Opal Irene Whiteley

What people wore

Corset Pressure for Hourglass Figures

To achieve a fashionable hourglass figure, women's corsets could exert as much as eighty pounds of compacting pressure on the body.

Getting around

Coast to coast in 83 hours

By 1876, a traveler could cross the entire United States from New York City to San Francisco in just 83 hours via express train.

At the table

Five-cent beer and free lunch perk

In cities, a workingman could purchase a five-cent beer at a local saloon that included a free lunch of sausage, cheese, beans, bread, and sauerkraut.

Music

Pioneer Songs in Oklahoma Territory

In the late 19th-century Oklahoma Territory, rural settlers enjoyed singing humorous parodies of familiar songs that depicted their daily trials and experiences. They often sang these songs together while traveling in wagons to and from social gatherings.

Daily life

Schooling and limited classroom supplies

Public school enrollment tripled between 1870 and 1920, though many children in rural areas had shorter school years to accommodate farm work. Students often relied on slates and chalk rather than paper, and learning was frequently by rote memorization.