Minor Family Sod House and Bed & Breakfast, Brewster, Kansas

It's time to pack your bags and load the wagon. Come to our soddy for a visit. Enjoy the unique accommodations and cozy ambiance of an authentic sod house located in the peaceful surroundings of northwest Kansas. Built in 1907 and occupied until the early 1950's, this National Historic Place has gas heat, electricity, and running water. Experience the warmth and tranquility of a simpler time without giving up all the basic conveniences of today. The Minor Sod House was constructed in the fall of 1907 or spring of 1908 on the SW1/4 of 20-5-36 in Rawlins Co., Ks. This land was originally the timber claim, #2384, of Samuel Dunlap; and a patent was received by his heirs on Sept 7, 1901. According to Isaphene (Dunlap) Lesher, her grandfather Samuel, with his parents Lewis and Letty, wife Icyphene, and two infant daughters arrived in Rawlins County in August of 1887. They lived in a sod house on the site, but not the one that is on the location now. Samuel and his father both died in 1892. In 1895, according to the census, the widowed Icyphene continued to live on the land with her mother-in-law, three children, and her new husband John C. Welch, a school teacher. In 1900, Icyphene Welch sold the land to C. P. Dewey before she had proved up and received the patent on the land. C. P. Dewey was a Chicago banker, owner of the Oak Ranch, and the father of Chauncey Dewey of the “Dewey-Berry Feud” fame. From 1903 to 1906, there were several ownership transfers recorded by Dewey, his wife, and several business associates of Dewey. In October of 1906, John Forrest bought the quarter-section of land. Forrest sold the land to Sidney Graves on March 1, 1907. Sidney Graves sold the property with a “one-year-old house” to Tom Minor in January, 1909.

This spacious 2-bedroom sod house, with 24 inch thick walls, is nestled in the historic Beaver Creek valley of Rawlins County , Kansas. Located 17 miles north of the Brewster (#35) exit of Interstate 70, the farmstead is surrounded by native pastures, farm animals, abundant wildlife, clean air, unsurpassed sunsets, and beautiful starry nights.

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