# Frontier House



## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

DIY network has brought back the reality show Frontier House. I think it was on public television before. Three modern, urban families try their hand at homesteading in Montana with the trappings of 1883. First two episodes were aired last night, it was pretty good. Hopefully it is available on their web site, netflix, something.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I remember that one. Takes place in Montana, right?

One of the fathers lost so much weight he was convinced he was starving. He has a video diary entry where he shows us how emaciated he is by lifting his shirt. "Do you see?? I'm starving! This place is going to kill me!" 

DH looked down at himself and said, "He looks just like me! Welcome to a life of labor." lol

The show brought in a Navy doctor who said, yeah, he was fine. He was probably ideal, actually.


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## mtmama (Jun 11, 2004)

I have the book of this series, I got it on amazon. My library has it on VHS.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

I loved that series! I sure wish there'd been more.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

We actually bought the series. Wish they would come out with more.


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

I didn't like that one. As the series progresses you see one marriage just fall apart. The wife turns into a real shrew and they wound up divorcing after the show.

There are lots of other shows on youtube where people go back and live in a different time period. I'd recommend any of the following: 1940 House, 1900 House, Coal House, Coal House at War, Manor House and Regency House Party. That last one has more to do with the exploring marriage and social standing in the early 1800s. It's very Jane Austen-like.

There's also a couple where the participants are not "regular people" but historians and archaeologists. Tales from the Green Valley is set in Wales in the 1600s. Some of the same people from that show went on to make Victorian Farm, Victorian Farm Christmas, and Edwardian Farm. All but the Christmas special show what life was like on a farm for an entire year during each time period.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

While the shows may be interesting, they really don't prove much. The people involved have had experienced modern conveniences, so it's much harder to learn to live without them. Those who never had them don't know what they are missing.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

IMHO, a much better series was "*Pioneer Quest - A Year in the Real West." * Pioneer Quest was a thouand times more realist than Frontier House in that the family arrived in a covered wagon and had only the supplies in the wagon to survive on for an entire year. They had to grown their own food, make their own cabin and barn, and survive one of the most ferocious winters in Manitoba's history. There wasn't much time for drama and complaining like there was in Frontier House.

Pioneer Quest - Tim and Deanna Treadway

Pioneer Quest slide show


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## Guest (May 8, 2012)

I enjoyed Frontier House rather a lot. Enough so that we bought the DVDs and the book.

You do have to understand the premise though. It wasn't simply a recreation of frontier life as a how-to. It was a recreation of the sorts of people that moved to the frontiers and what they experienced. At least so much as they were able to do so. Six out of ten who filed homestead claims could not stick it out for the five years to prove their claims. Of the remaining forty percent I'd be willing to bet a significant part of them ended up selling out before another five years were up. Even for the folks who had never experienced modern conveniences that life was tough. A great many of those folks really had no idea of what life on the western frontier was going to be like and many ended up trying to homestead in areas where they simply could not make a living no matter what they did.

I've been thinking of Frontier House a lot these last several weeks as I was finishing up reading all nine of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books to my youngest as well as Rose Wilders Lane's book. For a lot of folks it was defeat after defeat after defeat even for those who knew what they were doing. Some were able to stick it out, many could not. The Frontier House series was a lot better if you also read the book and the associated website which is still up at PBS - Frontier House.

The mental and emotional toll of what they were recreating was every bit as important as the physical. Some stuck it out and made it through. Many could not. Some places were homesteaded where it should never have been attempted.


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## Suzyq2u (May 17, 2010)

BTW, someone has recently uploaded Frontier house to youtube. I like free 
Here's pt 1 of the first episode.
[YOUTUBE]mfUgTWJ4ngE[/YOUTUBE]

Now I'll have to look for the other series CF, I forgot how whining there was in FH


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Back when we received dvds from Netflix, I watched Frontier House. It was interesting but that one family irked me beyond belief. I was just checking out the DIY network's FB page and everyone says it's the same show that PBS showed originally. I don't get DIY so I won't be tuning in.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Cabin Fever said:


> IMHO, a much better series was "*Pioneer Quest - A Year in the Real West." * Pioneer Quest was a thouand times more realist than Frontier House in that the family arrived in a covered wagon and had only the supplies in the wagon to survive on for an entire year....


