sod homestead from that period that remains standing. These sod homes represent a time in which westward expansion was booming and the government was trying to get people to settle on the plains. Resource Set Zion Homestead, Bunkhouse Constructed c. 1916 Eastern Colorado c. 1905 Example of a Certificate of a Homestead National Register Nomination for Zion Homestead July 6, 2005 Root Cellar c. 1915 Resource 4, Photograph 7 Brooder House c. 1930 Resource 5 Photographs 8 and 16 A recent picture of the bunkhouse taken in 2004. This map illustrates the area in which the Zion family settled. This was filed as proof that someone made the necessary upgrades as written in the Homestead Act c. 1900. The nomination form (27 pages) contains photos, oral history, documents, architectural information, etc. The root cellar played an important role in the homesteaders' winter food supply. Anna Zion grew potatoes and a variety of vegetables which she canned and stored there. A brooder house is the first home for baby poultry. It is a heated enclosure that protects these newborns for about 6 weeks. This picture from 2004 demonstrates the unusual durability of sod since it is still structurally sound more than a century after its construction. This map illustrates the lack of water sources available in the eastern plains of CO (shown by the absence of waterways or rivers in the area). The Homestead Act was the reason for the westward expansion and a person had five years to prove they made the upgrades. National Register Nominations are one of the best places to find complete information on historic properties and their significance. The root cellar was located about 20 feet from the northeast corner of the main house and measured 31 feet by 21 feet. See nomination for description of the construction of this structure. This brooder house was a single story, rectangular 10 x structure with a concrete foundation. The interior had plasterboard walls. It had a metal shed roof and was located southeast of the main house.
Zion Homestead Zion Homestead Window Installation Technique for Sod House Sod Placement Technique for Sod House Walls Zion Homestead Site Overview Site overview Photograph 16 Homestead in 1936. Image courtesy of Joe Zion and the Idalia Visions Foundation. 1912, Image from the 1909 Homesteaders, "God Bless Them." Sketch depicting window installation. Image from The Sod House. Sketch of the layer of sod bricks in the wall construction. Image from The Sod House. Sketch map illustrating the positioning of various buildings that were part of the Zion Homestead. (p. 21) Photograph of the Zion Homestead that corresponds to the structures labeled in the sketch map. This homestead building exemplifies the lifestyle of an eastern plains homesteader, rancher, and farmer at the prime settlement phase of Yuma County. Zion Homestead is an intact example of the ingenious adaptation many plains homesteaders utilized for the construction of their first home. An advantage of sod buildings was the accessibility to the construction materials. On treeless, barren plains, with little water, technology, or building materials for frame or stone buildings, the Note the simple but effective construction techniques using available resources. Wooden pegs were driven through holes several places: in the wooden window frame to hold them in place, the planks above the window, and the space between the top of the window and the planks. The layering of sod strips in an alternating “brick-like” pattern gave strength to the building walls constructed of local materials. Detailed descriptions of the site and buildings are located in the nomination form. This last photo in the series brings together the previous images of the individual buildings that make up the 1.27-acre homestead.