The manual for the first time made an attempt to systematically present material on the most important aspects of the culture and life of the Russian peasantry of the Middle Urals of the mid-19th - early 20th centuries. (items related to economic activities, settlements, housing, clothing, vehicles, food, utensils). Ethnocultural specificity is shown in organic connection with economic activity, the mutual influence of the city and the village, natural and geographical conditions, with the peculiarities of the formation and resettlement of the population.