Soddy by bmac62
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Description
The pioneers who settled the American west during the 18th and 19th centuries often built "soddies" to live in on the Great Plains.
These photos are of a blacksmith shop built of sod bricks at reconstructed Fort Kearny on the Platte River and Oregon Trail just outside of Kearney, Nebraska. The Fort was built in 1849 to aid and protect emigrants traveling west along the Oregon Trail.
NOTE: "With limited natural resources, early settlers built their homes from sod. A typical sod house was about fourteen feet by sixteen feet. About an acre of land could be broken into enough sod bricks to build a home of this size. Sod bricks were cut using a horse and a breaking plow, set at a depth of 3 to 4 inches thick. Sod bricks were cut in long strips from eighteen to thirty inches wide. Morning was the best time to harvest sod bricks which were easier to handle when the moisture content was high. The deep roots of native mixed grasses also kept the sod from crumbling. Soddies were built by staggering the sod pieces with the grass side down. Timber, support poles were added to hold the weight of the roof, which in some cases was also made of layers of sod blocks. Wooden frames created spaces where windows and doors could be placed."
Comments (20)
jayfar
Extremely interesting Bill and three nice shots. I just feel a bit sorry for the poor sods who had to live in them !!
durleybeachbum
So very neat, and it appears to have lasted well. Very interesting indeed!
jendellas
Well that has survived the elements, very interesting. xx
T.Rex
Hey, this is really great! I've known about sod houses both in the US and in Europe, but this is the first time I get to see one AND read about how the sod was cut and the house built. Grass side down was news to me. I do wonder how water tight the roof was if the grass was placed down. Thatch roves are very water tight, but all tightly bundled grass. Geed photos. Give a good idea of appearance and construction. Must be rather fire proof, too. Keep up the good work! :-)
bmac62
Just to set the record straight, the soddy above is a building reconstructed about 35-40 years ago on the exact site of the original blacksmith shop. When the Army closed Fort Kearny in 1871, all the original buildings were torn down and the land made available for homesteading. The homesteader who claimed this land never plowed this 40 acres because he recognized its historic value. Money was raised in the 1920s to purchase the land from the homesteader and the land was then donated to the state of Nebraska for preservation and restoration as a state park. Three archeological digs took place in the early 1960s confirming the placement of all the buildings and uncovering many artifacts.
CavalierLady
How very interesting, Bill. There used to be some sod houses on the poor side of town where I was born. Can you image how long it took to make all those sod bricks!? Fascinating collage of images.
goodoleboy
Cool shots of the soddies, Bill, which appear to be very well constructed for that period.
auntietk
Great presentation, hon! Thanks for sharing this. I'm glad you went over there ... this is fascinating!
giulband
Very interesting reportage !
bugsnouveau
Cool stuff
MrsRatbag
I think it would be excellent if we went back to this sort of building; much more earth-friendly than what we've evolved to using these days. Cool shots and presentation!
helanker
What a loong house this is. And what a huge work it must have been cutting all the sod. Good they had horses to help them.
kgb224
Stunning capture Bill. God bless.
X-PaX
Very nice collage Bill.
RodS
"Well, I guess I'd better get up and mow the roof..." :-P This is just way too cool, Bill! What a great find and photo, my friend!
calico_jester
well composed views of a "soddy", new information to me... and a great companion piece for our "artist of the month" award
Richardphotos
I have seen modern day versions and old versions, but this has got to be the best example
FredNunes
Great set of images, Bill!
moochagoo
I will go to Fort Kearny one day, I think.
anahata.c
lol, Rod, on "mowing the roof". I'd heard of these, but this is the first I've seen them. Thanks for the info too (in your desc and your comment). Your shot, on top, may have been cropped to fit the montage, but it's the perfect crop for the low long shape of the thing. A fine crop and shot. And the dipping tree is in the right spot---over the doors, and giving a vertical accent to the whole. Nice shadow on the right too, with the pile of wood on the ground. The bottom shots tell us a lot too---and I like the feeling, in the left shot, of a long beast with a big open mouth.. And, in the right shot, the deep dark of the place, with all that stuff inside. Amazing to see a cannon. Loving shots. I really didn't know how hard they worked to make sod bricks. More fascinating history from yours and tara's travels...