Unbelievable as it might seem, some pioneer settlers liked living in dugouts. Letters and diaries of pioneers recorded that these dwellings were surprisingly comfortable; cool in summer, snug and easily heated in winter. Thick walls and sod roofs supplied good insulation at a time when few people knew the value of insulated homes, and wooden houses lacked in this feature.
Most dugouts consisted of a single room (average 12’ x 12’) dug into the lee side of a low hill. Walls were created by cutting and stacking sod blocks to a height of seven or eight feet. For a roof, cottonwood poles were placed side by side and spread with a thick layer of coarse prairie grass for insulation and to cut down on the dirt that sifted through. Over the grass a double layer of sod building blocks was carefully fitted. The first good rain prompted the sod to grow, and a tall growth of waving prairie grass soon covered the roof, almost concealing it.
Of course, all this waving grass attracted livestock, which could be a real problem. More than one story is told of cows and horses putting a hoof through the roof where a weak spot existed. This happens in my newest e-book, To Have And To Hold, in which the heroine, Tempest Whitney, lives in a dugout. A rainstorm softens the dirt packed over the roof, allowing a cow or mule to damage it further, and right at a key point in the story, the roof caves in.
Rough wooden planks were laid to provide flooring in some dugouts. Dirt floors were sprinkled with water daily and swept with crude grass brooms until the surface was as hard and smooth as finished concrete. To help keep dirt out, walls and ceilings were lined with newspapers and pinned in place with small, sharpened sticks. Ambitious families located outcroppings of limestone rock which they burned and mixed with sand to provide a plaster coating for the walls—a vast improvement over untreated walls that could not keep out all the dirt, or insects.
Dugouts housed families well into the twentieth century. My paternal grandparents moved from Kansas to the Oklahoma panhandle in 1916 and lived in a dugout until a house could be built. My mother’s folks did the same thing a bit later. Mother was the eldest of twelve. Her father was a great farm worker much in demand by other farmers. Unluckily, Grandfather didn’t want to work for someone else; he wanted to farm his own land. But without someone to tell him what to do, he failed dismally. The family lived frequently with other family members or inhabited abandoned homes, including several dugouts.
Mother told me numerous tales of life in such dwellings and didn’t seem terribly enamored of them. I used a few of her stories in To Have And To Hold, due to be released on January 24th. One tale has to do with 7” long centipedes that found their way down onto the newspaper tacked onto the ceiling. The sound of their feet scratching on the paper drove Grandfather crazy. Mother’s complaint, besides the dirt, was snakes. She hated being asked to fetch wood because too often a resident rattler would be hiding inside the wood box. Of course, snakes liked nice warm beds too, and the pallets laid on the floor where the children slept were very convenient. Frankly, I’m glad it was my mother and not me who had these experiences.
Have any of your grandparents or great-grandparents lived in a dugout?
Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card and a free copy of To Have And To Hold.
Charlene first serious writing attempt came in 1980 when she awoke one morning from an unusually vivid and compelling dream. Deciding that dream needed to be made into a book, she dug out an old portable typewriter and went to work. That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent. Soon after, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books. Five of Charlene’s western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and writing as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses. Forever Mine and Tender Touch are available as e-books and after January 24, To Have and To Hold will be as well. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, crochet, needlepoint, research genealogy, scrapbook, and dye Ukrainian eggs.
Find Charlene at:
http://www.charleneraddon.blogspot.com
My grandparents’ basement was a dugout. It was a 4-room house overtop. Later a two-room addition was added to the front of the house and a bedroom was converted into a bathroom and the kitchen was modernized (70s).
I remember the Little House on the Prairie book with the dugout house, too.
Yes, I loved Little House on the Prairie. Good for research too.
My family lived in a dugout when the proved up on the land in Kansas. Much later they built a farm house that was later moved to Medicine Lodge, KS.
That was a fairly common thing done in Kansas and other prairie states. Thanks for reading my post.
Neither. My paternal grandfather worker for Ma Bell telephone company on the east coast and my paternal grandfather worked on the reservations in arizona and New mexico.
As far as I know, none of my relatives have lived in a dugout. But I was recently surprised to find that Georgia had dugouts, especially after gold was discovered there. I always thought of dugouts in the plains states.
That’s interesting. I didn’t know Georgia had dugouts either. Could make for a good story. Thanks for coming.
No, none of my grandparents or great-grandparents lived in a dugout.
They weren’t alone. A lot of people opted to build homes instead. One reason was money. Building houses cost money. Thanks for your comment.
I don’t believe any of my grandparents or great grandparents lived in a dugout. This is interesting information though! I didn’t know people would sprinkle water on dirt floors and sweep it to keep it smooth.
I have always found this aspect of history and settlement very interesting. In doing family genealogy, I have not come across any indication of a dugout, just typically a cabin. But, my family typically lived or moved through a region of the country with readily available timber.
