Sod,Straw,Logs,and Mud

Soddies

For those who built with sod, knowledge and/or experience of how to properly use this natural material to construct a stable and secure dwelling helped to ensure that the settler and his family would be able to live comfortably in their home for many years. ³⁰ Deciding to build with sod was also a wise choice, given the advantages of being able to live in a dwelling that was known for keeping its residents warm in the winter and cool in the summer (McLeod, 1977; Giezentanner, 1961). Well-packed sod acted as an excellent insulating unit and reduced the effect of the extremes in outdoor temperatures. This feature was an important one to many settlers as it directly related to their survival and comfort and in fact, many individuals sought to build homes of sod when they first arrived on the Canadian western prairies rather than deciding to build a traditional log home. ³¹

In order to build a soddie, the settler and his family needed to mark out a flat piece of land where they wished to build their house and then search for at least one acre ³² of “wire-tough and woody” slough grass or buffalo grass. ³³ These long-standing hard grasses were the best for building soddies as the deep roots would keep the sod from crumbling. ³⁴ In addition, such grasses held moisture; moisture that was needed to ensure that the grass blocks, when set upon one another, would stick together. ³⁵ Once a suitable amount of grass was found, the settler would need to devise a method for cutting and separating the sod from the earth. ³⁶ As set out by Betty Iredale, ³⁷ whose family homesteaded in the Bengough area in 1908, her father used a

hand-guided plough drawn by a two-horse team. [He] thrust an adapted ploughshare some three inches into the ground. It loosened a ribbon of earth. Cut crosswise this supplied building blocks, about the size of twelve bricks if arranged three at a time to form an oblong.

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Figure 1.

Two oxen and two horses hitched together to plow sod (u.d.). Reference #: Saskatchewan Archives Board R-A2581 (1)-(2).

Once enough sod bricks were collected, they were then laid upon one another, grass side down, with the joints staggered. To ensure stability, the settler would lay the sod crosswise every third or fourth layer. ³⁹ During the building process, the settler would also have to leave spaces for the windows and doors. Log, timber, or split poles would be adapted to make frames for these spaces, with the settler keeping in mind that additional space (of at least eight inches) would need to be kept open above each window and door in order to take into account the settling process of the structure over the course of the first year. ⁴⁰ Once the house had settled, the sod would fit firmly against the top of each window and doorframe. ⁴¹

As for the roof, settlers had three options as to how they could style their roof. The roof could be gabled with two surfaces, hipped with four surfaces, or single surfaced with a shed roof. Whichever way they decided to construct their roof, they would use thin stripped trunks of willows or poplar trees or even thick brush in the construction. ⁴² Creating a roofing frame (a truss system), the settler would secure the poles or brush together in a slightly peaked or elevated fashion. ⁴³ Closely spaced logs, if available, or evenly spaced logs one to two feet apart thickly traversed with brush or tree limbs would serve to hold the sod roof in place. ⁴⁴ The sod would then be laid upon this frame (grass side up). ⁴⁵ An opening for the stovepipe would also have to be considered when laying sod on the roof. Cutting an appropriate sized hole and inserting the pipe (which was attached to a wood-burning stove in the home) completed the roofing process.

Inside the home, the ceiling was improved to make living conditions within the home habitable particularly during the rainy season. Given that the greatest disadvantage to a sod roof is the fact that it is not waterproof (even if multiple layers of sod had been placed on the roof), efforts were made by some settlers to make certain that they would live in a dry environment during rainstorms. Lining the ceiling with canvas, oilcloth, or wallpaper to catch the water that made its way through the sod roof was a common solution. However, sometimes these efforts tended to fail. For example, Harriette Parkinson ⁴⁶ recounted how her mother tried to protect her family from the rain by wallpapering the ceiling. The rainwater seeped through the sod and created a bulge in the wallpaper. Harriette, being a curious child, came along and poked the bulge with a fork and the huge bulge of water poured into the home.

