Settlers faced many hardships such as sickness, drought, dust storms, prairie fires, snow blizzards, and extreme financial hardships to mention a few. Gust provided fire wood by cutting and hauling the wood by team and wagon from either the Beaver or Sappa creeks ten to twelve miles away. Water was carried to the house from a water well until a pitcher pump was installed into the house in 1920. Kerosene and gasoline lamps provided lights, as there was no electricity as long as they lived there. Six children were born - Amanda Esther, January 12, 1900; Maude Venla, March 23, 1902; Elmer Hening, October 25, 1905; Clara Emelia, November 23, 1908; Ernest Wilbert, October 8, 1912; and Elder Gustaf, September 19,1915. Because of necessity, Gust became an efficient blacksmith. He sharpened cultivator shovels, and plow and lister lathes for himself and neighbors. He heated the lathes in a forge where the air bellows were manually propelled by one of his sons. They raised sheep, therefore they carded the wool and Hulda made many warm comfort quilts. She also spun the wool into threads so she could knit sweaters, mittens and socks for the family. This was also the era of making home made soap for household use. One of the family projects was the making of sorghum. They would extract the juice from the cane by a horse-powered roller press. The juice would run out into a large pan. It was then boiled down to sorghum. Snow as put into snow cellars, and insulated with straw. The snow was cut into blocks and put into an ice box for summer refrigeration.

Gust and Hulda enjoyed fishing and would take the family to some nearby creek to fish at least once a year. In later years they went fishing more frequently. Their means of transportation was by team and buggy, or team and sled, until they purchased a used touring buick in 1917. Gust and Hulda were converted to the Christian faith at an early age and were members of the Herndon Covenant Church located two miles south of the home place. Bible reading and prayer was always top priority in the home, as was the welfare of the entire family. Gust served as Sunday School superintendent and teacher for many years. As of March 1987, the following are deceased: S. Gust Carlson died June 28, 1958; Hulda Emelia Carlson died September 14, 1963; Maude Venla, December 2,1977; Elmer Hening, March 8, 1937; Ernest Wilbert; June 16, 1975, and Amanda Esther Noren, May 12, 1987.
1974