tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post3088334988245824355..comments2024-03-25T12:21:56.752-05:00Comments on Sweethearts Of The West: Sod HousesCaroline Clemmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-38817102001123394862013-05-19T09:59:15.773-05:002013-05-19T09:59:15.773-05:00Anna Kathryn, I'm glad I don't have to liv...Anna Kathryn, I'm glad I don't have to live in a sod house. You're right, though, one certainly beats no house at all, or life in a tent.Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-72042099679186438852013-05-15T12:05:56.985-05:002013-05-15T12:05:56.985-05:00It's amazing the living conditions those early...It's amazing the living conditions those early pioneers endured. We actually have a friend where we live who's house is built in the side of a hill and the roof is dirt with grass growing on it. My hubby went bananas when he saw it and walked around on the roof checking out the pipes sticking out the top. It definietly kept cool during the summer.Paisley Kirkpatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06401039126457210324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-43616487423507151082013-05-14T22:54:04.437-05:002013-05-14T22:54:04.437-05:00My grandfather built a sod house in Nebraska which...My grandfather built a sod house in Nebraska which was still standing when we visited there in 1968. It was solid and straight, and had been inhabited until two years before. The whole family agreed it was the best house they ever lived in. It had wooden floors, covered with carpet, and a ceiling, though. Not sure how I'd like living in some of those rickety looking houses, and I definitely wouldn't make it very long in a lean-to. No where to put the dishwasher.Jacquie Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361793932364487636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-45921848524099913652013-05-14T21:05:09.388-05:002013-05-14T21:05:09.388-05:00If you visit Fort Robinson in the NW corner of Neb...If you visit Fort Robinson in the NW corner of Nebraska, they have a free standing sod house replica built in 1984. The day we visited, the temperature was over 100 degrees but once inside the sod house, it was cool and comfortable. I understood immediately how important the sod was for insulation from the heat and cold on the prairie. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-3327590934751816702013-05-14T21:02:13.766-05:002013-05-14T21:02:13.766-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-67353518000664455922013-05-14T18:22:28.110-05:002013-05-14T18:22:28.110-05:00Celia, what an interesting family story. I would ...Celia, what an interesting family story. I would certainly get the manuscript out and read it, maybe even write about it, not that anyone would believe you, lol.Anna Kathryn Lanierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607469543348819190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-49949188157851121682013-05-14T18:20:56.909-05:002013-05-14T18:20:56.909-05:00Tanya, I know...you'd think they could have do...Tanya, I know...you'd think they could have done something to keep the house up. But for a house made of sod, it certainly lasted a long time. One of the links I provided includes a letter written by, I believe, the son of the builder, who explains about the house. It was interesting.Anna Kathryn Lanierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607469543348819190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-74208403374742372572013-05-14T18:19:34.433-05:002013-05-14T18:19:34.433-05:00H, Natalija. I think I had a vague idea what a so...H, Natalija. I think I had a vague idea what a sod house was, but, like Celia, I never knew exactly how it was built. I think one built into a hill would be interesting to look at, too. And I wondered about the ones built in the river wash....wouldn't flood during the rainy season? Thanks for stopping by.Anna Kathryn Lanierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607469543348819190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-24020973066985187312013-05-14T13:12:41.930-05:002013-05-14T13:12:41.930-05:00Anna Kathryn--fascinating. I think most of us knew...Anna Kathryn--fascinating. I think most of us knew a few basics of building a sod house, but not in this much detail. It's always amazed me that some of the houses had windows. Curious, that some builders put together sod bricks very precisely, like the two story house--but others seemed to just slap it together so it looked lumpy and lopsided.<br /> <br />My husband's step-great-grandmother lived in a cave in N. Texas--This cave was somewhere around Granbury, and it's been decided that probably it was destroyed when they built Granbury Lake--anyway, it's close to the theory.<br />She had children in that cave, and twin boys, too. Their last name was Stephen, and one of the twin boys grew up to be the founder of Stephenville. (I believe I have all this correct.)<br />But while they lived in the cave, a large animal the mother called a lion came visiting and became a guardian of the cave. It slept on top and would growl when danger neared.<br /><br />We have a very old manuscript, hand-written, faded, in which this woman wrote about the cave and the "lion." I need to get that out and read it again.<br />Thanks, Anna, for a wonderful post...and also thanks for listing the sources you used. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-33492262158209956952013-05-14T12:16:42.432-05:002013-05-14T12:16:42.432-05:00Oh, goodness, what a tragedy, demolishing that two...Oh, goodness, what a tragedy, demolishing that two story soddie. What a beautiful house it was. Although it's hard to imagine living in one, what an innovative structure! <br /><br />Great post today!Tanya Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08580821680629254085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-22392519033465492032013-05-14T01:12:09.870-05:002013-05-14T01:12:09.870-05:00Great post, thanks for sharing. Last week I read a...Great post, thanks for sharing. Last week I read a book where people lived in sod houses and I had to google it because I had a hard time imagining a house like that :)Natalijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157583437320090608noreply@blogger.com