That does make a difference and was one reason dugouts were fairly common in prairie states. Thanks for visiting.
Nope. I come from lawyers and glass makers in the Ohio/Indiana area. No homesteaders in my roots.
Glass makers, huh? That would be interesting to use in a story.
I have always found this fascinating for some reason. My moms great grandparents lived in a house my great grandfather built. Beyond that I dont know. My dads great grandparents lived in a house in LA. Beyond that I dont know. Hmmmm Now I am super curious. thanks for sharing today. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Dugouts fascinate me too, Lori. I’ve been in a couple. Don’t think I’d like to live in one, but it would depend on how it was built. My fear with dugouts would be spiders. I’m sure they got lots of spiders.
No that I know of since trees/wood is plentiful here in Indiana!
They were either smart or lucky to end up in Indiana then. I’ve never been to that state. Love to visit there though. Thanks for the comment
I very certain my grandparents did not live in a dug out. A thatched cottage for sure, as mine came from Ireland and Scotland
It would be interesting to research the genealogy of your grandparents and what their experience was in coming here. I love Scotland and have several ancestors from there. Don’t know what sort of house they lived in though. Thanks for your comment.
My grandparents and great grandparents had never lived in a dugout home. I don’t think I would like to live in a dugout!
You’re not alone in your feelings about living in a dugout, Kathleen. Much as they interest me, I wouldn’t choose that type of abode for myself. I like windows too much. Thanks for visiting today.
I don’t know of any relatives that lived in a dugout.
Where did they live, Desiree? Somewhere back east?
I don’t think my parents or grandparents ever lived in a dugout, but my maternal grandparents did build houses, which the family lived in until they were completed & sold. Often they would live in the basement until the upper stories were finished! My paternal grandparents helped settle areas of northern Mexico & had to deal with Pancho Villa, but I’ve not heard of them living in dugouts. I am also interested in family history! It’s fascinating to learn how my ancestors lived & what kind of people they were… it gives me hope & goals for me to aim for!
I share your feelings about genealogy, Ami. It fascinates me. It’s like finding and solving little mysteries. I’ve found out very interesting things about my ancestors. One of my great-whatever grandparents was beaten to death and they did nothing to the culprit. He was an old man at the time. What does it say about a man who would beat an old man like that?
My family, grandparents and great grandparents were farmers and always lived on farms. No dugout in the Iowa area. I do not think I would have handled this well at all! Particularly as I abhor snakes. Just a picture of them gives me the willies.
That’s how I feel about spiders, Judy. Can’t stand the sight of them. I wouldn’t care much to live in a house that attracted snakes either. Thanks for visiting.
I know my grandparents didn’t live in a dugout but not sure about great grandparents.
I don’t know of any of my ancestors living in dugouts, other than my mother and grandparents. I have no idea how most of them lived. I wish I did. What interesting stories you could find in their lives.
I admire those people for living in dugouts but I’m very grateful we don’t have to live like that today. I’ve only ever read about dugouts I’ve never actually seen one. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment. I have heard of homes dug into cliffs in areas like Arizona where the weather is hot. I saw pictures once of a great house dug from a mountainside. It had several rooms and lots of interesting features. I wouldn’t choose to live that way though. I need windows.
My Aunt and Uncle lived in an underground house in the Oklahoma panhandle. When I was a small child we visited them. it was a strange inside. If I remember right, it smelled like freshly turned earth.
That smell would make sense, Joye. My grandparents were in the Oklahoma panhandle too, in Guymon. Where were yours? I wouldn’t like living there. Too flat. Thanks for your comment.
We’ve got a neighbor with a modern home that is built into a hill. So it looks normal-ish. Like a regular ranch-style house. But inside the north well is backed up by dirt. It’s unusually cool in summer and warm in winter. a modern dugout.
Yes, I’ve heard of houses like that. I think they would be interesting to see, but not to live in. Thanks, Mary.
Neither of my grandparents lived in a dugout but I remember my grandmother talked about walking as a young girl, alongside a covered wagon when her family moved from Missouri to Eastern Colorado.
It would be fascinating to read her journal, if she’d written one. I love reading true stories of pioneers. They provide lots of ideas for books too.
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I’m sure most of our grandparents and great grandparents lived in houses. Much more comfortable, despite what they say about dugouts being cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Thanks for stopping by.
Not that I know of They did Not!
I appreciate you reading my blog, Sarah. Thanks.
Not that I am aware of…
Have you ever done any genealogy? You can get addicted to it, it’s so interesting. Thanks.
I love the pictures
I wish I had more pictures of what they were like inside. The ones I visited were empty so not as easy to imagine living there. Thanks, Julie
Wow, this is so very interesting, thank you so much for sharing this Charlene. None of my grandparents lived in dug outs that I know of. I surely don’t think I could have lived in one, but then you had to do what you had to do. Sounds a little clostorphobic and scary to me. Your book sounds like a great read. Have a great weekend.
