Could you thrive/survive in the 1850's?

Social issues aside, have you made the preparations that would allow you to thrive/survive during the 1850's? Have you (not could you) retained the skills required to thrive/survive with any form of electricity or modern convince prior to 1850?

 

Negative, but it's something I've been working on as well as property I could use to sustain my family. Community is also a key part.

If it really was the 1850's I'd just sell one of my AR-15's to Sam Colt and live like a king.

 

Sam Colt was one of the "not invented here (by ME!!)" types, he would hate the AR-15 and turned you away (look at all the stuff he WAS offered and turned away!). Try Winchester, they would jump on it.

While I would (probably/maybe) survive the lifestyle, a couple of accidents/injuries probably would have put me in the ground. I would not look forward to "Hold him down boys while I cut/dig that out of his guts!"

 

As a child in the early 1940's living in rural Minn we lived close to the way they had in the 1890's. No electricity, no running water, no tractor, no central heat, etc. However, in the late 1940's I caught rabbit fever and without the modern medicine of that time I would have died, the cemetery headstones from the 1860's showed that about half of the people died before they reached 21 and clusters of deaths indicated that disease outbreaks sometimes killed a lot of people in a short time. Raise food, get water, keep warm or cool, keep clothed, fair chance, keep alive if some medical emergency happened, no chance at all. If a real SHTF situation were to occur, a good old fashioned doctor would be of more value to most survival groups than almost any other resource. In fact for half of most groups, their chances of survival would increase many times if he happened to be OBGY trained. Try telling the women of child bearing age in your group that a doctor or good midwife is not a valuable addition to your group and you may be sleeping alone and eating your own cooking.

 

I am similar to @duane : If I had been born in the mid 1800's I would have died at a young age from kidney failure. Back then if you made it to 35 you were the town elder.

Other than being monitored by a nephrologist twice a year, today I live a totally normal life. By the way, I am one of the 0.5% of kidney patients who make a full recovery without needing a renal transplant. I am blessed and I know it. I feel like I won the "kidney lottery".

One of my close friends is a doctor and even she will admit that without modern medical tests and diagnostic equipment, her MD degree is just a glorified Boy Scout first aid merit badge. Last year she went on a church mission trip to Latin America and said that other than immunizations and treating common, easily recognizable diseases, she could not do much. One villager had a lumpy growth; my friend could not tell what it was just by looking at it. It might be cancer, it might be just a benign blob of fat. There is only one modern hospital in the country and it is a day's travel away.

A lot of people still are living in the 1850s.

 

Modern medicine & sanitation have taken great strides, but it wouldn't take long for many medical supplies to run out.All in all society as we know it today couldn't function for a prolonged period in 1850's conditions.
I'm not sure how many folks today have even spent a week in a lodge/resort/cabin/hunting shack without running water, indoor toilets, central heat & air, or electricity? Are campsites like these still called "Rustic"? Or have "Rustic" campsites included electric hookups, community toilets/showers, maybe even WIFI?

As far back as the 1960's the American side of the Boundary Waters had predetermined campsites with outhouse's/latrines, while on the Canadian side a premier campsite might have had a stack of cut fire wood. How many fishing/hunting camps or even "Vacation" cabins do you see nowadays that are not dependent on post 1850's technology? How many folks have actually pumped the handle on a manual water pump? (I think the park services still have them in many Forrest Preserves?)

This thread is more about the skill set/mind set of 1850's life. Many folks may not have ever used a hand saw, (Not to be confused with an electric circular saw etc) or any other manually powered tools other than a screwdriver and hammer. (Not power nailer or rechargeable screwdriver) Not to mention how many of today's woodsmen are stacking cords without a chainsaw? What I'm driving at is what does it look like when you walk into your tool shed? Is there at least a dark cobwebbed corner where those 1850's like hand tools reside should you suddenly find yourself without today's modern conveniences? Have you retained or took the time to learn those 1850's skill sets? Just in case they become needed, if even for a couple of weeks or months?

Now what if we apply/restore 1850's technology as backup for many of today's common luxuries?

 

When I go home I always spend time at camp. No toilet and the only water is rain water collected from roof run off. We do cheat and bring in water but it is a great learning of how to conserve the good water. You learn quickly that every drop of water counts. We do not have a lot of pure, clean water so most of our use is the unclean rain water. Do not drink, it is not good. I love it. It is a chore to stay at camp but it is one that gives me peace.

