Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-04-05
WINTER LIFE IN DAKOTA.
Description Of the Method OF Construss-
ing Sod Houses ON the Prairie.

Description Of the Method OF Construss-
Ing sod Houses ON the Prairie.
81 was at the house of an old Scotch
man year or two ago." said an old Ds-
kotan. Several Of US young people were
sitting at the table in the living room
playing cards Outside blizzard was
bowling The old man said:
81 think will go out to the sheds and
see how the stock are
"'Don't you CO. replied.
"'I guess / will
81 looked over my shoulder and said:
See here, old nan, don't you try that;
you stay right here.' You may think this
was considerable fuss 10 make, as the
sheds were not over four rods from the
house; but had become acquainted with
winter weather on the prairies. We went
on with our game and nothing more was
said. About ten minutes later i looked
up and the old man was gone. Did your
father go out? asked one If the girls.
Yes she replied, and don't see what
keeps linn. wish you would go out and
find him.
81 wrapped up and started out, first
taking the precaution to take one end of
a rope, which | trailed after me. About
half way between the sheds and the
house found the old man on MS hands
and knees in the snow, which Was seven
feet deep. crawling about, tryinE to find
the house. He was then nea / dead,
and ten minutes more would hare fin
ished him. picked him up, ani car
ried him TO the house. where with now,
ice water, and whisky, supplemented
with an hour or two of hard work We
managed TO save his life"
'How do people manage TO live 10
such a climatef'
"Livei Why, they prepare for il
she early comers gegerally put up sod
houses. and there is nolhing in the world
DO warm as a sod house. You can walk
around barefoot on the floor Of one, IL
properly constructed, in the coldesr
weather. After they have been there long
enough settlers generally build log
houses, hauling logs thirty or forty miles
for the purpose. These houses are warm
and comfortable So long as you don't
have 10 20 out you don't know what
winter is. But tue sod house is not 10
be treated with dlsdain. assure you"
"iow are they built?'
'In the first place frame Of boards.
the size the house is 70 be, is put up 80 n
10 give the house a nice appearance in
side; the roof also is boarded over. Then
the sod is cut with plow. and bank
three or four feet thick is raised all
around this frame. Every sod is laid a.
carefully as a mason lays a brick, the
roots up. and all openings are filed in
with fine dirt. Openings are made for
the windows and doors. which have
frames exterding from inside 10 outside.
These will contain sometimes three win
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 to
see the roots. Some Of those grass roots
are as thick as my finger, and extend
down from from ten TO fourteen feet"
WHAT"
sits a fact, assure YOU. / have fol-
lowed them down myself when digging
wells in that blue joint grass land. Why,
q man in plowlng has to stop and sharpen
his plow every eighty rods il he cares
anything for his team. The blacksmith
draws out the point, but that and the
edge both have TO be filed down as sharp
ss possible, and then, as say, sharpened
every eighty rods. But TO return TO the
sod house. After the outside is com
pleted the inside is finished up to suit the
taste and pocket Of the proprietor. Some
have only the eartheu floor and others
have a board floor and are divided up
into two or three rooms. And, | ten
you, for winter comfort in Dakota 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
in there as a rule have 10 put up with al
most everything the first year or two"
Milwaukee Cor. Chicago Times.