The Homesteaders

Who went west?

Remember not all homesteaders were white

Typical sod houses were made from the sod of earth cut from the prairie

Building a Sod House

• Building a sod house was the easiest and cheapest way for settlers on the prairies to make a home (and a barn ). First the sod (layer of grass and roots) was cut into strips. The sod pieces were piled one on top of the other like bricks. That's how the walls were made. Logs or lumber were used for the door, door frame, and window frames. When glass was not available, greased paper or canvas covered the windows. For the roof, logs were placed across the top and covered with sod and hay. Sometimes the floor was made of boards, but often it was just packed earth. When it rained a lot, the house leaked , but these houses were cool in summer, and warm in the winter.

What was it like inside the house?

Notice the attempt to paint the earth walls white.

Resources to help you.• Unfortunately I cannot send you to America.• The following websites can help you.• http://www.beatricene.com/homestead/world.html• http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/intro.html• http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?

id=296#two• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Act• http://www.hoover.archives.gov/LIW/liwedu/

liw_teaching_unit.html#LIFE_ON_FRONTIER