Century-old sod wall highlight for researchers, students

Century-old sod wall highlight for researchers, students

The little house on the prairie is not so little anymore.

A team of interdisciplinary researchers has begun analysis on part of a 110-year-old sod house that was once home to a group of Custer County, Neb. pioneers.

This is the oddest project I have ever worked on, said John Carter, senior research folklorist/associate editor at the Nebraska State Historical Society. We have a lot of disciplines bringing together a lot of resources toward a central goal. Never in my life have I been a part of such a thing, nor have I ever had as much fun.

Built by Henry Eugene Chrisman in 1902-03, the sod house was originally a three-room dwelling with exterior doors into each room. The house is unique in that no other with its plan has been recorded in Nebraska.

Two years ago, Larry Estes, whose family owns the sod house, contacted archaeologists at the historical society to survey the property.

That is where I got involved, Carter said. I have a long and deep interest in sod houses, as they are not only cultural features on the landscape; they are part of the landscape.

Custer County is the epicenter of sod house construction, with more sod buildings there than anywhere else in North America, Carter said.

The project involves studying a 4-by-8-foot chunk of the sod house deemed the sod wall, which was removed from the house in November 2013. Pete Stegen of NET produced a video of the teardown available at http://go.unl.edu/ghxe.

I see these sod blocks as archived samples taken from a prairie in 1902, said Dave Wedin, professor of plant and ecosystem ecology in UNLs School of Natural Resources. Its rare to find plant and soil samples that old. These samples can give us insights into how that prairie functioned over a century ago before the onset of modern agriculture and all the changes in our landscape.

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Century-old sod wall highlight for researchers, students