Gilbert Family

John Gilbert sod homestead at Nine Mile in 1916. Unlike Nebraska, where the Gilberts came from, sod houses in this area were rare, so the house was the talk of the community. According to its occupants, it was snug and warm, with a west window providing a view of the Big Horn Mountains and the east window a view of the Pumpkin Buttes.
Sometimes such sod houses were built into the side of a hill, but the roof would need fenced off so cattle did not crash through it while grazing. Usually the floors were hard-packed dirt that homesteaders swept even.
Descendants of the Gilbert family remain in the Kaycee area today. Some of their soddy house remained standing for many years, but it is almost entirely gone now.

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