For those families who could not afford to buy any type of lining for the ceiling, they were challenged with coping with a deluge of mud and water whenever it rained, particularly if there was a continuous rainfall over many days. ⁴⁷ When this occurred, alternative methods of everyday living had to be adopted. Some settlers had to move their beds to the drier corners of the home, while others took to sleeping under the kitchen table where they were protected from the dripping rain. Buckets were also used to catch the drops of water, and blankets were held up over the stove (in an umbrella-like fashion), so that clumps of mud or rain would not fall into their dinner while they were cooking. For those who experienced wet weather over an extended period of time, they had to become accustomed to living in constant dampness. As set out by Delia Crawford ⁴⁸ in her memoirs, her family had to deal with fifty-two straight days of rain. During this time, they were confined to their soddie, walking through inches of rainwater on the floor, living in wet clothes, and sleeping on wet beds. She reported that not only was it claustrophobic, but it was hard on her family’s morale and health. Conditions eventually improved when clearer skies prevailed and the sod roof began to dry. Even then, the smell emanating from the wet dirt, wet clothing, and damp furniture clung to the air within their home for days afterward. ⁴⁹

With regard to the floor of the soddie, attempts were made by the settlers to rid themselves of the plants or grasses that lived within the structure. As set out by Iredale, ⁵⁰ her father uprooted the grass in their soddie and then lit it on fire to burn away the roots and plants. He repeatedly soaked the ashes with slough water and then would pound and tamp the dirt with his foot until it formed a solid floor. Others used the same process; however, they tamped the area with either a fence post or a wagon tongue. ⁵¹ If the tamping was done well and the floor became rock and hard, then normal housekeeping duties, such as sweeping, could be undertaken to keep the home clean.

The sod walls inside the home also needed to be dealt with before the family could move into the structure. Given the building process of layering sod bricks, the sod walls within the home tended to be uneven. The settler would need to take a spade or a hatchet and slice off any root or sod protrusions that stuck out from the walls. Work would also have to be done on any holes that happened to appear in the walls. If left unfilled, such holes would expose the family to wind, rain, and snow. Filling or chinking them with smaller sod pieces, moss, or a mud/grass mixture helped to guarantee that the interior of the home, as well as the exterior, was protected from any outside elements. As set out by Mildred Hyndman, ⁵² it was the responsibility of her and her siblings to chink the cracks with mud as the layers of sod were put into place. She indicated that as a child she found this to be a fun process. Another pioneer, Sue Harrigan ⁵³ also reported on the importance of filling the holes in the sod walls and noted that all members of her family took part in this process.

In general, soddies tended to be small one-room structures. As discussed by seven respondents who commented on the size of their soddies, their dwellings were one-room homes that ranged from being eight-foot square in size to twelve feet by fourteen feet. Thirteen respondents indicated that they lived in slightly larger structures ranging from ten feet by sixteen feet to twenty-foot square, ⁵⁴ while a few reported living in more spacious quarters. For example, Kenneth Smith ⁵⁵ and his family indicated that they lived in a two-room twelve-foot by thirty-foot soddie. It was also interesting to note that some settlers reported enlarging their living space by adding on additions overtime. As set out by Hilda Rogers, her family began their homesteading life in a small one-room soddie but additions were added on as their family grew with more children. As she stated, they had “one room in 1905 to the fall of 1906. Then we had a two-room sod shack and later a third room was added. In a long string.” ⁵⁶

Respondents were also asked to discuss who had been responsible for constructing their sod homes. In response, twelve respondents indicated that they and their families (which included fathers, mothers, spouses, siblings, and children) all helped to build their houses. Sometimes, even extended family members such as brothers, brothers-in-law, or uncles were around to help out with the building process. For example, Koozma Tarasoff ⁵⁷ indicated that his brother helped his family with the construction of their soddie while Myrtle Moorhouse ⁵⁸ stated that her uncle lent a hand. Other respondents such as Thomas Burns, ⁵⁹ Lewis Fletcher, ⁶⁰ and Thomas Perry ⁶¹ indicated that either they preferred to work alone on their home or they had no other choice as there was no one else available to help them.

