ETOWN : TOURING NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA
Inside the Sod House Museum .
Photo by BILLY HEFTON
By Elizabeth Keys
Step back in time to cool off in the Sod House Museum 30 miles west of Enid .
The dwelling sits on Oklahoma 8 in Alfalfa County about halfway between Cleo Springs and Aline . Without the modern technology of air conditioning , the Sod House remains cool inside due to the thick construction of grass walls . It was built by Marshal McCully in 1894 and has been preserved by the family and the Oklahoma Historical Society through the years . Renee Trindle serves as the museum director .
Trindle provides scavenger hunts for children visiting the museum , so families can be entertained while they learn . Her knowledgeable , guided tours present a vast array of information about the Sod House and life on the prairie as “ one of the truest forms of history from this time period ,” she said .
At one time , thousands of sod houses dotted the Great Plains of North America . Trindle explained that sod houses were constructed by settlers across the prairie because there was not enough timber to build wooden houses . McCully took part in the largest of Oklahoma ’ s land runs when the Cherokee Outlet opened for settlement at noon on Sept . 16 , 1893 . The McCully sod house is the only remaining one in Oklahoma . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 .
Timber was scarce in western Oklahoma Territory . In some areas , it was considered a crime to cut down a tree , Trindle said . Early settlers built their first shelters from what was available — thick prairie sod . Usually , a sod house , known as a “ soddy ,” was about 14 feet by 16 feet in size with a 7½-foothigh wall , a low-pitched roof , a central side door and one or two windows . Interior walls were often finished with plaster or covered with newspapers , and canvas was often suspended from the ceiling to make the space lighter and to improve cleanliness . Furnishings were sparse and simple , but prized lace curtains or an heirloom piece of furniture were not uncommon in these humble dwellings . The McCully home featured an organ purchased by Mrs . Sadie McCully when she worked as a schoolteacher near Enid before her marriage . Their home featured two rooms .
The McCully Sod House is on its original site , and the museum was constructed around the home . McCully used a plow to cut buffalo grass sod into long strips about 12 to 18 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches thick . These were cut with a sharp spade into 2- to 3-foot-long blocks , which were hauled
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