Sod and Stubble: The Unabridged and Annotated Edition

by John Ise, Von Rothenberger (Editor)

"A few years ago, as I listened one night to my mother telling incidents of her life pioneering in the semi-arid region of Western Kansas, it occurred to me that the picture of that early time was worth drawing and preserving for the future, and that, if this were ever to be done, it must be done soon, before all of the old settlers were gone. This book is the result—an effort to picture that life truly and realistically. It is the story of an energetic and capable girl, the child of German immigrant parents, who at the age of seventeen married a young German farmer, and moved to a homestead on the wind-swept plains of Kansas, where she reared eleven of her twelve children, and remembering regretfully her own half-day in school, sent nine of them through college. It is a story of grim and tenacious devotion in the face of hardships and disappointments, devotion that never flagged until the long, hard task of near a lifetime was done."—John Ise (from the preface)

Deeply moved by his mother's memories of a waning era and rapidly disappearing lifestyle, John Ise painstakingly recorded the adventures and adversities of his family and boyhood neighbors—the early homesteaders of Osborne County, Kansas. First published in 1936, his "nonfiction novel" Sod and Stubble has since become a widely read and much loved classic. In the original, Ise changed some identities and time sequences but accurately retained the uplifting and disheartening realities of prairie life. Von Rothenberger brings us a new annotated and expanded edition that greatly enhances Ise's timeless tale. He includes the entire first edition-replete with Ise's charm, wit, and veracity, restores four of Ise's original chapters that have never been published, and adds photographs of many of the key characters. In his notes, Rothenberger reveals the true identity of Ise's family and neighbors, provides background on their lives, and places events within a wider historical and geographical context.

Ushering us through a dynamic period of pioneering history, from the 1870s to the turn of the century, Sod and Stubble abounds with the events and issues—fires and droughts, parties and picnics, insect infestations and bumper crops, prosperity and poverty, divisiveness and generosity, births and deaths—that shaped the lives and destinies of Henry and Rosa Ise, their family, and their community.

One hundred and twenty-five years after Osborne County was organized and Henry Ise homesteaded his claim, a corner of nineteenth-century Kansas social history remains safeguarded thanks to the tenacity of John Ise and the insight of Von Rotheberger, who enlivens Ise's story with revealing detail.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nature

408 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Barbara Radisavljevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught more vividly than any other (and I've read lots of pioneer biographies)about the physical and emotional hardships those who pioneered the West endured. The most unforgettable incident was that of a mother being kept away from her little boy who was dying of rabies and screaming for his mother's care. The men continued to watch over him and gave him what care they could until he died.

What I found sad about the book was that although the parents were good Lutherans, it was more about German culture cohesiveness than personal faith, and so their trials crushed them and broke their spirits. Their church was more like a social club than a vibrant and supportive community of faith such as the churches I've been involved with.

Although this book is one of the most well-written I've ever read, I'd recommend it only to those who can stand feeling the pain of others, for the characters experienced death of family and animals, fires, and other dangers as a normal part of everyday life, and their burdens almost crushed them. This book was based on the experiences of the author's parents, and the author admits he took some liberties with literal truth by changing the names of characters and even some of the characters, but he believes he has not tarnished the truth with these changes.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ! Why cant we all see the movie??

This was such a great read, and it seemed to go by too fast, I’ve been wanting to see the movie since I heard about it, but for some reason it’s only in select places why not let everyone get to see it??

[Dorothy Claussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are such lazy, fluffy winters when compared to the pioneers. A reminder of where we came from and the sacrifices our elders made.

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully detailed non-fiction account of the hardships a family faces when they move to North Central Kansas during the 1800's. (With a brief cameo by my own family. :] )

[Barb Innes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Kansan gal, I found Sod and Stubble very beautiful, heartwarming and informative. The hardships of pioneering helped me understand more what my ancestors went through. Both my parents were from farming families (homesteaders) in mid-central area of Kansas. My Dad was from Clifton, very close to Henry & Rosie's homestead claim. I felt that I was their neighbor reading this. The ending was very heartfelt. I felt her range of emotions of leaving their homestead and moving to Lawrence. I grew up in Lawrence and remember hearing about John Ise. A must read for lovers of Kansas History and life of pioneering!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how I never read this book before, but with the current filming of the movie, I really wanted to finish it. Beautiful and heartbreaking, this book is an amazing narrative of one family's experience in the Kansas plains, of parents and children having different dreams, of a moment in time in Kansas history.

