Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-08-26
OUR FRONTIER HOME.

Il needs no architect nor mason skilled
Our frontier home TO plan or build,
For IT stands on government lands
Far out on the western prairie;
Il is made with the pillow and spade.
With no tools but the aid Of our two hands.
And no mechanic or joiner,
Or mason skilled at the trade
Could build one here ANY finer
Than these frontier houses are made.
For without lumber, rock or brick,
Or timber, except on the creek,
And when it's near il Is so dear,
And there are no brick kilas out here.
With rock no where to be found,
am afraid We must have made
Our house beneath the ground,
Except ter Providential aid
Our frontier house is made
Neither with lumber, rock or brick,
But is built of buffalo sod.
The walls are nearly three feet thick
And there is no need of bod
Except for plastering inside.
No lumber excepting the floor
Perhaps there are boards on the roof,
Making it waterproof
Many have poles then brush or hay,
With three windows or more.
The floor Of some is merely ground
And there is where the vermin abound,
The pole roofs have a center post;
The NEST that some sod houses boast
Is homemade tables, benches and bed,
And the partitions are curtains instead,
Some only boast half window or two
With only few lights in sash,
And they are SO dirty you can't see through !:
The rest are filled with old clothes.
Tho walls without plaster or whitewash
Make il dark as you may suppose.
When the houses are very long
There are two posts near the middle,
And our rains often come 80 strong
As 20 wash off the lime or clay
Making it leak like riddle
When il has rained a night or day.
The sod 10 plowed twelve inches wide,
Sometimes fourteen, and two inches thick.
The sods on the wagon the wagon are laid
Always upon the grassy side,
And the same side down on the wall,
Are measured and cut with the spade
Two feet and half long or more.
The walls resemble those of brick;
The sods are wider but just as thick;
And they are also black, is all.
Holes are left for windows and door.
The buffalo sod is SO tough
IT'S thrown like wood upon the wall,
And at first is always rough.
Some get ii from lagoon,
Which is called about as good, nigh,
But they are as rare as day in June.
When aload on the wall is laid
And before il gets too hard and dry
Il is dressed off smooth with spade.
When the walls are laid high enough,
Perhaps some seven feet or 80,
That being the height of the roof,
And two feet more at tho gable,
The ridge pole is set In at the peak,
The root is made Ia stable.
Like stable or eow,shed east,
But instead of pile of straw or hay,
These are covered with sod or clay.
Though humble, make home at least.
The one door opens west or eass
Because of the prevailing winds.
IT'S Providential suppose
That such material grows rear by;
For, all must own, to the sod alone
Its wealth this country owes,
Without timber, brick or stone,
What would We homesieaders have done?
The buffalo grass 10 passing away,
Giving way 30 grass more fit for hay;
The blue stem and bunch grass grow now
Where the shorter grass used to grow,
Making feed for the white mans horse and
COW
When the ground is covered with snow.
For the buffalo grass and game,
The red man, the game and grasses,
Their races they soon will have run,
Be it said to The white mans shame,
For they are beyond the mountain passes
And approaching the setting sun.
The last buffalo's bones will be bleaching
Soon upon the buffalo sod,
The last warriors death song will be done
And his soul viii have gone to God;
For one by one they are reaching,
Passing beyond the setting sun.
P. N. RERD.