Yesterday began auspiciously with the sunrise reflecting off the clouds over the pond by our campsite and only got better. We had planned to leave Kearney and head north and northeast back toward Iowa. But after much discussion and poring over maps and campground brochures, we decided to stay where we were one more day. I wanted to get up into Custer County and see the area. My grandmother grew up in Grand Island and as a child spent summers with cousins who lived in a sod house in the sand hills of Custer County, This would have been in the 1890s. A judge's daughter from the 'city,' she was enthralled with the idea that you could build anything you wanted from the prairie. So we decided it was more practical to just take a day trip into the area.
I had read about a little town called Comstock and the restored Dowse Sod House near there. It's about four miles southwest of Comstock on a gravel road and is an amazing place. First of all, no one is there. It is open to the public and there is a box for donations next to the guest book, entirely on the honor system. The house was one of the first 'soddies' in Custer County and was occupied by the Dowse family until 1959. Through the years, modern amenities were added such as plaster walls and wood floors. The outside was coated with cement and shingles to prevent erosion. In 1941, a tornado took every outbuilding on this farm and left the soddie.
One section of the outside wall is uncovered under the eaves to show the sod. The son of the builder claimed there were holes in the walls called 'crowbar holes' where "in a storm, the folks would stick a crowbar through and if it was bent when they pulled it back in, they stayed inside." The original house was three rooms: the kitchen, parlor, and bedroom, with an upstairs loft. William Dowse, the builder, and his wife raised five boys in this house. After viewing the inside we sat for a bit in a glider under a pine tree in the front yard to enjoy the breeze and the view across the countryside.
Then we drove on in to Comstock, population 110. There is a sign for a nearby turkey farm, population 149. The most amazing site is in the center of town, the Centennial Garden. It is packed with a wide variety of flowers, shrubs and trees, and beautifully maintained. Hundreds of butterflies zip around the flowers. Around every corner are interesting objects.
After this incredible place , we drove over to Broken Bow, population 3600 and the county seat for Custer County, which is, by the way, almost twice the size of Rhode Island. It appears to be thriving and is very well kept. We lunched at the Tumbleweed, obvious outsiders by our lack of boots and rhinestones. Then back to camp for a quiet evening.
Today will be a pack up and driving day--all the way to Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa on the Missouri River.
Today will be a pack up and driving day--all the way to Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa on the Missouri River.
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