[YOUTUBE]GpY98uAiXyk[/YOUTUBE]


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

What a great thread! Thank you for starting this. I love Frontier House and Colonial House. I have both sets on DVD and even re watch them once in awhile.

For me, it is about the reality that life changes, and for many of us, those changes may at first appear to be a step backward. I have a big house in the suburbs, that is all my youngest knows. I can no longer keep the house, and I no longer want this lifestyle. I have changed along with my finances.

I have a set amount of money each month...and just like the pioneers of old, I have to decide how best to use that money ( resources ) to provide the best life possible for my family. So, I have decided to move to a homestead and to create a "new norm". We will have a healthier, safer, less stressful life. I will have a place with the youngest and my middle son will have a place with his wife and future family. We hope the oldest son joins us eventually.

I have experienced the hollows of Eastern Ky and WVa. I truly enjoy the land in Central Ky. ( Adiar, Casey counties ). 

So, while I know we will quickly adjust and will LOVE it, there will be issues, failures, and psychological/ social dymanics to be expected. The series brought to mind the damage conflict can create, the need for socializing, etc. I especially loved the assessments...if there was not enough wood chopped and stored, woe!


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

Cabin Fever, thank you for the info on Pioneer Quest. I am going to find it TODAY!!! 
Terri
Ohio dreaming of Ky.


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

Well, I went online in search of Pioneer Quest. I was only able to find the series for sale on one site...and the shipping and handling alone is ridiculous. I need to find it a bit less expensive before I can buy the series.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Pioneer Quest was awesome. The producer of that show also did several other similar series -- Quest for Gold (about the Klondike gold rush), Quest for the Bay (about the Yorkmen/fur trade), Quest for the Sea (about living in a early 20th century fishing outpost in Newfoundland).

I enjoyed Frontier House on one level -- kind of like watching a different kind of Survivor -- but the actual "living in the old west?" Uh, no.

Whining, complaining kids who smuggled in makeup, everyone moaning about how hard it was and how much they wanted toilet paper, or soda, and that one idiot complaining CONSTANTLY that he was sick, when he was nothing more than lazy and annoying, not to mention the one family who didn't play by the rules, at ALL.

No, give me Pioneer Quest, thanks.


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## StaceyS (Nov 19, 2003)

I LOVED Pioneer Quest! Wish it was available to purchase and download online, I'd definitely pay for it.


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

The only place I have found so far is the Treadwell site. The cost is $75.00 plus shipping and handling. I may breakdown and order next month.


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Has anybody tried [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DBUbYEUIMM&feature=relmfu"]Texas Ranch House[/ame]?Saw it on YouTube and am going to give it a try.


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## thistle (Jan 29, 2006)

Yep.. seen that one. Not to give you any spoilers, but I was really hoping for a mutiny, and I'm glad I've never met that spoiled family in real life.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

I enjoy frontier house-- mostly for watching the psychological effects on pampered modern families of 19th century living--- the main thing that bugged me was the fact that NONE of the families ever gleaned. Those kids should have been out hunting around for edibles, not demanding mom entertain and "watch" them.


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## freeb (Jul 25, 2009)

Does anyone know of a place to find what was in the original food stores that was sent with them that was supposed to last 5 weeks?


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

Did I see they took a HUGE box of dried peas? I may be getting my series confused, but I remember at one point everyone was sick of dried peas ( peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold...)


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## KentuckyDreamer (Jan 20, 2012)

I think I found it...follow the link and look to the far right...

