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Mrs
L. Bowser, a Nebraska woman, who is
well known as a school teacher and a writer, erected on the grounds of the Pan
American exposition a
little sod house, typical of
the early Nebraska homes.
It
has created a sensation in the east and has been an object of great interest
with the visitors to the exposition. One of the state officials of New York said:
It
has became a notorious fact that, while thousands of dollars have been spent in
creating
and beautifying the Pan-American employing artists, sculptors and
architects to create
all that is beautiful for it.
It yet remains for the little
Nebraska sod house, the most humble
object imaginable, to be the most interesting
object on the whole grounds"
The
wonderful crops and intelligent development of the state have made the sod
house nearly a thing of the past. But there are still some of these humble but
picturesque homes of the early
settlers
dotting the prairies of the west.
The
occupants of these little sod houses were the forerunners of the advancing hosts
of civilization. It was their lot to fell the forests to till
the soil for the first time and to brave the perils that surrounded those who first
advanced far into the west.
The
sterling worth of these early settlers,
their perseverance in overcoming the difficulties of their pioneer life, and
the courage with which they faced the implacable Indians, have been portrayed
by pen and pencil until all the reading world knows their history.
There
are strange pages in the history of these sod houses. The
young couples who left homes of ease and comfort to make their way in this new
world in the west, endured hardships and dangers in their pastoral lives out
under the stars on the flower dotted plains.
There
are many people now enjoying fruits of the Labors of those pioneers. They live
in fine houses enjoying the luxuries of a civilization that was prepared for
them, yet they look upon the sod house with much pleasure and interest as do those
who only know of it through reading the tales of the west that have appeared in
books and newspapers.
The
Nebraska sod house at Buffalo is well described in a small pamphlet entitled:
"The
Wonderful Progress of Nebraska.” It says:
“This
house is made entirely of sod, with the exception of the window frames, door
and
roof supports. The tools used in its construction were a
spade, saw and hammer.
The sods are three
inches thick, one foot wide, two feet long; each weighs fifty pounds,
and a
total number of 3,240 were used in the construction. 350 of which were
required
in the roof. Three freight cars were required to transport
the material to Buffalo."
The
dimensions of the sod house are 16X24. The building represents a Nebraska homesteaders house, commonly used in the west some
twenty-five years ago. A
house of this character lasted about twenty years, and was usually finished
with plaster made from native lime, formed under the sods, which was mixed with sand, and when dry
formed a composition as hard as brick.
“Two
men could build a house in about ten days, and the cost of the lumber, window
frames etc., outside of the sod, was about
$10. The sod used in the building was brought from Newport, Nebraska, a town about 600 people located on the Northwestern
line 250 miles northwest of Omaha,
and which enjoys the honor of being the largest hay exporting town in the
world. From April 1, 1900 to April 1, 1901 there were shipped from this town 2,400 carloads of
Rock County Hay. The town of Newport, and surrounding counties, is also noted for its
large dairy interests”.
In
the place of the sod house we have in Nebraska all those things that go to make a state happy and
prosperous. School house, churches,
fertile farms and fine housed, in which art, music and literature are
cherished, we with the factory and the railroads in making this state one of
the most prosperous in the Union.
A.
Rothery
Omaha
World Herald – October 20, 1901
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