Homes
Sketch of Call cabin
"We reached the edge of the timber two miles south of Algona about the last of July and here we built our cabin." Ambrose Call
The first settlers in Algona built log cabins using the timber that grew near the river. Asa and Ambrose built the first cabin on the site of what is now Call State Park. Ambrose Call and William Smith constructed the cabin in late July of 1854 while Asa went back to Iowa City to see his wife, Sarah and register the claims.
The cabin was 14 by 16 feet in size. The logs were notched at the corners and the cracks were filled with clay. The door was made of puncheons which were logs that were smooth on one side. The cabin had one window and the chimney was made with sticks and yellow clay. There was a fireplace for cooking and heat. The floor was dirt but later a puncheon floor was installed.
Most settlers lived in cabins that were very similar to the Call cabin. Sylvester Rist, a boy living in Algona in the 1850's wrote about his family's cabin to his relatives back East: The room we live in is about 13 x 15 feet. For a partition to separate us from Father's bedroom, Mother has hung up the carpet that was used in the sitting room back home Frank and wife have been living with us this winter. They live upstairs." It was not until Asa Call constructed the sawmill that homes in Algona began being constructed out of lumber.
The first settlers in Algona built log cabins using the timber that grew near the river. Asa and Ambrose built the first cabin on the site of what is now Call State Park. Ambrose Call and William Smith constructed the cabin in late July of 1854 while Asa went back to Iowa City to see his wife, Sarah and register the claims.
The cabin was 14 by 16 feet in size. The logs were notched at the corners and the cracks were filled with clay. The door was made of puncheons which were logs that were smooth on one side. The cabin had one window and the chimney was made with sticks and yellow clay. There was a fireplace for cooking and heat. The floor was dirt but later a puncheon floor was installed.
Most settlers lived in cabins that were very similar to the Call cabin. Sylvester Rist, a boy living in Algona in the 1850's wrote about his family's cabin to his relatives back East: The room we live in is about 13 x 15 feet. For a partition to separate us from Father's bedroom, Mother has hung up the carpet that was used in the sitting room back home Frank and wife have been living with us this winter. They live upstairs." It was not until Asa Call constructed the sawmill that homes in Algona began being constructed out of lumber.
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This short video gives you a quick tour of a log cabin that is similar to ones built in early Algona. This sites shows you how to build a log cabin. |