KarenMusserNortman
  • Home
  • Frannie Shoemaker Mysteries
  • The Time Travel Trailer Series
  • Mystery Sisters
  • Karen's Blog
  • Large Print and Audible
  • The Newsroom
  • Coming Events
  • Borrow My Books-KU
  • Camping (when it isn't murder)
  • Giveaways and Stuff
  • About the Author

Road Trip

9/29/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
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.

Picture
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.

Picture
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.
1 Comment
jayne
9/29/2014 12:37:44 am

abostuly lovely

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Some random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating.

    Archives

    February 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly