One type of pioneer cabin is a dugout, built on a deep hole excavated into the side of a hill. Dugouts were used by 19th century European pioneers as first homes as they established their farmsteads in the upper middle west of the United States.
Conjectural drawing of the dugout dwelling of Anna Byberg Christopherson Goulson
Photo Credit: Steve Culler (c) 2003
In 2002, archaeologist Donald Linebaugh (formerly at the University of Kentucky and now at the University of Maryland) conducted archaeological research, including historical background and excavation of the ruins of a dugout dwelling, built in western Minnesota by Lars and Anna Byberg Christopherson about 1870 and used for at least a decade.
The photo essay "Dugout Dwellings" covers the archaeological studies, Lars and Anna's history and the results of Linebaugh's excavation.
- Dugout Dwellings: A Photo Essay
- Pioneer Housing in 19th Century Minnesota, more on the archaeology of dugouts
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