A Visit To This South Dakota Homestead Will Take You Back In Time
By Catherine Armstrong|Published May 06, 2017
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Early settlers in South Dakota were hardy folks (this is where we get those great genes!). They moved in around the turn of the 20th century and set up homestead in sod houses. Then they battled drought, rattlesnakes and crop failures and never quit. Our history is rich and interesting, and you can learn more about it while having a whole lot of fun.
In 1909 Ed and Alice Brown established their prairie homestead. Their home was situated on 160 acres, which was so hardscrabble that they were barely able to feed eight cows.
This is one of the last original sod homes in South Dakota, and you can tour it and the surrounding buildings to see what it was like to be a homesteader in the early 1900s.
First, stop by the Visitor Center where you'll pay admission ($7 for adults; $6 for kids ages 10-17; free for kids 9 and younger). You can grab a paper guide that will give you information about the buildings you're about to tour, or get a free audio tour on your cell phone. You can also watch a historic video presentation here.
The original part of Ed and Alice's home was dug right into the hillside. The walls were made of sod, which acted as good insulation for cold winter nights, and kept the family cool in the hot summer heat.
Of course, indoor plumbing wasn't one of the amenities the Browns enjoyed - they had to use the water pump to get fresh well water for bathing, cooking, and drinking.
