1886 photograph by Solomon Butcher entitled: "Sylvester Rawding family in front of sod house, north of Sargent, Custer County, Nebraska." Pictured, from left to right, are Emma (Leadbetter) Rawding, Sylvester W. Rawding, daughter Bessie, and sons Philip, William, and Harry, sitting and standing in front of their sod house, with a mule team on the right, and a cow on the hillside that forms part of the roof. Lumber was expensive to buy and not readily available. The prairie did, though, provide an unlimited resource that the settlers could use, sod. Sod squares, cut from the soil, had long grass roots in them and thus were tough yet flexible. Not only were the walls constructed of sod, but most roofs as well, which sometimes led to wet bedding and clothes after a heavy rain. Only a minimal amount of lumber was needed, for a door and one or more windows. The sod homes proved to be cool in the hot summer and warm in the winter.