PBS - Frontier House: Top Story: Week 5


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

Is this the show where they had to chop wood all summer in order to make it through the winter? Wasn't there only one family that would have survived determined by the historical judges? I loved it!


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

A.T. Hagan said:


> You do have to understand the premise though. It wasn't simply a recreation of frontier life as a how-to. It was a recreation of the sorts of people that moved to the frontiers and what they experienced. At least so much as they were able to do so. Six out of ten who filed homestead claims could not stick it out for the five years to prove their claims. Of the remaining forty percent I'd be willing to bet a significant part of them ended up selling out before another five years were up. Even for the folks who had never experienced modern conveniences that life was tough. A great many of those folks really had no idea of what life on the western frontier was going to be like and many ended up trying to homestead in areas where they simply could not make a living no matter what they did.
> 
> The mental and emotional toll of what they were recreating was every bit as important as the physical. Some stuck it out and made it through. Many could not. Some places were homesteaded where it should never have been attempted.



That is what I really enjoyed about the program. The points when the historical experts would visit and tell them what they needed to accomplish. I was astonished that almost all of the long work hours were to prepare for winter. It is hard to imagine the mental and physical toll that it takes on a dedicated family until you see it for yourself.


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

The couple who got divorced immediately after the show finished taping admitted throughout that their marriage was in trouble, and this project was an attempt to salvage it.

There was another couple who also divorced, although it happened several years later.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Oh, a couple more gems from this show:
SPOILERS:

I got a laugh out of the little boy who thought he was going to guilt trip the family out of killing the pig for the community fall fair. 

I will FOREVER name my slaughter animals "JoJo Pumpkin" as an homage.  

Those teenage girls also got their comeuppance for insisting on wearing chemises the whole trip... 
They probably have the claim to fame as being the only female nethers to ever flash across the screen on PBS prime time. For one brief moment... they were the 19th century equivalent of Brittney Spears!!

The female reenactor in me completely saw *that* coming.


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

Didn't the teen girls also try to sneak out to civilization? I think they tried to get to a convenience store or something.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Raven12 said:


> Didn't the teen girls also try to sneak out to civilization? I think they tried to get to a convenience store or something.


They went on a walkabout with their mom to a modern house--- mom wanted to trade baked goods for meat and fresh produce, the kids saw cartoons while they waited. The other large family had a lot of badmouthing to say about it... 
The camera crew cracked down on them-- I didn't see the big deal.

I kind of agree that the Clune family (the children especially) didn't go in very honestly trying to keep the makeup and shampoo. 
The mother tried her best but was completely out of her element... the kids didn't know a cow from a sheep going in. 
The father's strongest survival skill was his shrewdness, and the rules of the contest penalized him for it at every turn. I think they would have stood a better chance than the judges made out if he had been allowed to be shrewd. And they certainly would have done better to employ their children... what a squandered resource that was of those nearly adult girls doing nothing but washing clothes and milking! Time once was that two girls that age in the home was a mother's vacation plan! LOL

The problem with the blended family, I'm sorry to say-- is that the wife was not on a team with her husband-- she wanted to be the team captain, and that was going to be their downfall eventually no matter where they were living. It's clear she never got over what ever went wrong her first marriage. 
She was also a little bit of a shrew... if she was the type of person to let things go... she would have had allies in the other women instead of feeling sorry for herself about being excluded-- she excluded herself!! 

As for the newlywed... poor thing was toast. Her lifestyle didn't lend her to know much of anything. We all laugh at her goat cheese making experiment, but how many of our friends or family would really know what makes baking soda different from baking powder? or what rennet is? 

As least the Irish culinary grad knew how food was made.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

I remember that I had met one of the historians on the show. She used to be a historian at the Billings Farm in VT. 

The thing that got me the most was thinking, "when in the world are you going to ***** those cabins?!"