This book is often assigned to high school students, but I think it will be harder and harder to read without handholding as our lives grow more and more different from the Ise family.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about the lives of a married couple and their children on the Kansas prairie. Quite informative with plenty of little stories sprinkled in amongst their daily lives of chores, loss of animals, dangerous weather, neighbors, and financial setbacks. The notes included at the end were also interesting as well as the background provided on the married couple's lives prior to marriage and the information as to what happened later to all their children. Inspiring read.

[Wanda Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was in with Grandma Wilson’s things. It is a story about a couple who homesteaded in north central Kansas in 1873. Written in 1936 and given to Woody apparently as a gift. Farming still has the same issues-drought, grasshoppers, blizzards. I don’t think I could have done it.

[Sharon HOHLFELD · Rating 5 out of 5]

life in pioneer times

I thought it was very good
Much better than the movie because of so much more added detail
I would recommend it to anyone interested in the times of our pioneers

[Janet Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent picture of homesteading

I recommend this book to all families whose ancestors were homesteaders. Through the words in this book, you live that life and understand.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

https://bookwinked.wordpress.com/2024...

[Stephanie Dahlberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely buy books anymore but this is one that I wanted from my personal library forever and ever.What a fascinating story and all true.

[Brian Hutzell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some ancestors who lived not far from where the Ise family, whose story is told in this book, lived. My copy has several annotations written by my grandma in the margins, adding some personal information and anecdotes. For this reason, Sod and Stubble has long held a place of honor on the family bookshelf. I read it once long ago when I was too young to fully appreciate it, and this was my first time revisiting it in decades.

There is one passage where author John Ise talks about grasshoppers, and I knew I’d read a similar passage not long ago. It was from On the Banks of Plum Creek, the fourth book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. Both books were published around the same time (Ise in 1936, Wilder in 1937); both stories are set in the same time period (late 19th century); and take place in the same setting (farms in the American Midwest.)

There are so many similarities between Sod and Stubble and the Little House series that the former can almost be seen as an adult version of the latter, which was written with a younger audience in mind. Sod and Stubble has a better ending though. While the Little House series limps to a close with the raw and unfinished final book, The First Four Years, Sod and Stubble remains strong right through its melancholy but beautifully moving conclusion. Where Little House is better is in its characterizations. Wilder’s characters are so personable and distinct that we feel the story along with them as it happens. Ise’s characters, on the other hand, are stock pioneer figures. Even after 300+ pages, I didn’t feel very close to them.

As a straightforward look at heartland farm life of the late 19th century, this book succeeds. As a novel, I wish I could rate it higher because it is clearly a labor of love, but the characters are too wooden to engage the reader.

[Dale Free · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been assigned for a Kansas History class I am taking in college in the fall. Not having grown up in Kansas (I did not move here until 14 years ago), I never took Kansas history of any kind, so I thought I would read the first chapter or so before school begins in order to get a taste of what the class would be like. I'm hooked! I couldn't put it down. It's "Little House on the Prairie" for grown-ups.

The book was written in the 1930's but set in the last quarter of the 19th century on a farm in very rural Kansas. The author uses words that someone who has never lived on a farm or who was not living in the early part of the last century would know, which makes it all the better as it has driven me to the dictionary to learn new terms several times.