In terms of the length of time that was required to build a sod home, respondents indicated that soddies were built quite quickly. For example, five respondents had built their soddie within one week (with one indicating that it only took him two days), while four others reported building theirs within two weeks. Five more respondents stated that it took one to two months to build their sod home, while four others reported the process taking three months. ⁶²

Respondents were also asked to comment on the interior walls and if wall coverings or any kind of interior decoration had been incorporated into their home. Nine respondents indicated that they had finished their walls by covering the sod with a mud plaster ⁶³ (which they formed into a smooth surface). Sometimes this process was not an easy one, as the plaster tended to crack as it dried. As reported by Kathleen Smith, ⁶⁴ she had to consistently fill the cracks until a smooth surface was obtained. One other respondent indicating that he or she whitewashed the walls with lime that her family had obtained from a nearby slough, while five other respondents covered their walls with paper by using personal letters, pages from catalogues, building paper, or pages from newspapers or magazines. ⁶⁵ Mrs. Gust Gubberud, ⁶⁶ for example, indicated that her walls were covered with pages from the Minneapolis Tribune newspaper; a copy which she brought with her when she traveled to Canada from the United States.

Two other respondents, who had some extra funds, indicated that their interior walls had been improved by installing rough boards, which they had purchased from the local town, while nine other respondents stated that they had not upgraded their living space at all, rather they lived with the bare sod walls. For these individuals, ⁶⁷ unique problems were encountered. As reported by Mrs. Day, ⁶⁸ her family had to contend with the many mice and mouse nests that were lodged within the sod walls, while Hilda Rogers ⁶⁹ reported that various types of animals, such as gophers, would try to burrow into her soddie. Other respondents reported on incessant bug infestations, experiences with snakes slithering through the sod, cutting back tree, and grass roots that continued to grow into the house and the ever-continuing problem with dust and loose dirt that fell from unfinished ceilings and walls.

The dirt floors were also improved if extra money was available. Nine respondents reported that their sod home included a wooden floor (made up of rough unpainted boards or shiplapped lumber or planed split logs), while one individual stated that due to cost, only one half of his flooring was made of wood, while the other half remained as a dirt floor. Three respondents including Lillian Miles ⁷⁰ indicated that their floors had been plastered. Lillian elaborated on this technique by indicating that her family had used clay, straw, and water that they mixed together and laid six inches thick on the dirt. Once the floor hardened, the family was provided with a relatively clean and smooth flooring surface. ⁷¹ Only ten respondents indicated that no improvements were made with their floors, rather they lived with dirt floors the entire time that they lived in their soddie. Regardless of the type of flooring that they lived with, some respondents indicated that they tried to improve their living conditions by covering their rudimentary floors with rugs or carpets. For example, Hilda Rogers ⁷² reported that her family covered their floor with carpeting that they had brought from England, while others indicated that they had used handmade rag mats, hooked rugs, or braided rugs.

Some respondents also indicated that they tried to upgrade their homes by installing glass windows, while others who could not afford the expense relied on alternative methods for window coverings. For example, some settlers hung paper soaked in lard over their open window frames, ⁷³ while others used emptied flour sacks. They would bleach the sacks to remove the writing (the label) and then dip the sacks into a paraffin wax mixture which would make the sacks waterproof. They then fastened these sacks into the window frames. ⁷⁴ While either of these cheaper methods were not ideal, these window coverings did protect the family from the elements, and in addition, they did allow some light to enter the home that improved the ambiance.

Respondents were also asked to comment on the various expenses associated with building a soddie. As expected, the cost of building a soddie was comparatively cheap, given that most of the basic materials came from the settler’s own homestead. As Lewis Fletcher ⁷⁵ stated, it cost a small amount, approximately Cdn$2.00 cash to build his home, while Thomas Burns ⁷⁶ indicated that it cost him Cdn$2.50 (just for the door and the window). For others, who also used lumber for framing windows and for constructing doors, the cost was somewhat higher with Alice Taylor, ⁷⁷ indicating that her family’s home cost Cdn$20 by the time that they were done, while Mrs. Day ⁷⁸ reported paying Cdn$25 in total costs. In terms of other items that were purchased, respondents tended to remark on the price of single- or double-glass windows, tarpaper, white boards, nails, door latches, locks as well as other small hardware items that were used in the process. It was interesting to note that some respondents did not report on monetary costs, rather they commented on cost in terms of the amount of time and labor involved. For example, a high cost to George Prescott ⁷⁹ was the fact that he had to spend wasted time hauling wood poles from 100 miles away; time that would have been better spent working on his land.