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

Dusky Beauty said:


> I kind of agree that the Clune family (the children especially) didn't go in very honestly


That was my big problem with the show. There were so many applicants and the producers picked a family that was there for the reality tv aspect. I tried to watch the series set in New England and lost interest because of the same reason. I have no interest in the staged reality drama.


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## HOTW (Jul 3, 2007)

I heard of Pioneer Quest years ago and my DSIL said she saw it on the TV when it was on..I just might have to order it from the site TY for the link CF!! My family always htink sI'm nuts for making soap and wanting to go off grid but I sure has some benefits...

Frontier House had a lot of issues amonsgt th efamilies i wish they had elaborated more in the filming rather than so much website interaction I think they should have shown a lot more and made the series a little longer!


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

I saw a few of the episodes, bust was impressed with the father, relationg to some of the myths of weight loss.

He was an average middle-aged yuppie, with the usual belly fat, when they started.

After some time, of strenuous work and meager meals, he became very, very skinny and muscular, to the point they thought he may be ill.

A Doctor check him out thoroughly and found, that indeed, we was quite healthy and extremely fit.

He was very active and consumed very little calories, but they were metabolized very effieiently.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Raven12 said:


> That was my big problem with the show. There were so many applicants and the producers picked a family that was there for the reality tv aspect. I tried to watch the series set in New England and lost interest because of the same reason. I have no interest in the staged reality drama.


This show was made on the first wave of reality television.. I'm afraid at the time every producer and his cousin was trying to cast the next survivor.


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

We can get a lot of these at our local library. I'm going to have to look for the Quest series, thanks!


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

A.T. Hagan said:


> The mental and emotional toll of what they were recreating was every bit as important as the physical. Some stuck it out and made it through. Many could not. Some places were homesteaded where it should never have been attempted.


I agree --- however, no families' children would have been that spoiled rotten in 1880.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

mtmama said:


> I have the book of this series, I got it on amazon. My library has it on VHS.




The book was almost better than the show! It had a TON of behind the scenes info it, including more on how they "trained" and what they actually brought with them and alot of things they did not show on the air at all.

I bought mine used also and it was a fun read!


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

HOTW said:


> Frontier House had a lot of issues amonsgt th efamilies i wish they had elaborated more in the filming rather than so much website interaction I think they should have shown a lot more and made the series a little longer!



There was alot more about this in the book.


They also showed how they nearly had a death on the very first day.


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## freeb (Jul 25, 2009)

I think that well to do family thinks they are beyond the rules by trading with the 21st century, claiming they had to do what they did to "save" the dad as he was so sick, he was complaining about loosing all that weight but they also said all the other homesteading men lost about what he lost. Whine, whine, whine! This wasnt the first time they broke the rules, wonder why there arent any consequences?


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

The Clunes were not that bad. They bent the rules a little here and there and it really gave them no advantage, it just highlighted a little laziness on their part.

Over all the families all did a great job. The cabins were really nice. Nate and his dad did a super job on Nate's cabin. I was impressed with the root cellars each family built.

The Glenn wife, laura, or lauren, she was a real hard person to like. She seemed to just want to be at odds with everyone. Her husband seemed like an alright guy. 

It was interesting how bored and lonely they were when they got back to modern life. Many of them seemed to want to go back. They should just go and buy some land and go live close to the land again, but this time take some modern things like washing machines and dryers. 

The women complained about the monotany of their work, but the men's work was just as repetitive. The men did not have it any easier.

Does anyone know the name of the Clune's stove in their cabin? I liked that stove. It had an oven on the back and a grittle on the front of the box and it was small and practical, I thought that was a great design.


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

City Bound said:


> It was interesting how bored and lonely they were when they got back to modern life. Many of them seemed to want to go back.


I remember thinking how sad and unhappy one family seemed at being back living a "normal" life. Deep down you know they wanted to toss it all and return to homesteading.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Having that bunch for neighbors would drive me back to civilization---or off to the wilderness to live by myself!!!


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