Hello Susan,
Dugout houses are moderately common in parts of the American
Southwest, where they were constructed by homesteaders and cowboys.
Like the one you describe, these were excavated into a slope or
hillside, but I've not seen any as large as those in your area. Most
of those that I've observed are about 4 x 5 meters, and at the
hillside end about 2 meters in depth. Because most of the dugouts
that I've seen are archaeological sites rather than standing
structures, many architectural details are missing. You might want to
contact Cory Jensen, an architectural historian at the Utah State
Historical Society <www.history.utah.org or [log in to unmask]>,
and see what he knows of dugouts from his state.
In the Pacific Northwest part of America, dugouts can be quite large.
In a farming area in the state of Washington I've found them ranging
in size from 2.7 m square to 6 x 8 meters, where the dugouts appears
to have been cellars. These features dated from the 1880s through
1920. Where preservation was good, the dry laid fieldstone walls were
still in place. The gable roof was supported by a ridgepole and log
purlins on which boards were laid then covered with dirt. One
standing dugout cellar was nearly indistinguishable from the
surrounding grassland when viewed from a distance, because of the
grass that grew on the dirt roof. Floors were packed dirt in most,
but one had remnants of boards along the rear (excavated) wall.
Openings (fronts) were also made of dry laid stone, with a central
doorway framed with lumber. Doors were made of boards nailed to a Z
framework, hinged with commercially available heavy duty hinges. In
this area the cellars had a double front wall and door, with the space
between filled with soil for insulation.
In Idaho the dugout structures are sometimes associated with Chinese
miners. Larry Kingsbury at the Payette National Forest in McCall,
Idaho has lots of information about such structures.
Lee Bennett
Bennett Management Services LLC
Monticello, Utah USA
435-587-2556 phone & fax
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