Addison Sod House facts for kids

The Addison Sod House is a special old home in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was built over 100 years ago using blocks of grass and dirt, called sod. This unique house is now recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada. It shows us how early settlers built their homes on the prairies.

Building a Sod House: A Look at Early Homes

The Addison Sod House was built by James Addison and his family. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north and 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Besides the house, their property also had a barn, two sheds, a group of trees for shelter, and a dugout for water.

In the early 1900s, many settlers moving to Saskatchewan chose to build sod houses. These homes were a good choice because wood and other building materials were hard to find on the open prairies. Sod houses are a type of earth sheltering home. This means they use the earth to help keep the inside warm in winter and cool in summer.

How Sod Houses Were Built

Unlike some earth-sheltered homes that are built into hills, a sod house, or 'soddie', usually had its floor dug about 3 feet (0.91 m) below the ground. The floor was then covered with a layer of dried animal waste, like buffalo or cattle chips. This was then covered with a thick layer of clay.

The walls were made from pieces of sod. These sod pieces were about 4 inches (100 mm) deep, 3 feet (0.91 m) wide, and 4 to 5 feet (1.5 m) long. Builders would stack these sod pieces in an overlapping pattern to create all four walls. These thick walls were excellent at protecting the family inside from harsh weather. They kept out rain, wind, and the extreme temperatures of the prairies, which could be as cold as -40 degrees Celsius in winter and as hot as 40 degrees Celsius in summer.

The roofs of most sod houses were made from aspen logs laid across the walls. These logs were then covered with more sod. However, heavy spring rains were a big problem for these roofs. The sod, dried out from winter, would often wash away, leaving the house exposed. Because of this, most settlers used sod houses as a temporary home until they could build a stronger house made of wood or brick.

What Made the Addison Sod House Special?

The Addison Sod House has lasted for over a century because of some clever building choices.

• Strong Sod: James Addison chose sod from a dried-up, waterlogged area. The grass roots in this type of sod were very thick, making the sod pieces stronger.
• Unique Wall Design: Instead of just overlapping the sod pieces, Addison made a hole in the center of each piece. This helped the sod crumble inwards as it dried, rather than outwards, which made the walls more stable.
• Triangular Walls: He also built each wall in a triangular shape. This meant the wall was wider at the bottom than at the top, making it more stable and strong.
• Durable Roof: Unlike most sod houses, Addison did not use sod for his roof. He built a wooden hip roof with wood shingles. This design prevented water damage from spring rains and melting winter snow.
• Protected Walls: To protect the sod walls from the weather, Addison first grew vines on the outside. Later, he covered the exterior with cedar shingles. Over time, as new building materials became available, the cedar shingles were replaced with asphalt, and then with vinyl siding.

James Addison's family has lived in this house continuously since it was built. In 2017, the family received an award from Saskatchewan's lieutenant governor. This award recognized their long-term care and preservation of this important historical property.

See also

• Earth sheltering