State Historical Society of Iowa

Mountain Milk Maids, ca. 1900

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Woman with large straw hat seated on log milking a cow. Three children of a variety of ages surround the woman and cow. A log cabin and log fencing are seen in the background, in a mountainous setting.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Jackson, William H., "Mountain milk maids," ca. 1900

Description

#4 Occupation: Farmer
Part of women's work on a frontier farm was taking care of livestock that provided food for her family. Milking was done twice a day, and then the milk had to be separated from the cream. Some farms used an icebox to keep milk and cream cold, but others used a cold spot in a nearby stream or a root cellar to keep the dairy products longer. The cow in this photo is tied to the log fence with a rope. Often it was the kids' job to bring the cow from the pasture when it was time for milking.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • What is the working environment for a farmer?
  • What skills does this farmer need in order to be successful at her job?
  • Connect to what you already know. What are the uses of milk and cream?

Citation Information 

Jackson, William H., "Mountain milk maids," ca. 1900. Courtesy of Library of Congress