Figure 1.--At the turn of the 20th century many Americans still lived on the farm. This family in 1905 lived in a sod house. This family lived in North Dakota near the Canadian border. This family has six young children, all are barefoot. The boys wear kneepants. Notice the one boy with the family Bible. Also note the important place for the family dog.

At the turn of the 20th century many Americans still lived on the farm. This family in 1905 lived in a sod house (figure 1). The log cabin has greater currency in American history, but settlers on the Great Plains lived in sod homes like the one pictured here. There was no forrests on the plains to build log cabins. The family portrait is especially interesting as it shows the house that the family lived in rather than just the family in a photographic studio. Lumber was not available on the prarie and beyond the price that many homesteaders could aggord. This family lived in North Dakota near the Canadian border. This family has six young children, all are barefoot. The boys wear kneepants. Notice the one boy with the family Bible. Also note the important place for the family dog. Farm families tended to be large. There was a lot of work to be done on the family farm. Note how tightly spaced the children are. There are already six children and it is likely that there was eventually several more children. Insights on homesteading can be gained from the 2002 PBS program Frontier Home, although it is set in the 1880s and well to the west where lumber was plentiful.

Created: 12:55 AM 10/29/2004
Last updated: 12:55 AM 10/29/2004