Name/Title
cookbookEntry/Object ID
2015.1176.9.4Description
Cookbook written by Martha Larsen.
Beginning section contains information about Rawlins families and a description of early Rawlins itself from newspaper article; family photos and a family tree from the Larsen family. This is followed by "Reflection on the Peter Hansen Family", broken into 3 parts. Part one is "Childhood Memories", in which Martha Larsen describes her family, including her grandparents and their farm in Denmark, her father's immigration to America in 1884, his work building the railroad, and his brothers (Martha's uncles) quickly being convinced to join him in America.
Martha's mother Anna also came from Denmark, and her family life in Denmark is also described. Anna had 6 brothers, two of whom came to America with her. An annual picnic at Fort Steele that occurred July 4th 1885 when Anna's mother was visiting America is described, as is Fort Steele itself. At that picnic, Martha's parens met for the first time and fell in love, and they were married 2 days later and returned to Tipton, WY, where he was working for the railroad. Anna cooked for the (mostly Chinese) tie-hacks until they got out of hand and Peter quit his job and they moved to Rawlins.
Life in Rawlins, including housing type, groceries, entertainments and the Roundhouse are described, as are the red light district and businesses in town. Peter worked for a sheep ranch, and Anna sewed. Hair styles and fashions are also descried. Businesses in town mentioned include Murphy Ready clothing Store, Luxus Cafe, Rasmussen Furniture Store, the Paulson Building, Claus Building, H. Larsen Lumber Yard, and the prison. The various houses and buildings built are described, including the Larsen's house. The difficulty of life with Rawlins' water is also described. Rawlins received traveling shows and had many talented locals.
Martha describes the various games and distractions children played in Rawlins, and various local traditions.
The next section is "Early Ranch Recollections". In this chunk Martha talks about being a tomboy, describes sheepwagons (with illustrations of the cut rock sheep wagon on display at the Museum) and the sheep herding life. The family got a ranch on Savery Creek, and life at the ranch (going back to Rawlins in the winter) is thoroughly described, as well as who their friendly neighbors were.
Final memories section: "School Days, Marriage, and Motherhood". The section starts again with childhood, specifically schooling. At 16 she was the first girl to drive a car in Rawlins, then went away for 11th and 12th grades, then attended business school, then went to school in DC. There is a brief description of her courting and marriage, then talk about her husband Chris Larsen and his family. Chris was called up to the war while she was pregnant. Martha received incorrect news of his death, leading to a stressful time until he was discharged. They spent a winter with her family at the ranch, saw some sheep shearing in the spring, and moved into town.
There is a poem, written by Lillian Rendle, about how Rawlins changed over time.
The book then goes into recipes from family and friends, in the following sections: appetizers and drinks; soups; salads and salad dressings; vegetables; seafood; chicken dishes; meat dishes; casseroles; breads; cookies and desserts; cakes; sauces; recipes from travels; Danish dishes; traditional dinners; family favorites.
Physical Description: Green-covered book with white spiral binding. Image of sheep wagon on front.Collection
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