Could I survive in the 1850's? I am with Tevin, I would have been dead long ago without modern medicine.

I see that you mentioned tools. I like your thinking. I have one ax, one hatchet and I have a few handsaws. Yes, I could buy my survival but minimalism is what I strive for. I do not want gadgets and lots of stuff, I want to take the stuff I have and make it work. Simplicity is my goal. I believe in splitting wood by hand- an ax and manual saw. (please do not start the splitting wood debate again, I just used it as an example- TY).

 

Perhaps a few antique agricultural tools would come in handy if it was planting season when the 1850's suddenly struck?
At minimum a pick & shovel.

 

Some very insightful responses here.
Born in 1950 with parents that went throughout the depression that actually maintained their skills and added even more survival skill while I was growing up , it's our nature .
If things like a EMP or CME happen I am confident that I could thrive "IF" left alone, and did not have to deal with raiders.
I can make a battery and hope to learn how to make solar panels, after all they were built during the turn if the century early 1900s.
I have a mind set.that if any thing could be done during the turn of the century then I should be able to learn to do it my self.
Though the 1800s were primitive by our standards, there are constants that hold true today .
With what we know ,and these tools of knowledge available to us , there is no reason we should not be able to survive.
I realize that medicine has come a long way, but some things still haven't changed for 2000 years.
The tools Hypocrites developed for turning over the lens in the eye are basically the very same design.
Silver has been used for a very long time as pins in the body retaining bone pieces, even for applying to amputations as a cap to both protect and provide a sterile atmosphere. Silver bandaids are nothing new.
Making colloidal silver requires any light voltage and 2 pieces of silver. Voltage that can be acquired by using lemons and wire.
The list of antibacterial values of silver is too large to list here ,and it does "not" go bad or need refrigeration nor can bacteria become immune to it. Bacteria are suffocated by it.
I make and use my own on my self and my animals ,internally and externally .
For that matter even honey has antibacterial values, that's why it is not given to infants due to their developing digestive system.
Any antibacterial taken internally ,needs to be fallowed eventually with a probiotic to reintroduce the good bacteria in ones digestion.
Yogurt , and dairy help with this, if you don't have and over the counter probiotic .
If I were thrown back into the 1800s I believe I would do just fine.
I have engineering and construction skills and not afraid of experimentation with these things .sensibly

 

Pretty soon batteries are going to become a lot more important in our lives. When combined with solar panels and wind generators there is a potentially new world on the horizon. This technology could provide the freedom we have been waiting for from the power companies for so long. With the coming GigaFactories, home power stations, and electric cars we will start seeing a lot more things run from battery. This will change the entire landscape across the world as everything that runs from electricity will be able to run from battery. This is just the beginning. So what you should really be asking yourself is what would you do if you had all the electricity you wanted in the 1850s. Tesla seemed to do alright and we are still trying to figure out all of his tech today.

This guy seems to be on the right track.

 

I think I could do alright. Medicine is the biggest difference I can see...been living out of doors hanging with my boys for as long as I can remember, and the rest is simple.

 

Batteries are an expendable commodity, along with the tools that use them. ie. 9 volt battery operated tools, 12 volt battery operated tools, 18 volt battery operated tools. The terms new and improved will assure you that whatever battery equipment you currently have shall be come obsolete with the Great New Battery System that manufactures are retooling for. All my hand cranked drills, arm powered saws, and manual agriculture implements still work as originally advertised. (Of course the power source ain't what it used to be.) LOL.

 

I was a black smith once.

 

I'm going out on a limb (not very far though) and saying you still remember the skills, but how many tools of the trade do you still have salted away?

 

It's just so hard to lay a hand on what was once "Dad's" without hearing if only in your mind the words of wisdom He gave to you. Every item you touch is just another lesson He shared with you. How do you know what is a reality and which is an illusion?
Sorry for getting weak in the knees, but I didn't learn the meaning of forgiveness until I kissed my Daughters Goodnight. Didn't matter if I wanted to strangle them during the course of the day, everything was forgiven when they kissed DADDY goodnight and became angelic in their sleep once again. Perhaps it's just a Father's curse..............................
Hope it ain't as hard for them when the time comes that I pass.