Respondents were also asked if they had any interesting experiences to relate while they undertook the building of their sod home or while they lived in the structure. Mrs. Gust Gubberud ⁸⁰ discussed a predicament that she and her family faced during their first winter in their sod home. The sod roof began to seriously sag because of a heavy snowfall. Before the roof actually caved in, the family quickly worked to rectify the problem. A brace was quickly installed in the middle of their fourteen by sixteen-foot home, so that the ceiling did not collapse inward. Other respondents like Hilda Rogers ⁸¹ also reported on the dire circumstances experienced by her family members. She described how her “father and brother had come [to the homestead] by wagon and oxen from Saskatoon, were over-taken by the big prairie fire in September of 1905, next a snow-storm, and were living in a tent. The sods were frozen when they plowed them for the shack, therefore they did not fit as snug as they might have done.” Rather than focusing on winter-related difficulties, another respondent, Mrs. Day, ⁸² commented on the hazards of prairie fires. As she stated “a great prairie fire went though burning the prairie for miles and miles—burning one of our oxen while we were building.”

Thomas Perry ⁸³ also recounted another kind of problem that his family encountered when their wooden door had not yet been constructed. As he wrote:

I had not got the door in the front and just used a carpet to cover the opening when one night I was aroused from sleep by the dog barking and mother and sister calling out to me … that a skunk was in the house. The smell was terrible …. No one knew where the matches or lamp was so I had to get up and take a chance. I finally got a light and saw the skunk near the door. I got the 22 rifle and shot him. We had to plaster the floors and walls with cement to get rid of the smell.

Some respondents highlighted the problems they encountered during the building process. They indicated that building the soddie was difficult as “they were inexperienced and it often rained or they had bad weather during their building.” ⁸⁶ Others, such as Margaret McMannes, ⁸⁷ commented on the multitude of mosquitoes that were constantly biting her family while they tried to build, while others reported that it was difficult to control the oxen and cows as they would often wander off if they were not attended to. ⁸⁸ Some remembered having to live in a tent while they were constructing their homes while other respondents focused on the amount of labor that was required when they tried to winterize their home. Banking up the outside walls of the soddie with stones, dirt, flax straw, or horse and cattle manure was an unenviable task that entailed a strenuous amount of work as did building windbreaks to protect their soddies from strong Saskatchewan winds. Planting trees all around the homestead or at least on three sides was an arduous process. As discussed by Thomas Perry ^61,83 by the time he had finished developing his homestead, he had planted over 2,000 trees on his property in order to protect his buildings and crops from the wind.

While the previously noted respondents provided particular details on the difficult times they had while living in, or building their soddie, other respondents like Kenneth Smith ⁵⁵ were much more succinct with their answers. Summing up the totality of experiences of stripping sod from the earth, creating walls with heavy sod bricks, building a proper roof, and dealing with the labor-intensive hardship of day-to-day living on the prairies, Kenneth simply stated that the entire grueling and demanding process was “a lot of hard work” (see Figure 2).

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Figure 2.

Moorehouse sod house with part of the family at the door (1907). Reference #: Saskatchewan Archives Board R-A3486.

Log houses

Of the 71 respondents who reported building log homes, many found the procedure to be more difficult and time consuming than those who had constructed sod houses. In order to ensure that such houses were assembled correctly, proper tools had to be acquired, a fundamental understanding of carpentry was needed, and in terms of materials, a number of trees with straight thick trunks had to be available within the immediate vicinity.

