Valentine’s Day in the Old West

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Goodness, it’s February already! And that means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. So, whether you love or loathe it, there’s no doubt it’s one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world.

But how did we arrived at a holiday in the dead of winter, and symbolized by a chubby baby wearing a diaper carrying a bow and arrow, that will bring in revenue over $14.2 billion this year?

History

Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day or the Feast of St. Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14th. It originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named St. Valentine and is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

Formal messages or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s. Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the bird mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day.

Up until the end of the Civil War, men might shower their special lady with a card to express his sentiments.

A “window” valentine ca. 1864.

This card was called a “window valentine” because front flaps opened to reveal a hidden message or image.

Or if a fella was well-to-do, he would purchase “eating chocolates” for his sweetheart. Produced by Richard Cadbury, these chocolates were sold in beautifully decorated boxes that could be used again and again to store mementos, from locks of hair to love letters.

           

The Old West and Valentine’s Day

Once the war was over, many soldiers left the war-torn East for a new life in the West. So, if a man was lucky enough to have a wife or sweetheart in the far reaches of the frontier, what was available to him?

In lieu of tangible gifts, the suitor might present his lady with something of himself. A carefully handwritten love letter in his best penmanship was a gift many a lady would highly cherish.

 

Carving out a life in the West, many men acquired skills which came in handy when crafting a gift for his intended. Whether it was a hand-tooled leather sewing box, a wooden blanket chest, or a poem of his own creation, men in the West were determined to show their affection on Valentine’s Day by manufacturing something hewed by his own hands.

 

By the last decade of the 1800s, access to a mail-order catalog (Sears & Roebucks, Montgomery Ward, and Eaton’s in Canada) offered jewelry, hat pins, parasols, and rings to the man who had hard cash and the desire to impress his lady.

Today, as in the past, Valentine’s Day celebrations are as varied as the people planning them. However, in 1873, this advertisement in the Matrimonial Times actually occurred in San Francisco.

            “Any gal that got a bed, calico dress, coffee pot and skillet, knows how to cut out britches and can make a hunting shirt, knows how to take care of children can have my services till death do us part.”

What women could resist an invitation so eloquently stated?!!!

Turning the clock back to the late 1950’s – early 1960’s…

I have such wonderful, vivid memories of Valentine’s Day in elementary school. A week before Valentine’s Day, every student would bring in a shoe box. During art class, we would decorate our boxes with crepe paper, hearts cut from red and pink construction paper, and paper lace doilies, making sure there was a large slit in the cover for all the Valentine cards we were sure to get. Ironically, most of the cards had a western cowboy/cowgirl theme! Do these look familiar to anyone?

      

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share your comments about a favorite Valentine’s Day memory from your school days.

 

 

 

Author at JMV Creative Enterprise | jrobertsauthor@yahoo.com | Website |  + posts

Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Jo-Ann Roberts was fascinated by America’s Old West and always felt she was destined to travel on a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. With her love of history and reading, she began reading historical romance during high school and college. Victoria Holt, Jude Deveraux, and Roseanne Bittner were among her favorites. Influenced by her father, she fell in love with John Wayne, James Garner, and her all-time favorite, James Stewart and grew up watching Wagon Train, Bonanza and Rawhide.
A firm believer in HEA with a healthy dose of realism, Jo-Ann strives to give her readers a sweet historical romance while imparting carefully researched historical facts, personalities, and experiences relative to the time period. Her romances take her readers back to a simpler time to escape the stress of modern life by living in a small town where families and friends help one another find love and happiness.
When she isn’t creating believable plots and relatable heroes and heroines, Jo-Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandson. She also enjoys baking, quilting and eating way too much chocolate.
After 38 years in public education in Connecticut and Maryland, she’s now calls North Carolina home.

58 thoughts on “Valentine’s Day in the Old West”

  2. I loved opening the huge folder I made from construction paper and decorated that my classmates had stuffed with valentines. I carefully examined and read every one of them. Then would come the cupcakes and treats that became heaping portions on a valentine paper plate, plus some cola or other drink in a matching cup with a similar napkin. Fun times for a girl who didn’t often have so many store-bought treats at home.