I’m glad you enjoyed my post, Alicia. Thanks.
Charlene, welcome back, dear friend!! You’ve been through a lot of trying days. I’m so happy to see you. Love your subject. Dugouts fascinate me and I can’t imagine anyone would actually “choose” to live in one. Me and snakes and scorpions don’t get along. For me, it would be a matter of necessity and I had nowhere else to go as was the case with the pioneers. They served a purpose. None of my ancestors spoke of living in dugouts but I’m sure they probably did. I love the premise of To Have and To Hold and have downloaded it. Enjoy your visit!
I’m really embarrassed by this post, Linda. It’s not the one I intended to use. The book was published by Kensington back in the 1990s, not recently, so the information about it is wrong. How I managed to send the wrong one, I have no idea. Old age, maybe. My brain isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Thanks for the comments. I always love finding that you read my posts. You’re such a dear friend.
Char, don’t be embarrassed. I don’t think anyone noticed except me and it didn’t stop me from buying the book. I’d never read this one. It’s just so great having you back after your long absence.
Charlene!! Welcome, my friend. So happy to see you back here in the corral.
I loved, loved your blog. Gosh, I couldn’t handle living in a dug out, but desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose. The possibility of bugs falling out of the ceiling, or snakes, or whatever make me shudder.
Good luck on the new release!!
I’m ashamed to admit that my post was full of lies about my book. It was published long ago, not recently. I evidently sent the wrong post because I had brought it up to date. I’m barely getting back to work. I spent the last four days in a hospital. I had a severe asthma attack because I was no longer immune to my cat after being gone for so long. We’ve had to ban him from our bedroom where he usually spent the day sleeping. I feel so bad about that. He liked to snuggle with me when I went to bed, but I’ve had my fill of hospital visits. Same for rehabs. I want to stay home for a long, long time now. Thanks for the comments.
I don’t think that any of my grandparents or great grandparents lived in a dugout.
They were lucky then and probably lived somewhere that lumber was easy to get. Thanks for the comment, Connie.
My grandparents and great-grandparents all lived on the Eastern coast so none of them ever lived in a dugout.
Prayers that you feel all better soon, Charlene!
Thank you, Roxanne, for the comment and the well-wishes.
Hi Charlene. I have never heard that any of my ancestors lived in a dugout or sod house but it would not surprise me if they did. My maternal great grandparents lived in a small cabin/house that had dirt floors. I can remember visiting them but I was really small and didn’t pay attention to things like the floor. This would have been around 1949-1950.
I enjoyed reading this blog.
No, they did not. My mom did mention that when she was a little girl living in the country, she had to do her business in an outhouse. She hated having to use it at night because she feared bats or other creatures may have settled in. I am very squeamish about bugs so dealing with either of those options would have been awful.
Okay, Charlene–I used to think that might be interesting. Now, not so much! Thanks for a very interesting post.
…though my mother lived in a house when she was little that was barely a step up. My grandmother put her foot down the day Mom complained her tricycle wouldn’t go–because there was a water snake woven through the spokes.
Hi, Tracy. Did your mom ride the bike with the snake in it? Such a funny image. I’ve seen photos of the interior of both dugouts and sod houses that were quite nice, well finished walls and ceiling. It depended on how much money the family had. My mother’s family had none, so my grandmother had to settle for newspapers on the ceiling. Other’s plastered them. Thanks for commenting.
My Aunt and Uncle lived outside of Guymon, OK
I don’t remember what they raised but i remember we got a hog from them to take back to our farm.
So your aunt and uncle may have known someone from my family. They were the Birts. My Uncle had the tractor business in Guymon. My grandparents lived a couple miles outside of Guymon. I still have cousins there.
No dugouts in our family as far as I know. Both sides of my family immigrated to Canada in the 1600’s. It wasn’t until my great grandparents and grandparents immigrated to the US from Quebec. The native peoples in that regions lived in longhouses, so it is likely the settlers built something similar. Houses partially underground would have been good insulation during the winter, but except for maybe sinking the floor down a foot or two, the structure was log and above ground. It may have been due to the amount of moisture the soil in the Northeast holds or more likely the abundance of trees to cut for log and plank homes.
I don’t think so! That would be so cool though! I would live in one. I love camping and living close to nature.
Thanks!
Not that I am aware of. It sounded like a cool way to live until you brought up bugs and snakes. Count me out! I love learning new things so thanks for sharing and for the chance to win a prize.
Hi Charlene. I’ve been wanting to ask you about that mine disaster that was the basis of your book series a couple of years ago. I tried to look it up, the specific one you were talking about and there are so MANY! What mine disaster was that, where both shifts of men were killed?
So fascinating, Charlene. I’m not aware of any relations living in a dugout and I thank God I never had to.
Dirt is not my thing and don’t get me started on the bugs and snakes lol Thanks for sharing!