Before the actual construction of the home could take place, plans would have to be made with regard to size and shape. Typically, the size of the house would be constrained by the length and consistent thickness of the trees throughout their length. As such, a settler would try to select the tallest, thickest, and straightest trees that were available on, or close to, his land. There were a variety of different types of trees across the more lush areas of the province that a settler could use for building purposes, many of which grew to at least fifty feet in height and were at least sixteen inches in width (given ideal growing conditions). These included Eastern Cottonwood, Trembling Aspen, Balsam Poplar, White Birch, Lodgepole and Jack Pines, White and Black Spruce, Tamarack and Balsam Fir. ⁸⁹

Once particular trees were selected for construction purposes, ⁹⁰ the setter would then cut down the trees with a swede saw or axe, the tree limbs would be removed by a broadax, as would the bark that needed to be stripped from the trees. If the settler did not take the time to remove the bark, the drying time of the log would be extended and the log could potentially rot. Optimally, the cut trees would be left to dry for up to six months before the building process began, ⁹¹ however, if the settler was motivated to build a shelter as quickly as possible (given an oncoming winter), he would use green logs in the construction of the log home. ⁹² Once the logs were deemed to be ready (whether dried or green), they were hewed with an adze and a broadax (creating a relatively flat surface on two sides so that the logs would fit together). ⁹³

Before the actual layering of logs could begin, a settler would need to consider constructing a foundation. Having a foundation would ensure the longevity of the log home as wood, if placed directly on soil would begin to decompose particularly during the rainy season or in the spring with melting snow. In order to protect the logs, large flat rocks would need to be collected and placed in each corner of the structure or arranged in a square or rectangular shape all of the way around the circumference of the house. Such a foundation would greatly aid protection against the detrimental effects of moisture. ⁹⁴

Once the foundation was completed, the largest logs were selected for the first layer (known as the sill plate). Additional horizontal layers of logs were then added, one layer at a time around the four sides. Given the natural tapering of each log, the settler had to make certain that the logs were strategically arranged so that the walls would be level. If care was not taken to ensure that the walls were balanced on all four sides, then the structure could become lopsided and collapse. ⁹⁵

Another important aspect that the settler had to consider during the building process was the type of corner joint that he would use when the logs met at each angle. Corner joints helped with the stability of the structure and determining which kind of corner joint to use deserved special consideration. The amount of time, the types of tools available, and the competence of the builder were all factors in determining the type of joinery employed. For many homesteaders, saddle notching was their most popular choice as the task could be accomplished relatively quickly and simply with a saw and an axe. This type of notching referred to cutting a concave, curved notch in one log sized so that the adjacent log would fit into the notch. A second option was to lap key the joints. Lap keying is best described as cutting an “L”-shaped notch at the end of a log providing a flat shelf. The next log would also be cut with an “L”-shaped notch and the flat surface would then be fit together and fastened with nails or wooden pegs. ⁹⁶

The walls of the average log home were “seven logs high to the loft or cross beams, with a couple more for head space.” ⁹⁷ This calculation was based on trees being at least twelve inches in width, so that there would be a height of seven feet of living space within the home. If tree trunks were less than twelve inches thick, then settlers would need to incorporate more layers of logs in order to reach a comfortable height. Once the wall height was reached, the logs of two opposing walls would be shortened layer by layer allowing the nonshortened walls to close in over the center of the cabin creating the inverted “V” shape that is recognized as the gable end of a roof. Roof construction was often completed by sealing the logs with mud or tar if available. Then the roof was overlain with tarpaper, thatching, or sod to aid in repelling rainwater and keep the log cabin dry. If the settler was capable of producing it, ship-lapped lumber or wooden shakes (sawn or split from logs) would provide a more durable and more water-repellant roof. ⁹⁸

If an attic or partial attic was needed, logs could be notched in at the top of the walls (before the roofing process was started) essentially creating a second floor providing an extra area for sleeping or storage. The construction of the attic floor could vary greatly depending on the materials available. Larger logs could be hewn flat on one side and laid closely together or hand-sawn boards could be crossed over evenly spaced logs to provide a floor for the attic. Once done, stairs or a ladder giving access to the second floor would also have to be built.

