Frontier settlers measured manhood by the material comfort of their dwellings.

Evidence

I could not make out whether the superiority of the Deer Valley settlers extended beyond material things, but a teamster I met in the evening said it “made him more of a man to spend a night in such a house.” — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 201

Categorization

• CANDY: A quotable line from a teamster on how a good house made him feel more of a man.