The Prairie Homestead

Philip, South Dakota

The Prairie Homestead is the original home of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Brown who homesteaded this 160 acres in 1909. It was later occupied by Mr. George Carr until 1949. All the buildings except the cave are the same as they were except for the maintenance and minor restoration. The cave had collapsed so was dug out and rebuilt in the spring of 1966. The original homestead is preserved as though a homestead family was living there today. A small portion of the furnishings is original, the rest typical of the Sodbusters in this area.

Mr. Brown used cottonwood logs (a native tree) for his homestead home. The beams are the original ones he used. The log front is also original. He plowed buffalo grass sod for the upper walls of his home. The sod area around the window was replaced from the same field that Mr. Brown first built his sod home. The remainder of the sod is original. His home was warm in winter and cool in summer. The living room was a deserted claim shack moved in and added on the dugout a few years later.

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Old Wagon at The Prairie Homestead

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Shed at The Prairie Homestead

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The Prairie Homestead

Albino Prairie Dog

The prairie dog (Cynomys) is a small, burrowing rodent native to the grasslands of North America. On average, this stout-bodied rodent will grow to be between 12 and 16 inches long, including its short tail. They are found in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the U.S., prairie dogs are primarily found west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales.

Prairie dogs are named for their habitat and warning call, which is similar to a dog's bark. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the name is attested from at least 1774. The 1804 journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition note that in September 1804, they "discovered a Village of an animal the french Call the Prarie Dog."

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Albino Prairie Dog at The Prairie Homestead

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Albino Prairie Dog at The Prairie Homestead

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Ducks and Geese at The Prairie Homestead

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Chickens at The Prairie Homestead

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