Around 1700, American settlers and rural communities commonly used smoothed corn cobs as a practical and accessible alternative for toilet paper. This resourceful solution showcased the ingenuity of frontier life and the adaptation to available materials. The use of corn cobs highlights the cultural practices surrounding hygiene and domestic life in early American history.

The use of corn cobs as a common American frontier wiping alternative in the 1700s became a symbol of self-reliance. This practical imagery found its way into frontier folklore and poetry, reflecting the rugged individualism of rural American life, as seen in the works of poets like Walt Whitman.