prairie homestead historic site

It's a chance to see a real sod house and then realize that someone lived in it not all that long ago. Both are pretty amazing. I'd always heard about sod houses but this was the first I've ever seen. To see how the sod is stacked to make the walls is interesting. And to realize that this was built by homesteaders in the early 20th century is even more interesting. Hard to believe, but they used what they had. It was extremely windy the day we were there, but that gave us a small taste of what it would have been like in the day.The rest of the site is a typical farm from the period with some farm animals. There is also a prairie dog town with semi-tame prairie dogs to get a closer experience than elsewhere.

I'd heard of sod houses, but never expected to see an original one. This site is on the way to/from the Badlands and is absolutely worth a 1/2 hour stop. Kids will like the white prairie dogs on the front lawn and pet goats in the barn.

Very interesting to see how the pioneers lived. I can't believe they lived in a sod hut and it was so neat to actually walk inside it and see the size of it and imagine everyone sleeping in the one bed. I liked seeing the animals and the old farm equipment as well. The short movie inside was informative and interesting. You could also dress up as a pioneer while walking around the homestead. I wished I had, it would have made interesting pictures. All in all, we're glad we stopped.

This is not a fancy tourist trap. I thought the price was a little bit high, but was glad I stopped and saw it. It is an interesting piece of history that is easy to see in a short time. You can walk through the sod house, see lots of old farm equipment and several wagons. It is interesting to see the construction of the various buildings and explore them ... sod house, root cellar, chicken coop, and barn. The visitor center has a short video about the site and plenty of souvenirs to choose from that are priced about the same as we found in the surrounding tourist areas.

I originally wanted to visit the Laura Ingalls Homestead, but the drive was too far to DeSmet so we researched and found this Prairie Homestead instead on the Internet. It is pretty near the Badlands National Park area. We went in and watched the educational video and then toured the grounds. It was really neat to see this sod home, cellar, and barn. You can walk through this on your own and it doesn't take very long. This is the closest piece of history of a sod home I could show my kids after reading all the "Little House on the Prairie" books.

This was not a long stop but it was educational. They show a video and then you go outside to see the sod house and the way they lived back then. There are prairie dogs on the site which are cute but don't get close to them. They do carry the plague they say.

it was interesting to see how the homesteaders lived and what it must have taken to survive in this area. Great artifacts and history but probably a little expensive for what you get. It was fun for the kids to dress up in the old world clothes they have for you to wear during your tour but that wasn't enough for the kids to like the overall experience.

didn't even know about this attraction until I saw the sign for it on my way to the Badlands. I'm glad I pulled in. I learned something about how people came to settle the areas and what they went through to try and live there. Most delightful were the prairie dogs. There are dozens and all quite bold. Good photo ops - as opposed to the colony in the Badlands Park where we never saw any above ground.

Gives you a taste of life from over 100 years ago. You will learn a lot of history about life here, and they even have some period-era clothes that you can put on to wear around the farm. There are some farm animals there, but also tons of houseflies. The visitor center has a video about how things were. Good for history buffs and maybe small kids.

We enjoyed this and thought the information was educational, but it took us no time at all to see everything there was to see. Our older kids found it boring.

Enjoyed walking around and taking pics of buildings, exhibits and wildlife. They allowed patrons to be hands on and interact with the environment. A self guided tour and a fun experience.

It was very cool to see an old sod home. If you want to see prairie dogs, this is a great place to see lots of them up close. This was worth the time and $7.00 per person to visit.

According to Wikipedia, the "house was constructed by Ed Brown and his wife in 1909." Apparently, Mr. Brown's wife didn't have a name. Despite that drawback, the sod home is a great place to visit on your way into the Badlands - particularly if you have kids.My wife and I visited on June 29, 2014 without our daughters ages 12 and 10. Not wanting to look like tourists, we took advantage of the bib overalls and early 20th Century dresses provided while we inspected the dirt premises. (Although my 12 year old daughter refused and also asked that we walk 20 feet in front of her . . .). The kids were fascinating by the idea that people lived in a home made of dirt. Adding to the ambiance were the many prairie dogs that kept popping up out of their own sod homes in the ground. Best of all was the two-seater outhouse with replica mannequin setting on the toilet. It would be hard to find better ostentatious Americana. Now if we only determine who Mr. Brown's wife was so we could put a name on the poor sod who built home . . .

This state run "historical" stop is, in my opinion, far too overpriced for the sights offered. $7/adult, $6/child and, I think, $19/family of 4. In return you get to view a real sod house dating back to the late 1800s. I wasn't about to pay $14 so my wife and I could see a structure similar to what I've visited for free in Alaska, Hawaii and Iceland. Oh and worry not, you can enter the gift shop for free.

OK, it's a bit unassuming and maybe a bit spendy, but it's the real building and it's a very real exhibit of how hard "claiming up" on the Homestead Act really was. We've visited the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, NE and this place might not be as fancy but it is more real. Talk about giving everything you have - in some cases even your life - to scratch out a living farming where really no one should farm. Favorite historical fact: After many years of a subsistence lifestyle, the husband dies - early of course. So the wife chucks it all and moves to Long Beach, CA. And yes the little fat begging prairie rodents are cute. If you are headed for the Badlands this is well worth the hour or two detour. Bring a big bottle of bug spray.