The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-09-12
wlNfeR uFE IN. DAKOTA.

WIN EAfAglA.
Description OF the Method OF construce-
ing Sod Houses the Prairie.
81 was at the house of an old Scotch
man a year or two ago, said am old Da-
kotan. Several of us Young people were
sitting at the table In the living room
playing cards. Outside a blizzard was
bowling. The old man said:
/ think 1 viii SO out to the sheds and
zee how the stock are
. Don't you 20, replied
q i guess 1 will
s'I looked over my shoulder and said:
See here. old man, don't you. try that;
you stslv right here. You may think this
mas considerable fuss to make, as the
sheds Were not over four rolls from the
house; but had become acquainted with
winter weather on the pr.,iric,,. We went
bn with our game and nothing more was
said. About ten minutes later 1 looked
up and the old man was gone. Did your
father go outs' asked one of the girls.
Yes She replied, and don't see what
Keeps him. IeSish yoIls would go out and
find him.
II wrapped up and staftod out, first
taking the prccaution to tc,lc one end of
rope, which 1 trailed after me. About
half way betwceIf Sire sheds and the
house / found the old man on his hands
aud knees in the snow, which Was seven
feet deep, crawling about. trying to lind
the house. He was .tllen neatly. dea,l,
aud ten miNutes more would have fin.
ished him. / PICKED him up, and car
riett linn to the house, where with snow,
ice water, and whisky. supplemented
with an hour or two of hard work; we
4
How do people manage to live IN
such climate2''
Give? Why, tlicy prepare fer 1t.
The early comers gerer;,liy PUT up sod
houses, and there is n0tlliug IN the worli
so warm as a sod house. You can walk
Ground barefoot on the floor of one, if
properly constructed, in the coolest
weather. After they have been there lciIgs
enough settlers generally build log
houses, hauling logs thirty or forty miles
for the purpose. These houses are warm
knd comfortable. So long as you don t
have to go out you don't know what
winter is! But the sod house is not to
be treated With disdain. / assure you"
Glow are they built:''
sin the first place Il frame of boards.
the size the house is TO be. is put up 30 as
to give the house u rice appearance in
side; tho roof also rs boarded over Then
the sod is cut with 4 pillow. and Il bank
three or four feet thick is raised all
around this frame. Every sod is laid as
carefully ;s macon lays n brick, the
roots up, and all. openings are filled III
with fine dirt: Openings are made for
the windows and doors, which have
frames extending from inside to outside.
These will contain sometimes three VIM
dows for winter-always two When
the sod rampant is raised to the height OF
the roof poles are laid on and then sod
put over those. The roots hold every
thing firm. You would be surprised tn
see the roots. Some of those grass roots
are as thick as my finger. and extend
down from from ten to fourteen feet"
'Wllatl.'
s'It's fact. assure you. have fol-
lowed them down ElyselT when digging
wells in that blue joint grass fand.: Why,
a man in plowiig has to stop and sharpen
his plow every eighty rods if lie cares
anything for his team. The blacksmith
draws ont the point, but that. and the
edge both have 10 be filed down as sharp
as possible, and tleh. as + say, sllaTpened
every eighty rods. But to rerurn to the
sod house. After the outside is com
pleted the iuside,is finished up to suit the
taste and poker of the proprietor. Some
have only the earAlen fiour, and others
have a board floor, and are divided up
into two or three rooms. And, / tell
you, for winter comfort IN Dakota n sod
house beats them all. Besides these,
there are dugouts on the side of hill,
and occasionally you will meet one on the
prairie. The class of settlers that come
i'll there as n rlln have In mt I'm with al