As a factor in the production of wealth, the buildings were of importance. The first houses were sod shanties, which were not models of architecture, but they had the merit of being economical to construct as the only tool required was a plow. The upturned sods were picked up and placed one upon the other, breaking the joints. One door and one window served the purposes of the house hold, and the roof was made of poles surmounted by a layer of sods. Following the sad shanties came the log house, which in turn was The floors were likewise made of poles levelled with an adze. displaced by frame buildings patterned after the dwellings in Ontario. In the early days of the present century, large houses of brick or cement blocks became common to accommodate the larger families which were then the order of the day. The earliest barns were of the most promitive type, but with the increase in stock more elaborate barns were constructed, many of them with the lower story of stone.
The equipment owned by the earlier settlers were meagre, and an inventory in a chattel mortgage given in 1888 to secure the price of the minimum requirements is enlightening. Each item is set out with the price, and the document reads as follows:
Lumber-290 feet 2x4·s....................................... 4.04
| 1132 feet boards |
. |
.. |
16.50 |
Saw .80. hammer .37. axe .95. screwdriver .22. hay-fork
| .37. rake .14, spade .64. shovel .64. Total... |
4.13 |
| Stove $12.75. fittings $5.25, pipes .89 |
.. |
18.89 |
One bag flour $2.20. bag oat meal $2.50. bag beans $2.85
| Five pounds of tea |
|
|
.. |
|
1.65 |
Such an inventory is typical of the equipment and supplies with which many of the pioneers entered on their work.
The first sowing of wheat by the pioneers never exceeded fifteen acres. The seed was sown broadcast and harrowed in and cut with a cradle, tied by hand and threshed with a flail. In no case