Frontier House

The new "hands-on history" series sends 21st-century families back in time
By Jill Zayszly

Frontier House The year is 1883. The place is the Montana territory. And the temperatures range from extreme cold to extreme hot. There's no electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, refrigeration or cell phones.

But there is plenty of hard work, scrambling for food and cramped spaces for the three 21st-century families who traveled back in time for the "hands-on history" series Frontier House, debuting Monday, April 29 at 9 p.m.

The series documents the six months that these modern families spent living like Wild West settlers, with only the tools and resources available to the real settlers of 1883. Amazingly, over 5,000 families applied to participate in this pioneer experience.

The idea was inspired by the PBS series The 1900 House, which followed a modern English family living for three months as turn-of-the-century Londoners.

"From the early days of The 1900 House, we wanted to take on the stereotypes and myths of the American West," explains executive producer Beth Hoppe. "Every step of the way the production team, the participants and the experts have enthusiastically embraced our concept, and Frontier House explores the reality of everyday life in 1883 at a level of detail that exceeded even my expectations. The story of our families' experience is at once dramatic, entertaining and educational."

The Glenn family of Tennessee (pictured on the cover), the Clune family of California and the Brooks family of Massachusetts were selected and put through a rigorous training program before heading out to the "real world" of 1883.

From May until early October of 2001, these families -- moms, dads, newlyweds, kids and even a couple of teenagers -- lived as homesteaders, with the exception that their victories, defeats and obstacles were being recorded for this "modern-day _history experiment."

The families found themselves dealing with food shortages, isolation, bears and a 10-mile trek to the closest general store, stocked with only authentic, period items. The producers consulted with historians and experts to ensure housing, medical supplies and every detail of the experiment were consistent with what the real 1883 settlers would have had to contend with.

In the first episode, "The American Dream," the families are sent to an intensive training program before heading out to claim their 160 acres of land in the Montana wilderness. From cooking on a wood-burning stove to using shotguns to building log cabins, the families brace for the unexpected.

Although country life may seem romantic, the time-traveling families of Frontier House soon came to understand the rigors of homesteading life. The lack of food supplies and variety even tempted some to stray into the modern world.

On Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m., viewers can get a sneak preview of the behind-the-scenes efforts that went into transporting these families through an imaginary time tunnel to the year 1883 in the Making Frontier House special. The program explores how the producers chose the location and the adventurous people for this experience, follows the series' historians as they attempt to construct 19th-century life and examines what this living-history drama can teach us all about the real western frontier.

Will the Glenn, Clune and Brooks clans survive the elements and endure the hardships of homesteading life? Get ready to saddle up and travel back in time to find out.

Frontier House airs April 29 through May 1 at 9 p.m. on WHYY TV12. The behind-the-scenes special Making Frontier House airs Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m.

American Experience "Ansel Adams" airs Sunday, April 21 at 9 p.m. on WHYY TV12.