What this book expresses without the aid of over-dramatization is the rhythm of life on the prairie, where the next day's meal is not promised. These amazing people stayed and persevered beyond any reason by today's standards. The everyday problems they faced down would do in the vast majority of us today. It's a quiet, yet ultimately impressive story of staying put and making do. I love this book and could not more highly recommend it. I just wish I had found it many years ago.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am ambivalent about giving this book such a low rating. John Ise labored to collect the stories of Henry and Rosie Ise's life on the western Kansas plains. Rosie moved onto Henry's first homestead claim as a seventeen year old bride. Over the years, she bore twelve children. The first died as a toddler. A second was partly crippled by rheumatic fever. They lived through disasterous drouths, locusts, bitterly cold winters, bad neighbors and a few bad financial decisions. Thanks to hard work, persistence, frugal habits and some good years, their farm slowly grew and became more prosperous. They raised and educated their children and slowly improved their lives.

However, with the exception of the last few pages, John Ise fails to tell their life stories, struggles, losses and triumphs with any emotion, any sense of their humanity. The average newspaper article has more drama. Ultimately, this book is a disjointed catalogue of events, lacking an engaging narrative.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine leaving all you know the day after being married and setting up a home hundreds of miles away with only a few personal belongings and some hand tools. Henry and Rosa Ise did just that in western Kansas in the 1870s. The story was not so much an adventure (it did have adventurous episodes, however) as it was a story of two people and their relationship with the land and elements. It was one of the very few books I've read that touched me emotionally. When Rosa left the homestead to move to Lawrence with her grown children, leaving the house and land with decades of memories ... it was truly heart wrenching.

I highly recommend it to anyone even a little interested in the history of the Great Plains and/or homesteading.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Ise’s Kansas pioneer family book “Sod and Stubble” was first published in 1936; reprinted with a final chapter update in 1968; and in 1996 through University of Kansas Press Von Rothenberger wrote annotations to enliven and inform the book’s many story lines. The book describes how a young family pioneered the Kansas plains and endured poverty, storms, and disease. Despite typhoid, malaria, diphtheria, and cholera, Henry and Rosa Ise’s family authored a legacy of amazing economic success and long life. John’s book is the best history about pioneer settlements I have ever read. The book is inspirational and a keepsake. (P)

[Richard K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about one of our Kansas Pioneer families. It was very informative in depicting pioneer life on the Kansas plains near Downs, Ks. A very worthwhile read. Quite well documented facts. I am very happy I read it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in homesteaders in Kansas or looking for an interesting read.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from a personal standpoint of the harsh conditions that people faced in Kansas in the 1880's through the early 1900's. I can't imagine how these folks held on through the years with the family health, financial, and weather problems they faced. What I did react fondly to was the description of the land and sky.

[Julie Richert-Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always wonderful to get first hand accounts of this time period in Western History as it actually was experienced and remembered. Not a masterpiece of high writing, but truly and fairly compiled to create an honest snapshot of homestead life, both in its simple joys and successes and heartbreaking tragedy and hardship.

[Kassy Neeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough glance into our past

My ancestors were of European descent (mostly Germany) that immigrated in 1880’s to western Kansas and I have recently began delving into my past.

This book was eye opening on how different things were and HARD things were in those times.

Great read for anyone who loved “Little House on the Prairie” as children.

[Sue]

The full title of this book is Sod and Stubble: The Story of a Kansas Homestead. A true story, the author writes about the grass hopper problem - which I will never forget.

My Uncle Rolland let me borrow his copy. The book was originally published in 1936.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a picture of what daily life was like in late 19th-century Kansas and how these particular people felt about it, this is an excellent choice. Also good if you're feeling bad about how hard your life is.

[Marlene]

I enjoyed the story of the Kansas homesteaders and all the hardships they experienced but survived with frugality and planning. Don't know that people now would have the courage and stamina to make it thru those trials.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just reread this great book, originally published in the 1930s. It tells the true story of a Kansas pioneer family in the years after the Civil War. Nothing is sugarcoated in this book, which chronicles both the good times and the many hard times these people faced.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

things don't change: in 1877, Iowa representatives were charged with mishandling funds meant for natural disaster victims. aaah, progress.

[Brandon Minster · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved hearing me tell them stories about John and Rosie. It was like a real-life "Little House on the Prairie" for them.

[Rose]

978.1 Ise

[Cws]

KAN-Ise

[Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the trials, hardships, and wonderment of sod busters in Northern Kansas.