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Car in Muddy Road Rut, ca. 1920

Car in Muddy Road Rut, ca. 1920

Car stuck in muddy road. Before good roads, people living in the country mostly walked or used a horse and buggy. Cars did not always start and many roads were too bad for cars anyway. ca. 1920.

Pathways

  • On the Farm
  • Farmers and Farm Life
  • The Iowa Pioneer Experience
  • Log Cabin Experiences
  • Plowing in the Past: A Look at Early Farm Machinery
  • Iowa Soils

What was it like to live in a sod house? Can you see yourself living in a 'soddie' back then?

Media Artifacts

  • Family in Front of Sod Home, ca. 1909
    Family in Front of Sod Home, ca. 1909
  • Sod Home, ca. 1910
    Sod Home, ca. 1910
  • Sod Roofed One Room Log School House
    Sod Roofed One Room Log School House
  • Immigrants Flock to Iowa
    Immigrants Flock to Iowa
  • Come to Iowa
    Come to Iowa
  • Pioneers Travel in Groups
    Pioneers Travel in Groups
  • Early Travelers Face Danger
    Early Travelers Face Danger
  • Pioneers Leave Civilization
    Pioneers Leave Civilization
  • Sod Houses
    Sod Houses
  • Interior of Settler Cabins
    Interior of Settler Cabins
  • Pioneer Children
    Pioneer Children

Reading Tip: Reflecting
When you are finished reading the article, think about how you feel about sod houses and what your opinion might be about them.

Web Sites

  • Overview of the life on an 1850 pioneer farm
  • Article describing the living conditions and problems faced by early Iowa settlers who built and lived in log cabins
  • Description of life of pioneers living in a log cabin, preparing meals, housekeeping, and farming
  • Interactive game to build your own sod house online
  • Photographs of people who lived in sod houses and activities to learn more about their lives
  • Activities that use your senses to explore how sod houses felt, looked, and smelled
  • Overview of the book "Dakota Dugout" about a young couple living in a sod house
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