When I saw these pictures posted by Michael Miller, NDSU libraries, the wheels started turning. One of my brothers-in-law, Duane Schwab, was raised in this house near Strasburg, ND, and by looking at it you’d never guess that it is a sodhouse. My wife has visited the place with her sisters and Duane’s mother and remarked upon coming home how nice it is. It’s been sided on the exterior with finished walls inside, all of which made for a cozy home.
This is a good example of how old-timers found the wherewithal to wrest a living and proper shelter from the prairie with their bare hands and sweating brows. It’s an old dwelling, but doesn’t show much sign of sagging or deterioration. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter? I think so.
Today, about the only thing similar can be found in some straw-bale construction. It’s more of a fad with some conservation minded folks and no large movements towards the style is known to me. But the first pioneers had no choice but to use sod as their main ingredient in building shelter.
This is a good example of how old-timers found the wherewithal to wrest a living and proper shelter from the prairie with their bare hands and sweating brows. It’s an old dwelling, but doesn’t show much sign of sagging or deterioration. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter? I think so.
Today, about the only thing similar can be found in some straw-bale construction. It’s more of a fad with some conservation minded folks and no large movements towards the style is known to me. But the first pioneers had no choice but to use sod as their main ingredient in building shelter.
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