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"The deep ruts in the road were frozen and glazed with ice; the wind had a clean sweep across the prairies, a sweep that sometimes seemed about to carry Jethro before it. Tears froze on his cheeks, and the cold pounded against his forehead as he trudged along, weighted by the heavy, over-sized shoes and the many layers of clothing. It was bitter, but not beyond the ordinary; suffering at the mercy of the elements was accepted by Jethro as being quite as natural as the hunger for green vegetables and fresh fruit that was always with him during the winter."Although the settlers on the prairie learned to produce bountiful harvests, their new environment also brought them hardships. The prairie environment was one of hot, humid summers followed by harsh and bitterly cold winters. Settlers found few trees and fewer lakes or ponds to help them escape from the intense summer heat. Through the summer, they were plagued by swarms of insects. In winter, freezing ice storms left everything coated in thick sheets of ice. Intense winds swept the prairie bringing swirling snow. People got lost travelling from one town or homestead to another in these snowstorms. Sometimes when the snow was particularly thick, they tied ropes to lead them between their barns and homes. In the spring and fall, when settlers plowed the fields, winds coated everything with dust. It was hard to keep things clean. People withstood these hardships for the promise of a bountiful harvest from the fertile soil.
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