Windows and doors would be cut into the walls after the log house was erected. This was done at the end of the process to avoid having to build around holes in the structure. The openings were lined with sawn lumber to provide window and doorframes. The frames had to be specially constructed to allow for shrinkage as the logs dried. ⁹⁹ Doors were typically made from lumber cut out of the logs. Planks were nailed together and hinges were used to attach the door to the doorframe. Finally, a hole for the stovepipe would also have to be sawn out of the roof or wall, unless the settler had the resources available to build a brick fireplace along one side of the home.

In terms of maintenance, it was a priority for settlers and their families to ensure that all spaces or gaps between the logs in the walls were filled so that they would be protected from the freezing winds and blowing snow in the winter, water seepage from rain in the spring and summer, and from insects or pests that might try to make their way into the home at any time. When respondents were asked how they finished the outside walls of their log homes, fifty-four (or 76.1 percent) of them indicated that they chinked the many holes and gaps that existed between the logs. Most of them used a basic mud mixture of dirt and water that they then pushed into the gaps with their hands. Children, with their smaller fingers were particularly adept at undertaking this type of work. Other settlers resorted to throwing handfuls of mud at the cracks as they found that the force of their throw would push the mud further into the crevices. Five respondents (or 7.1 percent) indicated that instead of mud, they used a lime, sand, and water mixture and followed the same method of filling cracks as set out previously. Like dirt and water, lime and sand were materials that could be found on their homestead or within traveling distance. Lime, in particular, could be found near many sloughs and streams. For respondents who found limestone (instead of lime), they would gather the limestone and then burn it to make it into lime. George Gerwing, ¹⁰⁰ for example, indicated that he and his family burned limestone for six days and six nights before they could add water to it and use it for construction purposes (see Figure 3).

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Figure 3.

Chinking log house with mud and straw (ca 1930). Saskatchewan Archives Board: R-A8567 (1)-(3).

Rather than leaving the rounded sides of the logs as they were on the inside of the home, many respondents put extra effort into finishing their interior walls. Much like the work that was done on the exterior, gaps and spaces were filled between the logs in the interior of the home. This additional work was done so that a flat and smooth surface could be obtained, which could then be whitewashed, giving the interior an adobe-styled look. Some respondents went further and covered their whitewashed walls with colored pieces of cotton, newspaper, or white building paper. There were a few respondents though, who decided to decorate their walls in a different fashion. They sawed some of their logs into rough boards, which they then nailed onto their interior log walls.

Settlers were also quite diverse in their flooring methods with some having finished floors, while others lived with bare earthen floors. When asked to comment on their flooring in their log home, the majority (57 or 82.6 percent) indicated that they used boards that they had cut from logs. They either laid these boards flat side by side, they planed and grooved them in a shiplapped fashion so that the boards fit more closely together, or they sliced the logs so that the floor was covered with wooden circles. One respondent tried to upgrade their living space by painting their wooden floor, while another had brought maple boards with him from Ontario to use as flooring in his new home. Other respondents, who did not have the time, energy, or extra materials available to construct wooden floors for all of the rooms indicated that they and their families lived with a dirt floor in some of the rooms and with a wooden floor in others, while others reported living with dirt floors in all rooms. In all cases, respondents and their families tended to make their living conditions as comfortable as possible by covering the floors with rag mats, carpets, or hooked rugs. ¹⁰¹

In terms of the size of the settlers’ log homes, many tended to live in log structures much larger than those who lived in soddies. For example, only three respondents (or 6.1 percent) indicated that they lived in small homes that were eight feet by eight feet to twelve feet by fourteen feet in size. Twenty-six respondents (or 53.1 percent) reported that they lived in larger dwellings that ranged from ten feet by sixteen feet to twenty-foot square, while fourteen respondents (or 28.0 percent) lived in significantly larger homes that were between twenty by twenty feet in size to thirty-foot square. As with the experience with soddies, log home respondents reported that their living spaces were enlarged by adding on additions as time went by. According to one respondent, his family started out by living in a small home that had two bedrooms, but eventually they added on a separate room for a kitchen and another room that was made into a bedroom. Another respondent discussed a similar situation, however for him and his family, renovations were more extensive. As he wrote, originally “the bedroom opened into a kitchen. The next year, two more rooms were built; bedrooms. Later, four more rooms were built. Bedroom, kitchen, and pantry, with two of the original rooms being made into one.”