    • Janice, what a fun memory! Those were the days when every mother brought in a homemade treat. I don’t remember the matching napkins and plates, but we certainly had our share of goodies to eat. Thanks for commenting. Happy February!

  3. Yes those parties were a big deal and I remember feeling slighted if your Valentine count didn’t match one from all in the class!!

    • I loved those parties. Those days, mothers sent in homemade cookies, cupcakes, and popcorn balls. Loved counting the valentines as well. Thanks for commenting. Happy February!

  4. I attended a very small school for my first six years, so we didn’t have many extra activities. I do remember the simple, single side cards I exchanged with my few classmates. Interesting history you shared!

    • Thanks for commenting, Catherine. I still love those vintage, single sided cards. Just looking at them brings me back to Second Grade. I’m glad you enjoyed the blog. Happy February!

  5. When I was in elementary school, we used decorated cereal boxes to make the Valentine’s mailbox.

    We would have an in-class party to exchange cards and have punch and cookies or cupcakes. We’d usually come home with a box of sweethearts and a box of red hots.

    • Oh, my goodness, Denise! I’d forgotten about those sweetheart candies! When I went to college in Boston, a few of us went on a field trip to NECCO the company who made those conversation candies. Thanks for commenting. Happy February!

  6. Valentine’s Day was a big thing in grade school. I looked forward to seeing who I got them from. We would make a big paper heart to hold them all and you would place one in each classmate.

  7. thank you for sharing this post. I knew Valentines went way back but had no idea how far back. Cool. I remember in school we had to bring in a small box with a lid. Shoe boxes were perfect. And the teacher had all kinds of things to decorate it with. She cut a slit in the top for us. Mom had given me a lot of other stuff to decorate with also. The best part was the decorating part. Showing who I was as a person. I loved to see others boxes and some actually wanted help to decorate. YES I was all there.

    • I love reading these comments! Such fun, innocent, and simple activities that meant to so much to us. Great memories to hold onto in this technology-obsessed world. Thanks for sharing. Happy February!

  8. My Mom would always participate in my class with things like this, so I vividly remember my first grade class Valentine’s day. It was first grade that I made my first African American friends, and one of them gave my Mom so many valentines that day! Every time we turned around, he was bringing Mom another one. I don’t remember other Mom’s being there, but I do remember the impression Mom made on that one classmate!

    • What a sweet memory of making a new friend. It’s so special when others thought so highly of your mom. I’m sure you were quite proud of her. Thanks for sharing this memory with us. Happy February!

  9. I remember those Valentine’s cards. I also remember decorating the shoe box though, we would decorate them at home and take them to school and proudly set them on our desk for the Valentine’s party. My parents would give us a small heart shape box of chocolate candy for Valentine’s Day.

    • Thank you for sharing your memories with us, Barbara! Even now, I can recall the feel of crepe paper and the smell of school glue as we worked to make our special boxes. Happy February!

  10. I remember doing the shoe boxes and valentine cards. I liked also that it was my parents’ anniversary so it made the day special because my dad would buy my mom candy and she would make my dad a special meal that we all got to enjoy.

  11. Once in junior high, I received my very first long stem rose… It did not say who it was from… later on I learned a friend of mine sent it… she got one for all of her friends. It was a sweet gesture that I really appreciated. It made my day special.

  12. I remember making these boxes, and sometimes making the cards too! Yes, those cards do loo familiar! We usually had a class party with cookies, punch, and time to hand out all those cards.

  14. Hello and Happy Valentine’s Day I so remember these Valentine’s I remember using shoe boxes to make my Valentine card holder in school have a Blessed Day!

  15. I enjoyed the school valentine parties and seeing what kind of valentines I would receive from my class mates.

    • I know many children liked Christmas celebrations, but to me the whole idea of making a special box, giving and receiving Valentines, and eating cupcakes and cookies with pretty pink frosting was the best. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy February!

  17. In elementary school we used to bring cards to school and put them into a large decorated box on the teacher’s desk. At the end of the day they were distributed. We never did receive treats.
    I am so glad that you mentioned Eatons. Growing up in Canada Eatons was a wonderful department store which was downtown. Exploring the 7 floors filled with everything under the sun was a delight. I miss those days.

