raised in the Baptist church were either “teetotalers who were strict Baptist or complete drunks with not much in between.
Migration to the logging camps in Wisconsin
The people of Kentucky migrated to Wisconsin they traveled by wagon which took about three weeks at 15 miles a day.
The supplies were bacon, Venison Jerky. Flour, bacon, dried beans and fruit. The cooks became very resourceful which served them well in the logging camps. Logging season lasted from about 15 November to 1 April depending when the spring thaw came that is when the roads were to too “muddy” to travel.
During the early 1900’s it was very difficult to transport food. So the cooks in the logging camps had basically the same food supplies as on the wagon train. One for exampe since they did not have eggs they learned how to make Johnny cake (corn bread) which was made without eggs.
The last migration to Wisconsin
When the people from Wisconsin arrive they were called “Kentucks” which at that time it was not very nice way. Like prior immigrants they would take a few isolated incidents and make it look like. Here was the thing there were not many ways to communicate so when the “Kentucks” arrived they brought some “rift raft” with them and it was hard to track them down. Occasionally someone would turn them in for the award money.
Here was one incident a fellow “Kentuck” was beat to the death in a bar fight. The problem was everyone was so drunk nobody could remember anything.
The great depression
By 1930 the logging camps were declining along with the advent of the depression.
Poaching
Once the depression arrived the “Kentuck”s survived by hunting, fishing and growing gardens (which became victory gardens in WW2) that helped feed about a third of America.
The average family would shoot about one deer a month.
Here are some secrets to poaching (1) shoot only one round because people will not know where it came from but the second shot it can be pinpointed (2) Don’t shine your lights at night because it can be seen from the air.
WWW2
When the “Kentucks” came home from the war they brought recipes for rice dishes from Asia and Pizza for Italy.
After the war The majority of the migrants left Northern Wisconsin to the Urban areas where the jobs were plentiful.
Even though the “Kentucks” ate the deer they killed it now was a sport and they would like show off their trophies especially in the towns where they worked and lived.
When they came back to the area to visit they brought back with them Mexican, Italian, And Asian foods with them
Epilogue:
Even though the majority of the “Kentucks” are now gone from northern Wisconsin, they did leave a legacy. (1). Deer hunting only last one week however, it brings in one billion dollars during that week. (2) There are several restaurant that serve Mexican, Asian and Italian. (3) There about 4 logging camp museums (4). There a couple of the towns that have an annual “Kentuck” day which consist of hillbilly music and an assortment of hillbilly foods such as vension, corn bread, green beans with salt and an assortment of desserts.
hillbillycooking 