Sod House Research Paper

Each year, at least 7.8 trillion gallons of water are drawn up from the Ogalla Aquifer to irrigate the crops planted on the High Plains. These cros are the main food sourrce for our entire country. Tragically, irrigation is depleting the aquifer faster than it can replenish itself, and that is the problem. In fact, only the tiniest fraction of the water is ever replaced in the Ogallala Aquifer. If the water were ever fully depleted, the aquifer would need 6,000 years to refill naturally (Zwingle 83). The only way the Ogalla can be replenished is by water seeping down through the layers of soil until it reaches the aquifer. This water comes from the small amount of precipitation in the region, as well as from streams, reservoirs, canals, and irrigation (McGuire and Sharpe).

They had limited fresh water because the water in the rivers and creeks became brackish. The water had become brackish as the water levels rose, therefore fresh water would be scarce. (Doc. A) To find fresh water, they dug shallow wells, which later supplied them with drinking water. It was a smart idea that they dug the wells, but they were more vulnerable to drought and the invasion of salt water, says Document A as well.

Their solution to the crisis was to keep magnifying it, until it ruined the farmers. Once the railroad raised the price for the land, the farmers could not afford to buy. They proceeded to create “dummy buyers,” fictitious settlers who they created to come in and buy the land. Soon after Delany, a ranch worker was fired, the railroad used him to act as a “dummy buyer” and buy the land.

Farmers came to the Great Plains is great abundance, as this was heavily encouraged by government land policies and cheap land that was readily available. One of these policies was The Homestead Act, which would provide free or inexpensive land to farmers. The ever-growing railroad industry also offered attractive deals to those wishing to move onto the plains. All of these incentives were very enticing at first for farmers, but when they arrived in their new land they were met with a few problems. This new environment was difficult and dry. The animal and plant life was strange to the farmers. Not only that, but the native inhabitants of this land were warlike. However, farmers soon adapted to their new environment by implementing a few solutions. Lack of wood was solved by sod houses and barbed wire. Windmills and dry farming techniques were used to overcome the lack of water, and new machinery was used for farming. But expensive machinery soon led to debt and this debt led to bankruptcy. Farmers were faced with the same issue as the cattleman and many had to sell out to corporate

Each family had its own lot and some having up to four houses in addition some having two-story structure. Every house had its own purpose to a family for example; one house would hold food storage for winter other houses would be used for entertainment.

The settlement house changed the lives of those it served, providing a boarding club for young women in the workforce known as the Jane club. The Hull house house gave middle class women the chance to step outside of the home in order to be independent. Addams also wanted to tackle a serious issue, which was getting rid of the overwhelming trash on the streets. This made the conditions in the Nineteenth Ward poor, the homes and streets were unsanitary. The trash needed to be thrown away properly to prevent children from getting sick and dying of disease. People had been dying from typhoid and most people believed this was caused by the flies which had been carrying it around. Addams became a garbage inspector and organized a better plan to pick up garbage and dispose of it correctly for the Nineteenth Ward.

Prior to the Dust Bowl, American travelers flooded into Colorado because of the Gold Rush of 1858. In spite of the fields of Colorado being in an extremely dry state, sponsors and designers reached a conclusion that preservation of water would be important to cultivate without the advantage of a watering system framework. While looking for effective cultivating strategies for this unpleasant landscape, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862 which permitted families to claim land. This urged a large number of families to move to the territory. Indeed, even in this way, families and ranchers would rely on upon the little rainfall to pulverize the dirt by delving more profound into it to bring the moist part on top so that the topsoil would

People could obtain land by applying with the Homestead Act after farming the land for five years. Water rights allowed all farmers to get water for crops and consumption. These water rights helped people work the prairie and farm.

The Southern Plains was a shortgrass prairie that was home to farmers and their livestock, but received little to no rain. John Wesley Powell “determined that 20 inches of rain was the minimum for successful farming” (Doc. E). According to the “Actual Precipitation for Dallam County, Texas” chart, that area in the Southern Plains fell below the recommended rainfall from 1924-1940, with the annual precipitation ranging from 9.78 inches to 15.32 inches (Doc. E). This meant that other areas inside the Southern Plains did not receive much rain as well. Even so, farmers continued to plow their land even though there was barely any rain, or grass. For example, in 1929, 105 million acres were harvested (Doc. D), but during that year, the precipitation

the new settlers were wise about their choice to build their houses.they choose to make their home made out of brick so that their house will have a firm foundation and they also used other materials to but the purpose of the sturdy houses was to keep intruders out like

The longhouse, much like the village, offered the inhabitants a sense of unity. The longhouse was built for multiple families not just for one. These houses are monstrous. Almost all of the houses are 20 feet high and 20 feet wide, the only differences are the length which varied. The houses were then divided up into sections which allowed for multiple families to live there. Normally, each family had a 20 by 20 by 20 areas to use as their own. However, normally the center of the house was a common area which was used for fire and for everything else in the house.

In early years of the colony, there life was quite difficult. Lots of the colonists lived in simple structures such as dugouts, wigwams, and dirt-floor huts Later in time construction of nomes and small shacks improved, and began to be sheathed in clapboard, with thatch roofs and wooden chimneys. More rich people would extend their house by adding a leanto on the back witch

During this time, many farmers produced or farmed cattle, corn, wheat, sheep, cotton, coal, oil, natural gas, and metals. “Most settlers of the region were accustomed to the climate of the eastern United States from where they had migrated. Thus, their farming practices were based on vastly different ecological conditions” (Buonanduci 3). Farmers were over-grazing and over-plowing their fields, not allowing the nutrients to return to soil. As a result,

They had obtained a plot of ground in the northwest section of the settlement and were getting logs for the house which was built like other log houses. It was probably about the year 1869 when they moved from the Richins farm to their new home where they lived as farmers most of their lives.

     The Traditional Chinese houses have many differences in comparison with the North American houses. The building materials used in construction is the most distinct difference from North American’s. A typical Chinese farmhouse is built of sun-dried bricks or pounded earth, because wood is too expensive and scarce to use. On the other hand, many typical Northern American houses are built of wood. In addition to the variations of building materials used in constriction, the architectural planning of a traditional Chinese houses is also unique. A traditional Chinese house is built according to the “Court-yard System'; where by houses are built around a courtyard which is invisible to the outside. Windows are covered by a thin oiled paper which is also invisible in order to protect robbery and keep privacy. Nowadays, the traditional housing system seldom appears in Hong Kong because it is too expensive and may cost millions of dollars. Moreover, the housing in Hong Kong is usually apartments and skyscrapers which is different from the ancient China.