    • Thanks for stopping by today, Anne! Many of us have great memories of a special department store. England Brothers in my hometown was similar to Eatons. Sadly, it closed several years ago. Happy February!

  18. I can recall exchanging valentines at school, but more recently, helping my kids make valentines for their friends.

    • I agree, Judy! As much as I loved my memories of valentine’s day parties, I loved helping my own children with their valentines. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy February!

  19. We didn’t have Valentine Day parties at school but we did exchange valentines. Collecting Valentine cards was fun. I used to keep them in a special scrapbook.

  20. I mostly remember taking shoe boxes and making a Valentine card box so all you friend could go around and put your valentines in the boxes. You would decorate them with hearts and things.

  21. The parties at school when we opened our valentines were so much fun. Even when I was an elementary school teacher I still enjoyed them, It was simple fun that was full of good will.

    • I wholeheartedly agree with you, Cheryl! As much as I loved it as a student, it was just as much fun when I taught PreK-1. Thanks for sharing with us today. Happy February!

  22. Yes I remember decorating shoe boxes or tissue boxes for our Valentine’s. Of course back then you weren’t required to give one to everyone like they do now so some kids got more than others. I think I still gave everyone one because that was how I was raised. We had parties too.

    • Thanks for sharing with us today, Joannie. Like you I was raised to include everyone. It would never occur to me to leave someone out especially when it was a fun activity like Valentines. Happy February!

  23. I spent most of my childhood attending Department of Defense schools where we did not celebrate with any parties or sending cards.

  24. Hi Valentines Day was always so much fun in elementary school. We would bring a Valentine to everybody in our class. We would first make a cute little box for our Valentines to go in, we would then bring the Valentines and all the Valentine boxes would be lined up and we would go to each box and drop our Valentine in for that person. We always had a very nice little party before the end of the day. Such fun! Have a great evening and a great weekend.

    • Your experience sounds so, so similar to mine. I loved the whole idea of making a special box, giving and receiving Valentines, and eating cupcakes and cookies with pretty pink frosting. Looking back on those days, I’m grateful for the experience. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy February!

  25. I don’t remember much about Valentine day in school, but I was a preschool teacher before retiring. I remember helping children decorate shoe boxes. One year we taught the children how to weave strips of pink and red construction paper to make heart shaped paper envelopes for the valentines to go in. Shoe boxes were hard to find for all of the children.

    • Thanks for sharing with us today. What a fun project to do with the little ones! I bet they loved having a special heart-shaped envelope to store their treasured valentines. Happy February!

  26. I loved our school Valentine’s Day parties. We would exchange cards and eat lots of yummy goodies. Such fun memories of good times.

    • Thanks for sharing with us today, Cherie. I know many children liked Christmas celebrations, but to me the whole idea of making a special box, giving and receiving Valentines, and eating cupcakes and cookies with pretty pink frosting was the best. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy February!

  27. I do remember making those “mail boxes.” Other than that, I do not have very many other Valentine’s Day memories from school. There really wasn’t much of anything until I was 24.

  28. My elementary school St. Valentine’s Day memories include exchanging valentine cards and the party with goodies but I’m hazy on how we constructed the boxes in which we collected the cards. Shoeboxes could’ve been used or maybe something else. It was a fun day!

    Thanks for the brief lesson on the history of the holiday.

  29. Well, here in Finland it’s not actually called Valentine’s Day, it’s called “Friend’s Day”. According to Wikipedia it has been celebrated since 1980’s, but I think it gradually started to become more popular in the 1990s and the day eventually appeared in the calenders. I think the first time it was noted in any way in the elementary school when I was in 9th grade. And no, I don’t have any fond memories of it. But then again, I don’t have many fond memories from my school days, to begin with.

    • Minna, thanks for sharing that piece of information about Finland with us. Actually, I really like the idea of calling it “Friend’s Day”. It’s far more inclusive. Even though you don’t have any fond memories of the holiday, I’m so pleased you took time and feel comfortable to join your friends here at P&P. Happy February!

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