For those who had loft areas or attics, many respondents indicated that these areas were made into bedrooms that gave the family more living space on the main level. For example, as indicated by George Gerwin, ¹⁰² his family had two rooms downstairs and one room upstairs (reached by a ladder). Another respondent, James Tulloch ¹⁰³ indicated that he provided bedroom space at one end of his attic for his hired hand, while the other side of the room was used for the storage of produce such as tomatoes. Kathleen Keyser ¹⁰⁴ indicated that she and her family also used the space for the storage of vegetables but also stored household items and furniture in that area as well. In the winter, her family found that the space was convenient for hanging and drying washed clothes.

Respondents were also asked to comment on who had helped to build their log house. As was found with soddies, many respondents indicated that it was their immediate family members who were counted on in helping to build the family home. In fact, twenty respondents (or 33.3 percent) reported that they, their mothers and fathers, and siblings, all had a hand in the process. Six respondents (or 10.0 percent) reported on obtaining the help of extended family members such as cousins, uncles, grandfathers, and grandmothers, while fifteen respondents (or 25 percent) stated that neighbors and friends helped them with the construction. Two respondents indicated that they had help from others who had a bit more expertise when working with logs as they were assisted by a carpenter and a logger. Surprisingly, given the substantial amount of labor involved when building a log home, nineteen respondents (31.7 percent) reported building their log home themselves.

As for the amount of time that it took to build a log home, the majority of respondents (nineteen or 39.6 percent) reported that it took them between one to two months to build their house. Eight respondents (or 16.7 percent) took between two and three months, while one respondent (2.1 percent) took up to six months to build his home. Four respondents indicated that it took them a much longer time to complete the construction process as it took them over a year to build their log house. ¹⁰⁵ It should be noted that the length of time needed to build their home depended on how large the structure was going to be and how much time could be allotted to construction when work also needed to be done on the farm or in the fields. Clearing land by cutting brush and trees and removing roots, breaking the land with oxen and plough, seeding, weeding, finding water supplies and digging wells, planting gardens, and hunting for the evening meal were all essential tasks that were required for survival. Trying to accomplish all of these tasks along with trying to build a home at the same time was a challenge for many settlers. As such, many would try to fit the home-building task in wherever they could whether it was after the day’s farm work or during any spare time that was available. One respondent, Herbert Harrison, ¹⁰⁶ for example, indicated that it took him two months to build his twenty-four-foot by sixteen-foot home in 1903. He indicated that he could only work on the house in his spare time, as his priority was farm work. The same situation was encountered by Joseph Wilson ¹⁰⁷ in 1904 as he reported that he could only work on the construction of his home at night when the day’s farm work was done, or during the day while the oxen rested.

In terms of the expenses associated with building a log home, settlers found that building a home of wood was much more expensive as compared to their neighbors who built their dwellings of sod. For those fourteen respondents who provided a dollar amount (when asked about how much money they spent on construction), five of them indicated that it cost them between Cdn$100 and Cdn$200 to build their home. Two respondents indicated that it cost them between Cdn$50 and Cdn$80, while eight respondents reported paying up to Cdn$25. Other respondents, instead of providing a dollar amount to this financial question, described the types of items that they had to purchase. For example, James Cooper ¹⁰⁸ indicated that he bought a door, window, flooring, and nails, while Lottie Diggle ¹⁰⁹ indicated that her family purchased bricks for the chimney, shingles for the roof, some lumber, and nails. James Tulloch ¹¹⁰ bought windows, shingles, shiplap, lumber, nails, doors, partitions for vegetables in the cellar, and wood for the cellar hatch. All totaled, without taking the cost of his own labor into account, his expenses came to Cdn$125.

