Sod Walls

by Roger Welsch

On the vast, treeless expanse of the 19th-century American midwest, pioneers built their homes of a material that came readily to hand--"prairie marble." This book chronicles a uniquesly American architectural form, the sod house. The definitive work on the subject, it covers site selection, sod cutting, interior design, roof constuction, windows, doors and more.

Genres: History

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1991

About the author

Roger Lee Welsch (November 6, 1936 – September 30, 2022) was an American news reporter who was a senior correspondent on the CBS News Sunday Morning program, and was featured in a segment called "Postcards from Nebraska." An author, humorist and folklorist, Welsch was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the only son of Christian Welsch, who worked in a Goodyear tire factory and Bertha (Flach) Welsch, a homemaker.[1] He lived outside of Dannebrog, Nebraska.

Welsch earned a bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree in 1960, both in German and both at the University of Nebraska. He also studied folklore at the University of Colorado and Indiana University.[1]

Welsch was the 2005 winner of the Henry Fonda Award from the State of Nebraska Travel and Tourism Division.

Reviews

[Cammie Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a really interesting book! I learned so much about sod homes for the pioneers.

The book mostly talks about how sod homes were constructed (the differing styles in the home itself; the roofs; the framing of the doorways & windows). I really liked the chapters about how the pioneers lived - with regards to their homes, their music, their entertainment, etc.

One of my great, great, great aunts moved out west ALL BY HERSELF, built a sod home & worked the land (later meeting & marry a next door neighbor). This book gave me a glimpse into the kind of life she may have led. The information will also aid me with some of the genealogy I do.

I really enjoyed reading this neat book!