Neighbors Laughed When He Built an Underground "Grave" And Not a Cabin—Until It Kept Him 25°F Warmer

Transcript

Dakota Territory, 1886. While every homesteader raced to throw up balloon frame cabins before the first snow, one Norwegian carpenter named Lars Neward was still digging in late October. His neighbors called it a badger hole. They called him a fool for digging his own grave. He excavated 12 by 16 ft into a south-facing hillside, lined it with cotto... Read More