Respondents were also asked to comment on any interesting or memorable experiences that they encountered while constructing their home or while they lived in their log home. In response to this question, some respondents highlighted the harsh weather conditions that they lived through while trying to construct their log home during the winter. As reported by George Hartwell, ¹¹¹ he and his family had to live in a tent and suffer through the freezing temperatures of a prairie winter until their house was built. William Rice ¹¹² also indicated that it was very cold when they were erecting their walls during the winter and that it was a relief when they finally completed the process during the spring thaw when they put the finishing touches on the roof.

A number of respondents commented on other aspects of the construction process. For example, Ernst Haase ¹¹³ remembered how difficult it was to clear the ground for the house foundation, while Simeon Hiltz ¹¹⁴ and Spencer Pearse ¹¹⁵ both recounted the problem of having to travel with oxen to acquire logs for the building process. In particular, Ernest Potter ¹¹⁶ reported that he had to travel up to eight miles in order to obtain proper widths and lengths of trees for his house construction, while Clarence Sentence ¹¹⁷ reported that he had to travel a longer distance of ten miles in order to obtain the necessary materials.

Other respondents, in their reminiscences, highlighted how they tried to insulate their home from the extreme cold temperatures in the winter. Many respondents such as Francis Krischke ¹¹⁸ and James Cooper ¹¹⁹ described how they would bank up the sides of their log houses with dirt, sawdust, or straw. Others like Mayfred Dunn ¹²⁰ reported that his family nailed tarpaper onto the outside of their door and banked their house with cow and horse manure, while Edith Stilborne ¹²¹ indicated that her family banked up their home with snow. Windbreaks were also used to protect the family home. As reported by Robert Widdess, ¹²² he built his home so that it was surrounded by a grove of oak trees, while William Evans ¹²³ built his home beside a natural bluff. Other respondents reported planting a “shelter belt” ¹²⁴ of hundreds of young trees along their property that would eventually mature into a strong windbreak, while others, like Benjamin Saloway, ¹²⁵ surrounded their home with Elm, Ash, and Carragana trees and shrubs on the west, east, and north sides. Three sides of a home tended to need protection as strong winds, driving rain, and falling snow would generally assault the structure from those directions. There was one respondent, James Barrie, ¹²⁶ however, who noted another way in which fellow settlers tried to protect themselves from the elements. In this case, their homes did not need to be banked and they did not need to worry about creating a windbreak. As he indicated, “I know two families who dug a cave in the side of a hill and lived quite happily until they could afford something better.”

For some respondents, problematic living conditions within the home were the events that were brought to mind when they were asked to respond to the question regarding their most memorable experiences while living in their log house. Mary Elizabeth Cossar, ¹²⁷ for example, highlighted the unforgettable experience she and her family had with infestations of bugs and mice. The situation was so severe that Mary and her family were forced to hang “some of their food in the milkshed since vermin would often try and get at it” in the house. Another respondent, Robert Cairns ¹²⁸ also remembered his family’s experience when they moved into a log home that had been built by a previous owner. As he stated:

We moved in, the spring of 1903. The former owners had been rather careless housekeepers, and the house was infested with bedbugs. We organized bedbug hunts—the bugs came out at night and crawled across the ceiling and walls. By putting a lighted kerosene lamp under them, they fell into the lamp and were killed. My father also painted all the cracks in the walls and ceiling with kerosene. We got rid of the bugs in one summer.

For others, weather conditions were at the foremost of their minds. For example, Robert Cairns ¹³¹ reported that his family had problems in the spring when the snow started to melt. As he indicated, the house:

was subject to flooding when the snow went in the spring. The water could not get away from the kitchen door, I should say, which was at ground level. So we just mopped up the water as it ran in and carried it out in pails. This only happened about one day in a year. Sometimes we bored holes in the wood floor and let the water soak away into the earth under the building.

Other types of serious and dangerous situations, such as prairie fires, were also experienced and reported by respondents. As discussed by Ethel Laycock ¹³⁴ :

Prairie fires were common in the early days. When I lived at home, 1905, a large prairie fire came at night. Mother was sick in bed and father carried her downstairs, put her in the wagon and drove out on the summerfallow. A very dark night, the sky was red with flames. It came to a fireguard a stopped there, sparks were falling all around us, but they did not light.