Early Dwellings--Dugouts
Watonwan County, Minnesota
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From the remininsces of Alexander Swanson, 1900:
"It was in Adrian township, section 12, during the month of June, 1870, that Alexander Swanson broke the first land and brought the first load of lumber from Lake Crystal and erected the first so-called "homestead building" in harmony with the style that was already in vogue, namely, to find an elevation of the land, sloping southward or eastward and there select a choice lot for digging a basement, making the room below the ground two or three feet deep. The dimensions of the building were ten by twelve by six. Common lumber was used for the walls and the roof, then it was sided with genuine "homestead siding" or plowed sod. Shingles were not to be found, so the roof was covered with slough grass, which staple article then grew in abundance. Then the same material was used to top off the roof as had previously served as a covering for the walls. The only windows consisted of panes ten by twelve in size. The door faced either toward the south or the east. The floor was composed of hard, shoveled clay; very few of the pioneers could afford to have a floor of wood material. This was the prevalent method employed by the Scandinavians in Watonwan county. The Americans were more satisfied with the common "claim shanty" and they boasted over the fact that their residences presented a more civilized aspect. In a good-natured way they spoke of the Scandinavian homes as "gopher huts." Yet it must be admitted that their claim shanties more easily became the prey of the fierce fires than what was customary with the sod huts."