Surviving the bitter cold

 Recently we experienced temperatures in the -40s in my area and a reported -50C at Keg River, Alberta.

How did our ancestors survive temperatures like these?

I grew up on an unmechanized farm, so I may have some valid insights.

Prepare a good supply of fuel in advance. 

Stay indoors and keep your livestock in the barn during the worst temperatures,

Dress warmly when you have to go outdoors,

Dad did logging during the wintertime. On his hands he wore leather mitts with knitted wool mitts inside. He used a "Swede saw" (bow saw) to cut down the trees and cut them into logs after removing the branches. He then used his horse to skid the logs to the pickup point  This was cold work in midwinter.

People who had automobiles would drain the cooling system to prevent the engine block from freezing solid and cracking open ... unless they had some of that ethylene glycol antifreeze. 

A small fire in a jam can under the engine would warm up the engine oil enough to allow you to crank the car. If one vehicle would start, it might be used to tow another vehicle until it would also start. (Virtually all transmissions were manual back then.) 

Trucks used sleigh trailers to haul logs and lumber to town. These worked fine, unless you needed to stop. I once ended up on a frozen creek when one of these rigs forced us off a small bridge. I was riding in the open box of the other truck. This experience created a lasting memory but no injuries..

Of course, these days, we have block heaters and attached garages, and every car has antifreeze. But there were occasions where batteries froze solid. Dressing warmly and avoiding unnecessary travel in bitterly cold weather is still a good idea.

Stay warm and stay safe.

Bill